These points are not true for the Netherlands, at least: a PhD student is a real employee with the same rights as any other employee. So, after you lose a job y

These points are not true for the Netherlands, at least: a PhD student is a real employee with the same rights as any other employee. So, after you lose a job you'll get support, if you get sick, you get support, if you get a child, you get support and (maternity) leave, you're part of a pension plan as well, and so on. (Source: I've been a PhD student for 4.5 years in the Netherlands till this summer and got all those rights, benefits, whatever, just like any other employee) And yes, there are organisations for PhD students, which are employee organisations not student organisations, by the way. There are some universities that are trying to change the status from a real employee towards a funded student, but that's not happening very fast, as of now.