Educational institutions and the Dutch government are insufficiently combatting the dropping out and discrimination of student mothers and pregnant students. This is according to the research (in Dutch) that was presented at the Conference Student Mothers.

Over 50 percent of student mothers and pregnant students in secondary vocational education and over 75 percent in higher education drop out during their studies. The research shows that the educational institutions hardly have specific rules and regulations for student mothers and pregnant students, such as maternity leave or flexible schedules and examination dates. The national laws and regulations that do exist are not implemented by all educational institutions.

No specific rules

This is troublesome, because the Dutch minister of education, culture and science, Jet Bussemaker, mentioned in a previous correspondence with the Public Interest Litigation Project (PILP), Steunpunt Studerende Moeders, proefprocessenfonds Clara Wichmann, FNV Vrouw, de Vrouwenraad and Vereniging Vrouw en Recht, that the educational facilities are responsible for student mothers and pregnant students. The institutions should tailor their services to the students’ needs.

But, as appears from the research, this would mean that student mothers and pregnant students are dependent upon the goodwill of their study advisors or professors. It is often unclear whether they can invoke which regulations.

The educational institutions think that pregnancy is the students’ "own choice" and thus responsibility.

The PILP disagrees with the "you’ve made your bed, and you’ll have to lie in it" reasoning. When and where the access to education of pregnant students and student mothers is impaired and their possibilities of completing their education and receiving their diploma are limited, the right to education is violated. Moreover, this is discrimination based on sex, as only women will be negatively affected.

Organizations call for solutions

To once again bring to light the problems that student mothers and pregnant students experience, the research will be sent to the government and educational institutions. The organizations will ask how the government and educational institutions will solve the issues that were found in the research.

If solutions to these issues fail to occur, the organizations will consider legal action.