Full-time working couples in the Netherlands:causes and consequences

The past decades have shown a dramatic increase in women's labour force participation in the Netherlands. Not only did this change the traditional division of labour within Dutch families, it also instigated the emergence of dual-earner couples. Households with two working spouses raised significant attention from social scientists as time pressure issues within these households were identified. This book examines full-time working couples. From an emancipation perspective, this household arrangement may be preferred as the working hours are equally shared among husband and wife, which allows both to invest substantially in their professional careers. Yet, from a family perspective, this arrangement may be criticized as it could jeopardise the time these couples have for themselves, their family, and their societal involvement. Who are these full-time working couples in Dutch society? How are their careers linked with important life course transitions? Is the investment in other life realms, like family and community, affected when both spouses work full-time, and if so, how? These questions are examined with large-scale cross-sectional and longitudinal data for the Netherlands