An Analysis on the Racial Diversity Issues under the Context of Netherlands

Introduction

In the current process of globalization, population mobility is frequent, and many people choose

to work in other cities or even countries. Living in a completely foreign environment, with a

completely different skin color, language, culture, customs, etc. In this context, the importance of

diversity and inclusion stands out. The Netherlands, as the maritime hegemon at the beginning of

the Great Age of Navigation, has a very early history of globalization, and many people from all

over the world choose to work and live in the Netherlands. The Netherlands is also known for its

liberal policies and multicultural society. Despite the Netherlands' reputation for tolerance and

inclusion, ethnic diversity remains a complex and multifaceted issue that affects all aspects of

Dutch life, including education and the workforce. This article focuses on the current situation in

relation to ethnic diversity in the Dutch context, it delves into how ethnic diversity affects the

dynamics of Dutch universities and workplaces, and makes recommendations.

Background and Current Situation

The Netherlands has historically been known for its trading activities, with the title of "sea

coachman" (Vink, 2003). Trade is often accompanied by frequent movement of people, so the

Netherlands has been a melting pot of cultures and races for centuries. After World War II, with

the rise of national liberation movements around the world, the Netherlands, which has many

overseas colonies, witnessed a large influx of immigrants, mainly from former colonies such as

Indonesia, Suriname, and the Dutch Caribbean Islands, and later from Turkey and Morocco
(Crul, 2016). This influx of immigrants has contributed to the racial and ethnic diversity of

contemporary Dutch society.

When the number of immigrants in a country exceeds a certain limit, it inevitably leads to

conflicts between them and the native people. As a result, the Dutch attitude to ethnic diversity

and inclusion has been a topic of intense debate. For example, racial profiling by police is also an

open secret in the Netherlands, where people of certain racial or ethnic backgrounds, particularly

those of African, Moroccan or Middle Eastern descent, are more likely to be stopped and

questioned by police.

Governments and civil society organizations in the Netherlands and the European Union have

also worked to address the issues raised by ethnic diversity. On the one hand, the government has

implemented policies to combat the phenomena of racial discrimination. For example, since

2001, the European Union has passed legislation to address racial and xenophobic prejudice. The

European Commission has suggested a number of equality programs and actions, including the

Second European Summit Against Racism (EPRS, 2021), which will take place on March 21,

2021. On the other hand, the government facilitates immigrants' integration into local life through

direct or indirect means such as activity organization and free language instruction.

Racial Diversity Issues in University and Workplace Settings

As of 2024, the Netherlands is still grappling with the challenges of ethnic diversity: a significant

proportion of the population from non-Western backgrounds suffers from social exclusion and

inequality in all areas of life, mainly in employment and education.

In the Netherlands, immigrants have a much harder time finding work than locals. This

phenomenon is not only due to a hard language limit, as it has been found that candidates with

non-Western sounding names are significantly less likely to get an interview, even if they are of

the same or similar skill (Coats et al., 2022). According to the Netherlands Institute for Social

Research (2021), people of non-Western descent are twice as likely to be unemployed as natives

of the Netherlands, and this gap is more pronounced among people of Moroccan and Surinamese

descent. Moreover, when it comes to career advancement, immigrants are significantly less

represented at the top than native-born citizens, who are subject to a glass ceiling. This may be

explained by the poor performance of immigrants in terms of language and cultural integration,

and the higher demand for these soft skills by senior managers. The results, however, suggest that

even without discrimination, the integration of diverse immigrants into the Dutch workplace is

less than ideal. This systemic problem exacerbates the gap between immigrants and the native

Dutch by affecting their income and social status.

Discrimination and inequity due to racial diversity are also common in the education system, with

non-native students (especially those from non-Western countries) often receiving explicit or

implicit unfair treatment in schools because of their identity. For example, according to a 2021

study conducted by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, the children of non-

Western immigrants are more likely than native Dutch students to be recommended to poorer

classes or schools, even with the same or similar scores on tests and assessments. In addition,

according to the Netherlands Institute for Social Research (2010), among secondary school

students, children of immigrants have a higher dropout rate. Although there are linguistic and

personal reasons, racial prejudice is also an issue that cannot be ignored. These phenomena all
suggest that the educational trajectory of Dutch minority students is influenced by factors other

than academic performance, which in turn leads to differences in future work.

Therefore, from the above analysis, it can be seen that there are inequalities or discrimination

caused by racial diversity in Dutch society, whether in education or working environment.

Educational inequality affects future job development, and work determines earnings, which

ultimately exacerbates inequality due to economic disparities.

Suggestions for Addressing the Issues under University and Workplace Settings

This section will give some suggestions on how to address the inequalities identified above,

mainly in the context of university education and the workplace.

First of all, in universities, the first step is the training and evaluation of teachers, who as teachers

should lead by example to ensure that they do not act unfairly to minority students. Secondly, in

order to eliminate prejudice and discrimination, schools should include the understanding and

learning of different cultures as a minor subject in students' course selection system, and the

curriculum content should focus on the advantages of different nationalities and races as much as

possible, emphasizing the benefits and necessity of peaceful coexistence (Ladson-Billings, 2021).

In addition, universities can develop targeted recruitment and scholarship programs for

disadvantaged groups to balance the inequities through administrative means. For example, some

universities in Sweden set up scholarships for overseas students, and only international students

are allowed to apply.

To effectively address the issues posed by racial diversity in the Dutch workplace, companies

first need to conduct diversity and inclusion training for all employees to raise awareness of
unconscious bias and its effects. Research by Bezrukova et al. (2016) supports the effectiveness

of well-designed diversity training in improving workplace inclusion. Companies can even set up

internal punishment systems to punish workplace discrimination. In addition, positive career

development programs, such as mentoring and sponsorship programs specifically for minority

employees, can also help them to develop better to a certain extent, and these programs can

promote career development and networking opportunities. Finally, hiring and promotion

processes should be made more transparent and reviewed regularly for bias.

Personal Takeaways

I traveled to three cities in the Netherlands, Amsterdam and Rotterdam, where there are a lot of

immigrants, and I thought the Netherlands did a good job of mixing different ethnic groups.

However, in the process of studying this issue, I have a new understanding of the problems

caused by the racial diversity in the Netherlands (mainly discrimination in various types and

occasions): like many western countries, the problems brought by immigrants to the Dutch

society have not only not been well solved, but even intensified with the economic downturn in

recent years (Lang & Spitzer, 2020). In fact, unlike the United States and Canada, Europe is not a

country of immigrants, and the land has indigenous people and deep native culture. Therefore, in

the future, it is possible to foresee that the problems brought about by immigration in Europe will

pose great challenges for them.

We must therefore take a proactive and multifaceted approach to addressing racial diversity. It is

not enough to acknowledge the existence of these problems; Institutions must work actively to
remove institutional barriers and create an environment in which diversity is not only accepted,

but valued and nurtured.

Conclusion

In conclusion, an examination of the issue of ethnic diversity in the Netherlands reveals a

complex situation of progress and challenges. While Dutch society is known for its tolerance,

latent racial bias and structural inequality persist in universities and the workplace. To solve these

problems requires the cooperation between the government and the people, and a comprehensive

solution from the perspectives of policy, education and culture. It is essential to create an

environment that not only tolerates diversity, but actively embraces and viscerally recognizes it.

Not only for the Netherlands, but for Europe as a whole, with the increase in the number of

immigrants (including the second and third generations of immigrants) and the downturn in the

world economy, it is urgent to address the problems caused by ethnic diversity.

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