Inkomenswaardig

Inkommenswaardig is a term used in Dutch-language policy and social science discourse to describe the degree to which an income is considered dignified or adequate to meet basic living needs. It centers on whether earnings sufficiently cover essential costs such as housing, food, healthcare, education, and energy, enabling a dignified existence rather than mere subsistence.

The word is formed from initial elements meaning income (inkomen) and worthy or dignified (waardig). It is not always codified as an official statistical category, but it appears in debates about what constitutes a fair and acceptable standard of living. In this sense, inkomenswaardig functions as a normative benchmark used by researchers, policymakers, and advocacy groups to assess social protection levels and wage standards.

Inkomenswaardig is related to, but distinct from, concepts such as a living wage, a poverty line, and a basic income. While a living wage focuses on earnings sufficient for a specific household to sustain a decent standard of living, and a poverty line marks a threshold below which poverty is considered to prevail, inkomenswaardig emphasizes the quality of income—whether it allows for a dignified life in practice. Measurement typically involves equivalised income, regional cost variation, housing expenses, and family composition, often drawing on baskets of goods and consumption needs.

Critics warn that the term can be abstract and politically charged, with definitions varying across contexts and over time. Despite this, it remains a useful concept for framing discussions about social security, wage policy, and income adequacy beyond simple poverty reduction.