Unpaid family care work

EU Parliament Anti-Poverty Resolution
A Major Step Forward for Mothers, Families and Children

23.03.26

The European Parliament has adopted its Resolution on a new EU Anti-Poverty Strategy for 2025–2026, following joint work by the EMPL and FEMM Committees. This marks a significant political milestone

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Motherhood at Work in the EU
From Biological Protection to Structural Equality

10.03.26

Make Mothers Matter was invited by ETUI to its event: “Gender matters at work: Making the invisible visible” to discuss the issue of motherhood at work in the European Union.

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She Does It All: The Devaluation of Caregiving in EU Work–Life Balance Policy

28.11.25

Across Europe, mothers carry out vast amounts of unpaid care work that keeps families and societies functioning—yet much of this labour remains largely invisible in EU policy. A new study

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

27.11.25

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-legislati

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Berlin Hosts Closing Event of MothersCan – Care, Career, Change

17.11.25

The official closing event of the Erasmus+ project MothersCan took place at the historic Biesdorf Palace in Berlin. Hosted by Olga Gauks, Member of the Berlin House of Representatives, the event

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Rebuilding the Modern Village: Mothers, Children, and Older Generations in Mutual Care

12.11.25

Make Mothers Matter (MMM) submitted its recommendations to the European Commission’s initiative on Intergenerational Fairness, aiming to ensure that today’s decisions do not compromise the well-b

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Recognising Mothers, Reducing Poverty
A call for an inclusive EU Anti-Poverty Strategy

23.10.25

Make Mothers Matter welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the European Commission’s first comprehensive Anti-Poverty Strategy and calls for bold, inclusive action to ensure it benefits those who

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The European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan
Strengthening Support for Mothers

12.09.25

Our 2024 State of Motherhood in Europe survey of 9,600 mothers across 11 EU Member States and the UK paints a clear picture: motherhood is still not properly recognised or

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Milestones for Mothers: First Oral Statement and Landmark UN Recognition at CSW69

17.04.25

UN New York – At this year's 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69), two significant moments highlighted our ongoing fight for mothers' rights. We emphasised

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Ensuring Work-Life Balance: The EU’s Commitment to Supporting Parents, notably mothers, and Gender Equality

19.03.25

At the latest EPSCO Council (Employment, Social Policy, Health, and Consumer Affairs), the Council of the European Union adopted groundbreaking Conclusions aimed at addressing work-life balance and pr

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Latest News from MMM and its Network

Invisible Violence: Why Mothers Must Be Recognised in the Fight Against Gender-Based Abuse

25.03.26

UN Geneva – Violence against women is widely acknowledged. Yet the specific forms of violence linked to motherhood remain largely overlooked. Drawing on grassroots evidence from across the globe, Make Mothers

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Parental Leave: A Global Imperative for Gender Equity and Economic Prosperity

25.03.26

UN New York – At the event MMM organised on the margins of the 70th UN Commission on the Status of Women, experts and policymakers converged to argue that parental leave is far more than a workplace benefit

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Job Sharing: A Promising Solution for Working Mothers

24.03.26

By Ariane de Liedekerke, Network Co-ordinator, Make Mothers Matter While many women are still sidelined professionally after becoming mothers, leading to a lose-lose situation, some companies are testing new wa

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EU Parliament Anti-Poverty Resolution
A Major Step Forward for Mothers, Families and Children

23.03.26

The European Parliament has adopted its Resolution on a new EU Anti-Poverty Strategy for 2025–2026, following joint work by the EMPL and FEMM Committees. This marks a significant political milestone in the fi

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Recognising Care
The Relevance of Parenting Skills in the EU Skill Portability Initiative

16.03.26

Make Mothers Matter (MMM) responded to the Public Consultation on the European Commission’s upcoming Skill Portability Initiative. We submitted a paper outlining our views and provided feedback on the need to

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Hidden in Plain Sight: The Mental Health Crisis Facing Young Mothers in Europe

14.03.26

UN Geneva – An MMM submission to the OHCHR call for input on the impact of mental health challenges on the enjoyment of human rights by young people highlights a critical, often overlooked human rights issue:

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