Recognising Mothers’ Realities: Key Wins in the New Gender Equality  Resolution

The European Parliament has adopted a new resolution calling on the European Commission to deliver an ambitious 2026–2030 Gender Equality Strategy, centred on concrete legislative and non-legislative actions. The resolution passed with 310 votes in favour, 222 against, and 68 abstentions, and includes several measures long advocated for by Make Mothers Matter (MMM)—marking important progress for mothers across Europe.

Stronger Action on Women’s Health and Violence Prevention

The EU Parliament calls for strengthened EU action to combat violence against women, including obstetric violence, which studies show affects between 21% and 81% of women who have given birth. It also stresses women’s right to the highest standards of physical and mental healthcare, noting that women disproportionately suffer from depression, anxiety, autoimmune diseases, and more severe outcomes in cardiovascular disease.

The Parliament emphasises that gender-sensitive healthcare is essential and urges the Commission to:

• Establish EU-wide standards for antenatal, childbirth, postnatal, and midwifery care;
• Update the EU Directive on Midwifery to align with international standards;
• Create an EU framework on the safe use of medicines during pregnancy and lactation.

The resolution also condemns the practice of surrogacy as reproductive exploitation, especially where vulnerable women are involved.

Addressing the Gender Pay, Employment, and Pension Gaps

Despite progress, the EU gender pay gap remains substantial: women earned 15% less per hour in 2025, leading to a 26.1% gender pension gap. This disparity is intensified by women’s disproportionate role in caregiving, which limits labour market participation and reduces economic independence.

Some EU Parliament’s demands for mothers in this topic include:

• Binding EU measures to ensure equal pay for work of equal value;
• Gender-neutral job evaluation tools to properly value work in female-dominated sectors;
• Policies supporting women returning to work after maternity or caregiving breaks, including reskilling, upskilling, flexible employment and anti-discrimination measures;
• Legislation on teleworking and the Right to Disconnect, designed to avoid worsening gender inequalities.

Importantly, the resolution urges Member States to tackle the “motherhood penalty” and develop plans to address the gender pension gap, including improved childcare access and financial literacy support for women.

Recognising and Redistributing Care Work

Care responsibilities—both formal and informal—remain overwhelmingly carried by women, and as MMM often highlights, most often by mothers. Around 7.7 million women in the EU are kept out of the labour market due to unpaid caregiving duties. The Parliament’s resolution stresses that care must be recognised as a public good and properly supported.

The Parliament calls on the Commission and the Member States to:

• Transform the European Care Strategy into a comprehensive European Care Deal, with binding legislative and financial tools;
• Invest in accessible, high-quality childcare, after-school programmes, and long-term care services;
• Strenghthen the rights and support available for informal carers, including financial assistance, pension inclusion, respite, and training;
• Improve working conditions in the care sector, where most workers are women.

To promote shared responsibilities, the resolution calls for an “equal earner – equal carer” model and stronger promotion of paternity leave.

The resolution urges the Commission to review and strengthen the Work-Life Balance Directive to ensure it is fit for purpose, including expanding paid maternity and paternity leave, across Member States; promote non-transferable parental leave, and adopt measures that fairly redistribute caregiving responsibilities between households and the state—something we have long been advocating for.

It also proposes a European Day of Work-Life Balance on 20 March each year.

Towards a More Equal Europe

The Parliament underscores that effective gender equality policy requires adequate funding and the full implementation of the post-2025 Gender Equality Strategy. It also highlights the need to address the specific barriers faced by women affected by intersectional discrimination, ensuring equal access to jobs, maternity protections, and leadership roles.

Make Mothers Matter Welcomes Progress

MMM welcomes the inclusion of many long-standing demands related to maternal health, caregiving, work-life balance, and the reduction of inequalities affecting mothers across the EU. The new resolution presents an opportunity to make structural changes that recognise motherhood, address gendered care responsabilities, and ensure that mothers’ rights and wellbeing are central to Europe’s future.

Read the complete EU Parliament resolution here