Long-term care (LTC) is vital for a dignified life in old age and for social fairness, and it is relevant to both social and economic policy.
This brief highlights the persistent gaps in access to affordable, high-quality services and the disproportionate impact of informal care on women’s employment and well-being. It calls for expanded formal care provision, better pay and conditions for care workers, stronger support and protection for informal carers, and more person-centred care systems that respond to Europe’s growing care needs.
This brief draws upon the 2024 wave of the EIGE's Survey on Gender Gaps in Unpaid Care, Individual and Social Activities (CARE Survey), the EU’s dedicated source of individual-level data on how women and men share care responsibilities and how these responsibilities shape their daily and working lives.
