Forget 40 hours: The Dutch get their work done in just 32 hours a week—and women made it possible

Ever since the pandemic, American workers have clung to their remote schedules for as long as possible as CEOs drag their staffers back into the office. Loving the freedom that comes with flexible schedules, some have even advocated for four-day workweeks—but for one tiny European nation, that dream is already a reality.

Workers in the Netherlands between the ages of 20 and 64 worked an average of 32.1 hours per week in 2024, according to a 2025 analysis from Eurostat. The country had...