Gender and the separation of spheres in twentieth century Dutch society: Pillarisation, welfare state formation and individualisation

The separation of public and private spheres has been an important issue in feminist scholarship. The concept of separability, and the gender relations assumed, made women second-class citizens and reinforced the belief that women were ‘incomplete citizens’ or ‘citizens manqué’. The idea of separate spheres was shared by most political movements in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. Pillarisation generated a system of political negotiation that focused on reaching consensus at the top-level of the different pillars. Individualisation is a concept used to describe an array of political, social and moral developments which have resulted in the breakdown of pillarisation. Labour market and social security policies only constitute a portion of the Dutch welfare system. The postwar welfare state has also provided a number of social services, including ones directed at the development of social citizenship. The histories of pillarisation and welfare state formation are characterised by substantial interventions into family life, either directly or indirectly.