Female self-employed more likely to be economically independent

Between 2011 and 2019, self-employed people became increasingly economically independent. And while male self-employed workers are more likely to earn the subsistence minimum than women, female entrepreneurs are working hard to narrow that gap.

Figures from the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) show that just over 80 percent of male self-employed workers are economically independent. That percentage has barely increased over the past decade. Female self-employed workers may earn the subsistence minimum less often, but they are catching up considerably.

In 2011, about half of all self-employed women were economically self-employed. That's what you are if your net income is 70 percent or more than the legal minimum wage. In 2019, the limit was for economic independence 990 euros per month. Meanwhile, 61% of female ZZP érs are economically independent, but compared to 2011, the growth was with them the strongest. During this period, the difference between men and women of 32 to 24 percentage points among the self-employed. Thus, the fact that the number of economically self-employed is rising is mainly because of them.

Stronger growth among women

CBS presented figures on November 3 on economic self-sufficiency of employees, self-employed and self-employed with staff (zmp'ers). This showed that women in all groups were less likely to be economically independent, but that the group earning a subsistence minimum was growing substantially. Among zmp'ers and employees, growth among men was also weaker than among women.

Men are (still) more likely to work full-time

Among the self-employed, the differences still the largest. The Organization for Cooperation and Development among Rich Industrialized Countries, the OECD, put the median earnings of self-employed entrepreneurs and employees side by side. It showed that male self-employed workers in the Netherlands still earn, on average, 33 percent earned more than women. That women are less likely to earn an income at the minimum welfare level is mainly because men tend to work full-time and women part-time, according to CBS.

Differences by sector

Independent professionals in financial services are most often economically self-employed. Zzp'ers in the "culture, sports and recreation" and "other services" sectors are the least.

The male-female differences are relatively small in hospitality, transportation and warehousing, and agriculture and forestry. At 28 percentage points in 2019, the gap was largest in other services. That category includes, for example, hairdressers and beauticians, occupations with relatively low incomes.

Also in health and welfare, men earn more often the subsistence level than women. According to CBS, this is because men are more often a private have medical practice (medical specialists, dentists and general practitioners).