Insurance company Reaal was discriminatory when it worked out a compensation deal for a woman left unable to work after an accident by assuming she would have children and a part-time job, the Dutch human rights board has ruled.

The Dutch-Turkish woman was seriously injured by a motorbike rider as a child and developed permanent brain damage, leaving her unable to work.

The motorcyclist was insured with Reaal which used labour market research to determine the woman was unlikely to have worked from the age of 27 to 36. In addition, when she did join the labour market, she would have worked part-time, Reaal said.

The insurer’s position was backed by judges in The Hague earlier this year.

Impact

The human rights board, however, said the insurance company should rethink. ‘It is extremely unlikely Reaal would have reached the same conclusion if dealing with a man,’ the board said in a statement. ‘This position has considerable impact on the size of the compensation package.’

The board urged insurance companies to stop treating men and women differently in this way.

The board’s ruling has no legal standing but does clear the way for a further court hearing on the matter, the Volkskrant says.