Care systems at the heart of the roadmap to eradicating poverty beyond growth

29.09.15

Following it report on

In our answer to the consultation, we highlight a fundamental reality: the care gap is a major driver of gender inequality and poverty. Unpaid care and domestic work, carried primarily by women and especially mothers, prevents them from accessing decent work and from fully participating in society. This is economic injustice, and it keeps millions of women trapped in poverty.

The Covid-19 pandemic made this crystal clear: both paid and unpaid care work are essential for wellbeing, for the sustainability of life, and for the functioning of our families, communities and economies. Yet they remain undervalued and unsupported, taken for granted.

A roadmap to eradicating poverty beyond growth must therefore include the progressive building of strong care and equitable care systems.

This means:

  • Recognising care as a right and a collective responsibility shared by men and women, by governments, the private sector, and communities
  • Recognising unpaid care as productive work, visible in statistics and supported by policies
  • Ensuring universal social protection, including maternity protection and pension credits for unpaid carers
  • Guaranteeing access to quality and affordable care services for children, older persons, and those with disabilities
  • Promoting work-life balance and carers’ leave so that persons with caregiving responsibilities, in particular motehrs, are not forced to choose between earning and caring.

In our written contribution, we also provided many concrete policy examples, from national laws to regional strategies, that show how care systems can be built in practice. These demonstrate that valuing and supporting care is not only possible, but transformative.

And care systems should not be seen as costs. They are investments with multiple returns:

  • Better wellbeing and healthier child development, with long-term gains for education and employment.
  • Job creation in the care sector, which also contributes to public revenues through taxes and social security.
  • And increased women’s participation in the workforce, improving family incomes and strengthening economic autonomy for mothers.

In conclusion, our message is simple and urgent: care must be at the heart of the Roadmap. Without care, there is no economy, no wellbeing, and no future. But with strong care and equitable systems, we can truly eradicate poverty beyond growth and move towards a society that values and sustains life.

Read our answer to the call for input

Most read articles

The New EU Gender Equality Roadmap : A Call for Inclusion of Mothers

04.03.25

The European Commission’s initiative on a new Gender Equality Roadmap post-2025, marks a significant step forward in addressing gender disparities across the European Union. Make Mothers Matter (MMM

Lire plus

Sharing is caring:
equal parenting, a path to social cohesion?

27.01.25

UN New York, UN Commission on Social Development – Register now to our virtual side-event for a discussion on how a more equal sharing of unpaid care and domestic work

Lire plus

Be Family launch event: placing work-life balance at the heart of workplace policies

05.12.24

Make Mothers Matter co-presented the official launch of Be Family in Paris, a movement aimed at bridging the gap between personal and professional life for working parents. This first event,

Lire plus
See all the articlesof the category

Latest News from MMM and its Network

Mothers’ Voices at the Heart of Europe

29.09.25

A Look Back at Our State of Motherhood Survey Presentation at the EU Parliament

Read more

Make Mothers Matter on RTBF’s Tendances Première: The State of Motherhood in Europe

16.09.25

Make Mothers Matter was recently featured on Belgian public broadcaster RTBF’s Tendances Première radio show to present the findings from our latest report, The State of Motherhood in Europe 2024. The discus

Read more

MMM supports strengthening the right to education

08.09.25

UN Geneva – MMM actively took part in the first session of the UN Human Rights Council’s working group, which is exploring the possibility of drafting an optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of

Read more

Europe Must Listen to Mothers: Our landmark report heads to the European Parliament

28.08.25

On 22 September 2025, the voices of mothers will take centre stage in Brussels. For the first time, Make Mothers Matter (MMM) will present its State of Motherhood in Europe report at the European Parliament, ur

Read more

Mothers: The Missing Link in Child Rights Discussions?

01.08.25

UN New York – Following the Human Rights Council's 2025 Annual day on the rights of the child – which focussed on Early Childhood Development – a resolution on that same topic will be tabled at the 80th U

Read more

Human-Centred Strategy: Care at the Core of Sustainability

29.07.25

UN New York – UN New York – On 16 July, we hosted a side-event at the UN High Level Political Forum (HLPF) titled Unpaid Care at the Core: A Catalyst for Achieving the SDGs. The event aimed to highlight the

Read more