{"id":8826,"date":"2024-12-11T11:59:00","date_gmt":"2024-12-11T10:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.effe-homecare.eu\/?p=8826"},"modified":"2025-06-06T11:20:33","modified_gmt":"2025-06-06T09:20:33","slug":"equal-care-advancing-gender-equality-through-domestic-home-care","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.effe-homecare.eu\/en\/equal-care-advancing-gender-equality-through-domestic-home-care\/","title":{"rendered":"Equal Care: Advancing Gender Equality Through Domestic & Home Care"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In the EU, 91% of domestic & home care workers are women. Improving visibility of these workers makes possible at the same time to advance gender equality. Last 10th<\/sup> and 11th<\/sup> December, EFFE took part in Brussels in the second edition of the Gender Equality Forum organised by the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE). This Forum brought together representatives from European institutions and civil society to take stock of gender equality across the EU and exchange good practices for advancing women\u2019s rights. Discussions mainly focused on persisting and emerging challenges related to tackling gender-based violence, strengthening women\u2019s integration in labour market and political life, and improving the quality of data to help policymakers for future legislation. EIGE presented the trends and highlights of its Gender Equality Index 2024<\/a>, illustrating progress and remaining issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Hadja Lahbib, new EU Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, the future Roadmap on Women’s Rights and the forthcoming EU Gender Equality Strategy post 2025 should effectively tackle remaining barriers, notably gender gaps among couples regarding work-life balance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the second day of the Forum, EFFE\u2019s General Delegate Aude Boisseuil participated in a panel on \u201cEqual Care: Gender Equality through Domestic & Home Care\u201d, together with Vytautas Peciukonis, Researcher at EIGE, Claire Champeix, Policy Officer at Eurocarers and Lilana Keith, Senior Advocacy Officer at PICUM. Moderated by Mary Collins, Secretary General of the European Women\u2019s Lobby (EWL), the session offered the opportunity to discuss the issues of domestic & home care sector, migrant integration and informal carers. Panellists envisaged how better taking into consideration women workers in these sectors which are too often invisible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vytautas Peciukonis presented the main takeaways of the 2022 EIGE Care Survey<\/a> which deals with women\u2019s and men\u2019s engagement in unpaid care, individual, and social activities. He particularly focused on high-intensity carers, namely those who provide more than five hours a day long-term care and\/or care for children aged less than 12. These carers are in majority women (66%). The half of them is at the same time employed (either full- or part-time) and 62% of them receive wages below the median income. Therefore, very high mental workload makes difficult for women to really integrate the labour market. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, Aude Boisseuil presented key figures on domestic & home care sector in Europe, focusing particularly on the 3.5 million workers who are estimated to be undeclared, according to Eurobarometer data from 2019 (which are outdated and should be renewed). Home is a very specific workplace, and this leads to a number of challenges, such as the absence of measures for occupational safety and health, which negatively impact women care workers. Aude Boisseuil emphasised the effective role of collective agreements that improve working conditions and workers\u2019 rights and called for more financial and administrative simplifications for families. Moreover, professionalization is another key element because it values the numerous skills gained by employees who complete various tasks in the house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moreover, Claire Champeix defined informal carers as any person who provides \u2013 usually \u2013 unpaid care to someone with a chronic illness, disability or other long-lasting health or care need, outside a professional or formal framework. She reminded that older women take often the burden of care responsibilities and are insufficiently supported. Going back to Work-Life Balance Directive, Claire Champeix called for more action and investments regarding long-term care which is under pressure due to demographic challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, Lilana Keith outlined the two main challenges faced by migrant women in domestic and home care sector, namely the lack of access to decent work permits, and, as a consequence, difficult access to labour rights, such as good working conditions and care. She strongly advocated for introducing decent pathways for legal migration and involving associations and representatives of migrant people in social dialogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018The domestic & home care sector remains fragmented and invisible despite its importance.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aude Boisseuil, EFFE<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Women carers find it difficult to manage care responsibilities and maintain a work-life balance.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vytautas Peciukonis, EIGE<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Women are demanding a fair deal for care, between formal & informal care, between women & men.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Claire Champeix, Eurocarers<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Migrant care workers face precarious work conditions due to restrictive permits and lack of recognition.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lilana Keith, PICUM<\/p>\n\n\n\n

EFFE thanks EIGE and all panellists for this fruitful exchange on concrete recommendations for the sector. We will continue our contribution to advancing gender equality in domestic & home care sector, particularly inspiring from good practices at national and local levels. We call for a more effective representativeness of employers, workers and families, and further financial incentives and administrative simplification to enable workers to enjoy the same rights as the others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The video of the panel is available here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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