We have a pretty decent baby bonus/child care supplement here, and a one year maternity leave, but the birth rate is still pretty low - 1.7 children per woman, if I'm not mistaken. Well below replacement.
Anyways, about the Dutch thing - my midwife said that the Dutch women (children of immigrants, not born in Holland) in their practice seem to have a much better attitude towards labour and birth than many of the others in their practice. And my midwife herself had a Dutch doctor, who, 25 years ago, allowed her to have a homebirth here, which he attended (as a GP) and allowed her children to be present. That would have been totally unheard of at that time! I wondered if it is because the Dutch are typically bigger people (no worries - I'm Dutch myself) and maybe have a little less trouble with labour? Just a thought. I know that the size of the woman isn't everything in labour, but I wondered if that might be a factor. Or maybe we're just a wonderfully enlightened bunch of people.
Where I live here in Ontario, the hospital doesn't offer epidurals either - only if you are going to need a c-section, or high forceps. Some women travel to the next big city to deliver because of that.

"In the netherlands it seems birth is treated as a private family event which a trained person helps with and not a medical event family members can witness"
What a concept! Now if only THAT would catch on here!