Centre for Policy on Ageing



Challenges and risks of individualisation in The Netherlands
Author(s)	Trudie Knijn
Journal title	Social Policy & Society, vol 3, pt 1, January 2004
Pages	pp 57-66
Source	http://www.journals.cambridge.org
Keywords	Older women ; Independence ; Social security benefits ; Rights [elderly] ; Social policy ; Netherlands.
Annotation	Individualisation, in this article, implies the autonomy of women in all respects (economically, biologically and socially) as a condition for social participation, self-esteem and power, as well as offering an option to leave unhappy intimate relationships. This article evaluates recent transformations in social policy that reflect the tendency towards individualisation in the Netherlands. Such transformations have taken place in old age pensions, widows' pensions, social assistance and taxation, and in respect of child support following divorce. Interestingly, most reforms have not resulted in "full individualisation". Rather they have taken into account the fact that people - particularly women - are not or cannot be assumed to be full-time adult workers. Such a "moderate individualisation", however, is not without risks to women's economic independence, especially when the developments of the Dutch "life course perspective" on social security are considered. (RH).
Accession Number	CPA-040405208 A
Classmark	BD: C3: JH: IKR: TM2: 76H
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