State of families: parents are often alone.

State of families: parents are often alone.

On monday 18 may the state of families 2026 was published. The message from parents in the Netherlands is clear this year: it is no longer possible. Although the Netherlands still seems a family-friendly country on paper, parents increasingly experience daily reality as heavy, complex and lonely. "Time is up," the authors write in the foreword. Parents feel insufficiently heard and supported, while pressure increases on all fronts.

The state of families is a research report by Stichting Voor Werkende Ouders, the Dutch Centre for Youth Health (NCJ), Trade association Social childcare and WIJ media the state of families 2026 was published. This year 5,597 parents participated in the research.

Concerns about the future grow fast

The report emphasizes that the feeling of uncertainty about the future increases. Parents worry more than ever about the world in which their children grow up.
Climate change, political unrest, economic uncertainty and growing socioeconomic inequality create a feeling of powerlessness. Many parents ask themselves: how can we give our children hope in a world that is experienced as uncertain and sometimes gloomy?

From ‘never’ to ‘always’ stress

Another development in the report: stress is no longer a temporary problem. Where parents previously spoke of ‘sometimes busy’, stress has now become a constant factor in family life. The combination of work, care, financial obligations and social expectations proves to be hardly sustainable for many families. Especially combining work and family is experienced as the heaviest burden. Almost half of the parents experience too little time – not only for themselves but also for their partner and children. In addition, this pressure does not simply disappear. The report shows that stress has become a structural problem, comparable to the peak during the corona period.

Further in the report

Besides these developments, the report further addresses the financial pressure parents experience, the growing gap between families and the accessibility of facilities such as childcare and youth care. Parents also describe that the system often does not match what their family actually needs and that trust in politics is under pressure.

This is what parents think

For the state of families many parents were interviewed. In this video parents tell how they look at the family friendliness of the Netherlands.

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