The Fall of the Middle Class? Stability and Vulnerability in the Middle Segment of Society

Contrary to what many disturbing reports might suggest, the middle class is not in decline and is not being eroded in the Netherlands. The majority of the members of the middle groups in society are maintaining their position, but are having to work harder and accept greater uncertainty in doing so. Households increasingly need two incomes and have to adapt to the flexible and temporary nature of work. They are also required to combine work with care tasks and need to display a greater ability to fend for themselves in coping with risks. This combination of tasks is accompanied by a growing sense of insecurity, as well as a feeling that the government is doing too little for the middle groups in society. It is important for the government to focus on reducing insecurity in order to assuage the vulnerability and bolster the stability of the middle groups in society. The WRR publication The Fall of the Middle Class? Stability and Vulnerability in the Middle Segment of Society provides an insight into the changes that have occurred in the middle segment of Dutch society since the 1970s. The analysis encompasses four aspects: developments affecting people with middle incomes, with intermediate skills and in intermediate occupations, as well as attitudes towards politics and society.

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See Also
book De val van de middenklasse? : Het stabiele en kwetsbare midden G.B.M. Engbersen (Godfried), E. Snel (Erik) and M. Kremer (Monique)