Days away from the Commission President’s State of the Union address, we recall an important pledge in last year’s speech; a European Care Strategy to support men and women in finding the best care and the best life balance for them. The need to receive or give care is something that is common to us all throughout our lives. One in three Europeans are estimated to have care responsibilities and over 9.1 million people, mostly women, are working in the care sector.
In the European Union, we strive to create a society where all of us, young and old, and regardless of our physical abilities, have equal opportunities to pursue our life goals. Therefore, it is our objective to achieve greater recognition for the value of both professional and informal care and to ensure that high quality care services are accessible to everyone.
Quality, accessible and affordable care empowers women to have better access to the labour market, increases their ability to remain in it and to take their desired career path. Currently in the EU, around 7.7 million women, in comparison to 450,000 men are kept out of employment because of informal care responsibilities. Women and men alike must be able to make a real choice when combining private and professional obligations. Therefore, investing in childcare and long-term care is an investment in gender equality.
High quality care is needed at all points of the lifecycle. When children participate in early childhood education and care it boosts their development and helps to reduce the risk of social exclusion for an equal start in life. More adapted care options in Europe will help to relieve the burden for families of children with disabilities, for whom half are currently cared for solely by their parents.
As part of the new European Care Strategy presented on 7 September, the European Commission is proposing to revise the Barcelona targets for childcare so that at least 50% of children below the age of three participate in early childhood education and care, up from the current target of 33%. In Cyprus, the enrolment rate stands at 31%. Progress has been made at EU-level in the last 20 years, however the differences between Member States are vast, ranging from 6% to 66%. With these new ambitious yet realistic targets, our aim is to see real progress in all Member states and regions.
Our European Care Strategy also makes concrete recommendations for improved long-term care. The COVID-19 pandemic has put a magnifying glass on the need for a more resilient care system.
As Europe is going through a significant demographic transition, which is also marked by an ageing population, the number of persons potentially in need of long-term care is expected to increase from around 30 million in 2019 to almost 40 million in 2050. Around 52 million Europeans provide informal long-term care to family members or friends.
High-quality and affordable long-term care empowers older people and persons with disabilities by helping them maintain their autonomy and live in dignity. The Strategy’s person-centred approach therefore aims to offer a choice of services in line with people’s needs. We want Member States to increase the availability and variety of professional long-term care services such as homecare, community-based care and residential care. Long-term care services that are well integrated with healthcare can help reduce the burden on hospitals and other healthcare facilities.
The care sector is facing dramatic shortages of workers, and we must tackle the root of the problem by improving working conditions, wages and training. More than 9.1 million people in the EU —90% of them women — currently work in the care sector. At least 1.6 million long-term care workers need to join the sector by 2050 to keep long-term care coverage at the same level, which we know is not always adequate.
For us to reach an equal and fair society, we must make the leap and provide citizens with the right options. People must be able to balance professional and family duties. Every child must be provided with accessible quality childcare. Every elderly person and person with a disability must have the right support and quality care services. Every care worker must be valued in their profession.
Let us give people a quality choice for a quality future. Care gives a high return on investment. It is high time to care about care.
Source: Cyprus News Agency