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

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 supported by society. Instead, it frequently leads to discrimination in the labour market, pushes women into carrying the majority of unpaid care work, and results in lasting economic, educational, and social penalties. As the EU shapes the future of social rights through its Action Plan for the European Pillar of Social Rights, it is crucial that mothers’ voices are heard in the process.

The European Commission has opened the consultation for the renewed Action Plan of the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR), which brings together 20 principles and rights essential to create a fair, sustainable and well-functioning European Union until 2030. The three main targets for this Action Plan are:

• increasing employment rates to at least 78%;
• ensuring 60% of adults participate in training every year
• reducing the number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion by at least 15 million.

This new phase builds on the 2021 Action Plan, to which Make Mothers Matter (MMM) contributed by publishing a position paper. MMM welcomes the new Action Plan’s objectives and places particular emphasis on the measures that are of direct importance to mothers, such as its plans to halve the gender employment gap, increase the provision of formal early childhood education and care, and map best practices for recognising care-related career breaks in pension schemes.

Since the last Action Plan, several important initiatives have been launched: the EU Gender Equality Strategy 2020–2025 introduced the Work-Life Balance Directive and the Pay Transparency Directive; the 2021 European Child Guarantee was adopted to fight child poverty and exclusion; and the European Care Strategy reinforced commitments through the Council Recommendations on the Barcelona Targets on childcare and on long-term care. In 2025, the “Roadmap for Women’s Rights” was introduced, highlighting persistent gaps and setting out key priorities such as equal pay, work-life balance, and the recognition of care as central to gender equality. Recently, the European Commission launched a public consultation to define the first EU Anti-Poverty Strategy, aiming to tackle root causes through stronger social protection, inclusive labour markets, and accessible services.

Despite this progress, we stress that much more needs to be done to put mothers and care work at the centre of EU policymaking. For our position paper, we have given recommendations and highlighted best practices for the nine principles that affect mothers the most. For the other principles, we, as a member of the Social Platform, have joined forces in a common contribution.

1. Education, training and lifelong learning
   Care responsibilities and household duties are key obstacles for women within the labor market, with implications for their employment opportunities, social and leisure activities as well as training opportunities. We demand:
   – Recognition and validation of caregiving skills gained through maternity
   – Support mothers’ reintegration into work after childcare break
2. Gender equality
   Unpaid care work should be recognised, reduced and redistributed to close the gender care, pay and pension gaps.  We recommend:
   – Establishment of EU-wide care credits for pensions
   – Expansion of affordable, high-quality childcare
   – Enabling fathers to take leave through better pay, time and cultural support, while also recognising grandparents’ and extended family roles in childcare
3. Active support for employment
   Motherhood often forces women to reduce their hours or change their work status. This can lead to women losing financial independence, sometimes creating a power imbalance in decision-making in the home, or, in some cases, to in-work poverty. We demand:
   – EU-level quality job targets for mothers
   – Raising awareness and enforcing protections against pregnancy discrimination
4. Work-life balance
   MMM’s 2024 European Survey shows that many mothers are dissatisfied with the length and compensation of maternity leave, and over a quarter report negative career impacts linked to motherhood. Fathers’ uptake of leave remains limited, largely due to insufficient compensation, cultural expectations, and inflexible arrangements. We recommend:
   – Extension of minimum maternity, paternity and parental leave and guaranteed flexible working arrangements for parents
   – Increased pay for parental leave to at least sick-pay level
5. Childcare and support for children
   Since 2019, poverty in the EU has only decreased by 1.6 million people, while child poverty has actually risen. The European Child Guarantee, established in 2021, explicitly recognises children in precarious family situations as being at heightened risk of poverty and social exclusion and ensures that they can access their basic rights and essential services. We demand:
   – Provision of affordable, high-quality childcare across the EU as well as support to parents choosing in-family care and investment in community-based care initiatives
   – Extension of career-break schemes to support work-family reconciliation
6. Old-age income and pensions
   The gender pension gap, currently at 26%, penalises mothers for their caregiving contributions. We therefore recommend:
   – Recognition of care periods through pension credits and improved access to childcare and parental leave
   – Provision of adequate minimum pensions
   
7. Healthcare
   Childbearing and care responsibilities impact the mental and physical health of mothers. Maternal mental health is an urgent but under-recognised issue with intergenerational consequences. We therefore urge the EU to:
   – Guarantee universal, affordable and non-discriminatory maternal healthcare
   – Invest in integrated perinatal and mental health services with systematic screening
8. Inclusion of people with disabilities
   Mothers with disabilities face the demands of raising children, but also the complexities of navigating their own needs in a world that is often physically, socially and structurally inaccessible. Additionally, these women often face stigma and discouragement in becoming mothers. It is essential to:
   – Integrate disability awareness into healthcare training
   – Strengthen legal protections and provide adequate resources
   – Guarantee physical accessibility, adaptive equipment and assistive technology
9. Housing and assistance for the homeless
   Women, especially single mothers, migrant and refugee women, and women with disabilities, face heightened risks of poverty, housing insecurity and hidden homelessness and are more vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. To address this, the EU should:
   – Develop a European affordable housing plan that includes mothers
   – Strengthen minimum income schemes and targeted measures for vulnerable groups
   – Combine child support, accessible childcare and financial supplements for single mothers

Access our policy paper here
Access our policy brief here