AWC Going Dutch March 2020

The Dutch Daily
by Eileen Harloff
Growing Up and Up?
For me, one of the most notable aspects of
life in the Netherlands is the height of its
citizens―they are TALL―and I, alas, am
short. At every event involving a large number
of people sitting or standing, I feel that
I am in a forest of tall trees. And while it is
pleasant to be shaded in hot sunny weather,
this is often not the setting or the case.
Instead my view, if I am standing, is of a
broad back. Or if I am sitting, the head of
the person in front of me who, I am sure, is
the tallest one in the audience.
How has this all come about? Surely former
generations of Dutch people were of more
normal height, i.e. my height or just a little
bit taller. I found an answer in the work of
sociologist Gert Stulp of Rijksuniversiteit
Groningen. According to his research,
height is not determined by genes, but by a
degree of prosperity and a lack of dangerous
diseases. Prior to the 19th century, when life
in this country was hard, the Dutch were the
shortest people in Europe. When the standard
of living improved and good medical
care resulted in less sickness, the height of
its citizens began an upward trend. It also
helps that tall people seek tall mates; according
to Stulp, “What makes the Netherlands
special is that, on the whole, tall people tend
to have more children than in other countries.”
And while tall people do not necessarily
have children taller than themselves,
the chance is that the children will be close
to two meters or even taller. Moreover, the
national average height is still increasing,
although the rate is slower than in previous
generations.
Nowadays, according to the CBS (Central
Bureau of Statistics), the average Dutch
man is 1.81 meters (nearly 6 feet), up almost
3.8 centimeters (1.5 inches) from
1981, and Dutch woman are now around
1.67 meters (5-foot 6-inches), which is an
increase of 1.5 centimeters (0.59 inches).
44 GOING DUTCH
Increased height can also be a problem. This
was the case with ten-year-old Nienke from
Haaksbergen, who had already reached a
shoe size of 40, which is five sizes larger
than the shoe size of other young people in
her age group. The doctors predicted that
when fully grown, she would be wearing
shoes of size 44 or 45. A solution suggested
was an operation to stop the continuing
growth. This would have a recovery period
of some six weeks, approximately the same
recovery period as that of a broken arm.
The family reluctantly decided to take the
plunge and the operation was carried out to
a happy result. A good by-product of the operation
was that Nienke gave an oral report
to her school class explaining why and how
the operation was carried out, for which she
received a mark of nine.
The Hague Is Also Growing
In this case, the growth is in the rapidly
increasing number of inhabitants, which
today numbers around 535,000 people.
On the one side, the younger generation is
growing―last year more people were born
than died. At the same time, some 3,400
citizens moved out of the city to nearby
towns, while approximately 11,000 people
came in, which is many more than ever before.
The greatest group of newcomers are
migrants―job seekers, expats, and asylum
seekers. This trend gives rise to two important
needs: sufficient work and affordable
housing. Housing has been on the munici-
pal agenda for many years. Currently older
buildings which have become vacant are
being converted into apartments, and new
buildings are springing up whenever an
empty space occurs. Unfortunately, the new
housing is far too expensive for the average
citizen, who has been waiting sometimes
for years for a decent place to live. Added
to this is the increasing number of people
who are living so many years more than in
the past. At the same time, the city is bent
on making the city “greener” by opening
up closed canals, increasing park areas, and
planting more flowers and trees in an effort
to meet higher environmental standards.
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MARCH 2019 45