Maternity leave in the Netherlands is too short and child care is relatively expensive, according to a United Nations (UN) report published on Thursday.
The Dutch paid maternity leave of 16 weeks is one of the shortest in the 27-nation European Union; Dutch daily NRC Handelsblad quoted a report by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) as saying on Thursday.
Under the Dutch law, fathers get two days off upon the birth of their child and parents can also take unpaid leave of up to 20 weeks before a child reaches the age of eight.
If the lack of leave means children are kept in day care facilities for long hours, this could have negative effects on their development, the UNICEF report said.
Meanwhile, child care in the Netherlands is expensive, with parents paying on average 44 per cent of child care costs, UNICEF said.
Reacting to the report, the Dutch Education Ministry said that the UN organization was basing its calculations on old laws. It said Dutch parents now pay an average of just 23 per cent of the costs of a crèche place, the Dutch daily said.