Back to 2004 for a moment. That year, the service voucher system was introduced. This had two aims: to reduce undeclared work and create employment opportunities for people without qualifications.
Several studies - from KU Leuven, for example - show that those goals were achieved. Undeclared work was more than halved while unemployment rates among women without a diploma fell drastically.
From undeclared work to social security
Meanwhile, some 150,000 domestic helpers work through service vouchers, 98% of whom are women. For many of them, the introduction of this system meant the move from undeclared work or unemployment to an official status with a fixed salary, insurance and pension accrual.
Work-life balance of the working woman
Also along the flip side of the coin, the introduction of the service cheque system has had a positive impact on women. Even today, an average Belgian woman spends 8.5 hours a week more on housework than a man.
Service vouchers offer busy families of double-income earners an affordable alternative: taking the housework out of their hands so they can enjoy their family, hobbies and leisure time.
Service vouchers: invaluable for women
As a well-known politician once put it, "Service vouchers are the best measure for women's emancipation since the female right to vote." Perhaps a touch exaggerated, but the numbers don't lie.
And at TRIXXO, we are proud. Proud to be part of this system and most importantly, proud of our thousands of domestic workers who give their best every day!