Brussels, 7th March 2025
Media statement for International Women’s Rights Day 2025
International Women’s Rights Day 2025 takes place at a pivotal moment for the European Union. The EU’s current Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025 is concluding this year and following this, a new strategy is to be launched in 2026. This transition offers an opportunity to set new priorities and intensify efforts towards inclusion, equity, and support for women. COFACE will continue to push for an ambitious new strategy with flagship initiatives focusing on closing the gender care gap, and in general on addressing the intersections of gender equality and family well-being.
COFACE believes in equality between women and men, and this guides our actions to shape policies to support families. This is clear from all COFACE positions and activities, including the 2022 #FamilyTeamWork international campaign which called on allies to join the movement and get the conversation started in families about the equal sharing of caring and household tasks.
COFACE President, Antonia Torrens: “The current EU Gender Equality Strategy has been of central importance until now, with a wide range of actions (legislative and non-legislative) such as campaigns on men and care, measures to close the gender care gap, tackling domestic violence, legislation on work-life balance and funding streams to enhance workplace change for employees with care responsibilities. COFACE will continue to push for ambitious ways to uphold women’s rights through family-supportive and gender-responsive measures.”
Key recommendations for the Strategy’s post-2025 next phase include:
- Use a multi-generational lens: Approach gender equality through a multi-generation lens and consider measures targeting different generations from children to older persons.
- Build intersectionality into the design of the new strategy: With family diversity in mind, and acknowledging realities of women at the intersection of situations which may cause vulnerabilities such as the birth of a child, poverty, disability, racism, and discrimination.
- Ensure the effective implementation by Member States of the EU Work-life Balance Directive: Member States must go beyond the standards of the directive and need to facilitate take-up of family leaves by providing adequate pay, non-transferable leaves and flexible take-up for women and men in order to combat gender stereotypes regarding family roles.
- Close the gender care gap: Boosting care services and creating synergies with the European Care strategy, recognising and supporting long-term caregivers (still mostly women), as well as the European Child Guarantee and monitoring European 2030 targets on early childhood education and care.
- Support the development of gender-responsive family policies: These need to work for both women and men, and measures need to be inclusive of all families and complementary ensuring there are no gaps between employment leaves and care services.
- Building family-supportive workplaces: Through Corporate Sustainability Reporting monitoring of the gender pay gap, the percentage of women in higher positions and parental leave taken up by fathers. Indicators on work-life balance and gender equality should be monitored closely by companies to implement strategies which enhance flexible working arrangements and reduce barriers for fathers to use parental leave.
COFACE will bring these messages to its European expert meeting in Warsaw in May 2025: Equal at Home – Equal at Work: How to effectively support mothers and fathers in balancing family and work life? The meeting will facilitate discussions between employers, employer organisations, trade unions, researchers, policymakers, and NGOs to address challenges and explore effective solutions for creating inclusive, family-supportive workplace cultures built on equal opportunities, non-discrimination, and a recognition of family diversity.
On this International Women’s Rights Day, COFACE Families Europe reaffirms its commitment to push for an ambitious EU Gender Equality Strategy for 2026 onwards, in line with the 2025 Roadmap for Women’s Rights released by the European Commission as a political declaration to strengthen commitment towards women’s rights and gender equality at a European level.
ENDS//
Notes for the editor
- 2025 Factsheet on the Childcare gap in the European Union
- 2025 Roadmap for Women’s Rights released by the European Commission
- #FamilyTeamWork – Join the movement and get the conversation started in your family about the equal sharing of caring and household tasks | COFACE Families Europe
- SAVE THE DATE. European expert meeting on work-life balance | COFACE Families Europe
- EU action to promote gender balance in decision-making – European Commission
- 2019 EU Work-Life Balance directive
- National measures for the transposition of the EU Work-Life Balance directive
For more information, please contact Attila Bőhm, Senior Policy and Advocacy Officer abohm@coface-eu.org.
