The Confederation has written and submitted feedback to the European Union’s 2026-2030 gender equality strategy, to encourage the EU’s implementation of policies that aim to support mothers.
By Olivia Gard
Gender equality is a fundamental right for all and a fundamental value of the EU. The roadmap for women’s rights, adopted in March 2025, sets out a long-term vision for fully achieving women’s rights in Europe.
To help turn this vision into reality, the new 2026-2030 gender equality strategy will outline the concrete measures that the European Commission intends to carry out over the next five years to advance gender equality in Europe.For the European Union, gender equality is a fundamental right for all and a fundamental value. The roadmap for women’s rights, adopted in March 2025, sets out a long-term vision for fully achieving women’s rights in Europe. To help turn this vision into reality, the new 2026-2030 gender equality strategy will outline the concrete measures that the European Commission intends to carry out over the next five years to advance gender equality in Europe.
The following text is the feedback submitted on behalf of ELFAC to better inform the EU’s new 2026-2030 gender equality strategy.
It is essential for the EU to consider policies that will not adversely impact mothers, especially considering the fundamental right of a mother to choose the number of children she wishes to have. One aspect of improving gender equality is limiting the gender employment gap, which the EU claims should fall to its 2019 level. Further, to raise the EU’s current Gender Quality Index from 71, it is claimed that increasing women’s participation in the labor market is essential to meet this goal. To facilitate an improvement in the gender employment gap, mothers of children must be provided with adequate opportunities and resources to strengthen the relationship between female labor force participation and fertility rates. One relevant legal basis for this proposed solution is Articles 153 and 157 of the Treaty for the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), which require Member States to apply the principle of equal pay to men and women for equal work. If women are paid in proportion to the quality of their work within the labor market, this will likely result in improved fertility rates. This directly contributes to improving gender equality by allowing women to work while raising the number of children they wish their families to have. Several EU member countries, including France, demonstrate the relationship between female labor market participation and fertility rates. However, France exhibits both higher female labor participation and fertility rates because of the policies it has implemented to support the ability of parents to raise several children at home. Achieving equal participation of women in the economy and society at large is suggested to be associated with better economic and societal outcomes.
It is also essential for the EU to consider policies that acknowledge the invisible work of mothers who take care of their children at home. The invisible work of mothers includes caring for children, teaching children, and ultimately raising them to be members of society. However, this work is not recognized as a contribution to the overall Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of countries within the European Union. The European Large Families Confederation (ELFAC) is pushing to include the domestic work of women within the overall GDP evaluation because of its direct impact on the quality of human capital. For example, a parent’s decision to leave the labor market and spend time taking care of children should be counted as a contribution to human capital because of its direct impact on a child’s eventual contribution to society as an adult. Taking into account the health of this sector and its complementary contribution to a country’s GDP is necessary for mothers and parents to be recognized for their invisible work of raising children. We call on the European Union to recognize the work of mothers and parents at home, as supporting mothers in their choices to raise their desired number of children without limitation will directly improve the level at which mothers feel they can participate in the labor market. This is a fundamental aspect to consider when addressing gender inequality, as an increase in female participation in the labor market is an important factor in achieving the European Union’s stated goal to limit the existing gender gap between male and female participation in the labor market, improving gender equality.