Judith Tielen warns of declining attitudes toward violence against women in the Netherlands

Dutch State Secretary for Emancipation Judith Tielen has expressed concern following research from the Universities of Amsterdam and Tilburg, which indicates that 15.8 percent of Dutch citizens believe it is justifiable for a man to hit his wife. This figure represents a decline in social tolerance, as the percentage of people who viewed such violence as unjustifiable dropped from 88 percent in 2012 and 87 percent in 2022 to approximately 84 percent currently.

Tielen noted that these attitudes contribute to the persistence of violence against women. She highlighted the need to strengthen the foundations of emancipation against international conservative trends and the 'manosphere.' The government is working with social initiatives to combat violence, and a national coordinator for violence against women and domestic violence, Judith Kuypers, was appointed in September.

Additionally, reports indicate a decline in the Netherlands' global emancipation ranking, falling from 28th to 46th place. Separate research from the Trimbos Institute and Utrecht University also found a significant decrease in positive attitudes toward homosexuality among male high school students, with the percentage dropping from 40 to 22 percent over the last four years.