- Lower marriage rates. When talking about European countries, it’s common to assume that the marriage rates of these countries are low. And guess what? You’ll not be wrong when talking about the Netherlands, where women aren’t fans of getting married. For now, there are about 63K marriages a year, which is low when compared to the last decade. In this country, people prefer living in some form of partnership or cohabitation, which accounts for two-thirds of Dutch adults. What does it mean? Ladies in the Netherlands don’t opt for marriage while having a chance to be in a relationship.
- More divorces. One of the sad facts about the Netherlands is that there’s a growing number of divorces. More and more, people prefer to end their marriages. Perhaps, this explains why ladies don’t rush to get married. In the Netherlands, the average age of ong women is higher than 30. It means that women don’t only delay marriages, but they also don’t plan them until they reach their 30s. But this isn’t surprising to find out, as this country has more than 47 divorces per 100 marriages, which is quite high.
- Lower fertility rate. Interestingly, while marriages continue to decline and the average age of marriage increases, the fertility rate is quite constant in this country. For now, it’s about 1.71 kids per woman, which isn’t that bad when compared to other European countries. One of the reasons behind it is the generous government welfare policy. In other words, the country has made really good conditions for mothers.
Dating culture and rules
Dating a Dutch woman and dating an American girl has a few things in common and a few differences. The common characteristics are that Dutch chicks are as ready to start a relationship as American women, meaning the former do not consider dating and romance as something unimportant.
Still, Dutch girls are different from Western girls, and this difference has been reflected in the Netherlands dating culture. First, there is no chasing stage in conquering Dutch women. They do not fool men and do not expect them to try to win their attention with flowers, gifts, and other gestures. If a Dutch bride likes a man, she just accepts their invitation on a date. Thus, a couple starts getting acquainted to find common interests.
Dating in the Netherlands
Second, dating a Dutch girl in the Netherlands is a steady affair that reveals itself after a few dates. This is because Dutch women do not hurry to open up to their men fast. They prefer to spend a few months or even years testing their partners in different situations before they start thinking about having kids and getting married. One of the interesting Dutch dating culture characteristics is that marriage takes a lot of time for local women: they date their partner for a few months or years, then move in together, have a kid, best hookup sites and only after that women agree to get married. This is because Dutch girls want to make sure their partners can face different life obstacles without the desire to break up.
Third, sex plays a very important role in a relationship with a Dutch girl. Women from the Netherlands do not postpone intimate relationships after they get acquainted with men. Oftentimes, they agree to have sex on a second or third date, so if you are looking for a partner who is easy in terms of intimacy, meeting Dutch women will be a good choice for you.
With everything stated above in mind, you can imagine what your dating scenario with a Dutch lady will be: first, you are likely to meet somewhere in a big city in the Netherlands. You will have a drink at a local bar or nightclub on Friday night and decide to meet the next day to ride a bike. Your potential girlfriend will show you the most interesting corners of the city that tourists rarely hear about. After that, you will head to a nearby restaurant to have dinner, and your date will likely end up in your hotel room or at her home. The next days and weeks will depend on your plans: if you intend to leave the Netherlands soon, you will either break up or plan your next visit to the country. In case you live in the neighboring countries, she may travel to you as well; however, if you live on the other side of the globe but you like each other a lot, you will chat every day through messengers and video call apps. After a certain time, either of you will offer to start living together, and that stage will be your next step to becoming closer.