- Equal Care: how the EU promotes a gender-equal divison of care work
- A European Care Strategy
- Carer's allowance: paying family caregivers for care
- Reconciliation of care for older people and work
- Counselling services for (working) family carers
- Aims and requirements of work-life balance policies from a gender equality perspective
- Father involvement in family work
- Childcare
Equal Care: how the EU promotes a gender-equal divison of care work
Directive 2019/1158 on work-life balance for parents and carers came into force on August 1, 2019. It regulates EU-wide minimum standards for various types of leave of absence and flexible working hours for care work This is intended to support a more gender-equal division of unpaid care work.
The Dossier introduces the concept of care work and shows how its division impacts socio-economic gender equality. The Dossier also provides an overview of the content and objectives of the Directive with a focus on its gender equality policy dimension. A first introduction is given in the foreword by Irena Moozova, Deputy Director General - International Dimension of Justice Policy, Rule of Law and Gender Equality in the Directorate General Justice at the European Commission. It also includes contributions by Attila Bőhm (COFACE Families Europe) with a civil society perspective on the Directive and by Caroline de la Porte (Copenhagen Business School) on conditions for a higher take-up of leave by fathers.
A European Care Strategy
At the end of 2022, the European Union adopted a European Care Strategy. This should cover the need for action for people with care responsibilities and people in need of care, from childcare to long-term care. The aim is to strengthen gender equality and social fairness.Please note that the focus issue is only published in German.
Carer's allowance: paying family caregivers for care
Internal research by the Observatory (not published) from November 2022 dealt with the so-called carer's allowance. This is a financial benefit for family caregivers, which in theory is based on a 20- to 40-hours week on basis of the minimum wage. In contrast, the wage replacement benefit for family caregivers is lower as a financial benefit, as it is based on the parental allowance and can comprise 65 to 100 per cent of the previous year’s net salary (DIW Berlin 2022: 4).
The research shows that the carer’s allowance is partially offered in three European countries: Since 2019 family caregivers in Austria in the federal state of Burgenland can be employed in the so-called Burgenland-Modell after a basic training course and receive a carer’s allowance. In Denmark, people who care for a seriously ill, dying or disabled relative can receive a carer‘s allowance. The amount depends on various factors and is paid out by the municipality where the care takes place. In Switzerland, family carers can be employed by the Caritas in the cantons of Luzern and Zug. From 2023 onwards, an expansion to further cantons is envisaged. With Solicare this model already exists in 16 other cantons. In both Swiss models, the family carers are regularly visited by qualified nursing professionals for quality assurance. In addition, the residence of the family member providing care must be in one of the approved cantons. In Germany, the social association VdK has dealt with this topic in a study. However, according to the coalition agreement of the federal government, a wage replacement benefit for family carers in case of care-related time off is planned.
Reconciliation of care for older people and work
More and more people are working and at the same time looking after children or relatives in need of care. How do policies support these people to handle this double burden? The Observatory takes up this question and conducts comprehensive research on the issue.
Counselling services for (working) family carers
In Europe, the largest proportion of people in need of care are supported and cared for at home by (caring) relatives – an often exhausting task that has increased in intensity due to the coronavirus pandemic and at times many closed support services. Many family carers find it difficult to distance themselves or ask for help when they are overwhelmed by the situation. They are especially reliant on information and counselling on care issues. Therefore, good counselling structures are needed to support caring relatives in a preventive way, but also in an overload situation, to organise their own lives – also alongside employment and childcare – and to organise informal care well.In 2018, the Observatory published a Working Paper that provides an overview of counselling services and counselling structures in the field of age and care in the EU member states Sweden, Austria, France and Scotland (as part of the United Kingdom).
Furthermore, an overview by the Observatory produced in July 2021 (not published) shows that there are a variety of information and counselling services for family carers in Austria and Switzerland. Counselling structures that support reconciliation can be found increasingly in Switzerland. One explanation for this could be that the need is higher in Switzerland, as the proportion of working carers is considerably higher than in Austria. However, the majority of counselling services for family carers focus on the care (situation), disability or illness as the trigger for the need for counselling.
