For supporters of the four-day workweek, no challenge seems beyond the reach of this innovative model. Advocates argue that reducing working days brings multiple benefits, from easing workplace fatigue and improving gender equality to lowering unemployment and cutting emissions.

Critics, however, warn of risks: weaker productivity, threats to business competitiveness, strained public services, and a decline in work ethic. According to the Financial Times, such concerns remain strong despite successful real-world examples.

The Netherlands provides a compelling case study. Data from Eurostat show that Dutch employees aged 20–64 work an average of 32.1 hours per week—the lowest in the EU. Many now compress these hours into a four-day schedule. “The four-day week has become very popular. I still work five days and often get criticized for it,” says Bert Colijn, economist at ING Bank.

The shift toward shorter workweeks in the Netherlands began with women entering the workforce in large numbers during the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, primarily through part-time jobs. This trend created the so-called “one-and-a-half-income household,” supported by tax policies. Over time, part-time work became more socially accepted, spreading to men as well—particularly fathers of young children.

Critics often claim that shorter work hours damage economic performance, but the Dutch case suggests otherwise. Despite fewer average working hours, the Netherlands remains one of Europe’s wealthiest economies. High productivity and broad workforce participation offset reduced individual hours.

By the end of 2024, 82% of Dutch people of working age were employed, according to OECD data—compared with 75% in the UK, 72% in the US, and 69% in France. Women in particular show high employment rates, even higher than in countries where the average workweek is longer, such as the United States. Dutch workers also retire later, spreading work more evenly across both genders and age groups.

Despite progress, gender inequality remains a challenge. Dutch labor law guarantees that part-time work does not mean poverty wages or job insecurity, yet part-time roles often limit women’s career advancement. An OECD report in 2019 revealed that only 27% of managers in the Netherlands are women, one of the lowest shares in the OECD.

Parental leave has made “daddy days” increasingly common, but women still dominate part-time employment. The result: women remain underrepresented in leadership and decision-making roles.

Another downside of reduced working hours is persistent labor shortages, particularly in education. Understaffed schools often operate on fragmented schedules, which can make it difficult for parents to increase their own working hours. The broader care economy faces similar challenges: if everyone worked five days a week, gaps in childcare and eldercare would widen significantly.

Economist Bert Colijn notes that shorter hours may hold the Dutch economy back in certain respects, but warns against the alternative: “I wouldn’t want to live in a dystopian society where everyone works more hours than South Koreans, just because it raises GDP.”

The Dutch case demonstrates that a four-day workweek is neither a guarantee of economic decline nor a shortcut to utopia. Instead, it highlights how work can be distributed in multiple ways depending on societal choices and trade-offs.

One of the strongest arguments in favor of reduced hours is well-being: Dutch children are consistently ranked among the happiest in the world. For many, that is proof enough that fewer working days can create healthier, more balanced lives without sacrificing prosperity.