In a world of multiple crises, some of which happen unexpectedly, resilience is essential. Resilience means the capacity to cope, react and adapt. This capacity can be innate to individual people and systems alike. However, resilience can be undermined by a lack of financial resources. Older women especially face this risk – due to structural inequalities, notably in the division of labour market and care responsibilities.
On average, men earn higher wages than women. This is the gender pay gap. The gender pay gap contributes to a higher risk of poverty for older women, and in turn lowers resilience (see “pension gap”).
A crucial factor for this is whether or not a person has worked part-time during considerable periods of their working life.
According to European data, in 2023, a third of women aged 55-64 were in part-time employment (32.7%), compared with only 8.6% of men in the same age group. This can be explained by the fact that women’s employment histories include significant periods of part-time work or breaks due to maternity leaves and other care responsibilities towards a relative. Indeed, on average, 70% of unpaid informal carers are women.
It appears that as long as women’s participation in the labour market remains deeply intertwined with care responsibilities, the risk of gender inequality in old age resilience is likely to remain high – or even increase. Thus, a gender-sensitive approach to resilience reveals a persistent challenge: shall we encourage women to work full-time – at the expense of familial care work, an essential societal function?
This recurring employment dilemma can only be overcome by taking substantial steps towards integrating care time with paid work time.
A gender-sensitive implementation of EU law
Some existing EU policies have potential if implemented correctly. The implementation of the EU Care Strategy and the strengthening of the Work-Life Balance Directive (Directive (EU) 2019/1158) can be transformative – provided both are done in a way which values informal care, promoting gender sensitive and intersectional policies, and ensuring access to flexible working arrangements tailored to individual needs. This would entail:
- Increasing the number of days off work for informal carers, to enable them to take care of their relatives.
- Increasing the availability of services to better accompany them.
- Increasing the possibilities to learn, as becoming an informal carer takes time and is not a natural gift.
- While the Work-Life Balance Directive rightly emphasises support for parents, it is equally important to extend attention to informal carers who are not parents.
While these EU measures pave the way for a more inclusive and equitable labour market, additional steps are necessary. Stronger European legislation is needed to better acknowledge and support the crucial role of informal carers. Member States meanwhile must fully implement and reinforce these provisions to ensure their full impact.
A non-binary vision for work and life
Ultimately, a person should be able to choose both paid work and care work without jeopardising their financial stability. This is true especially in light of Europe’s demographic future. To fully address the diverse situations and needs of informal carers, we could embrace a more non-binary vision to work and life.
This could start by viewing work and personal life no longer as opposing forces. Instead of using the term ‘work-life balance’, AGE Platform Europe advocates for adopting the concept of 'work-life integration’. Work-life-integration is an approach that acknowledges the deep connection between personal and professional life, recognizing them as intertwined rather than separate aspects of our daily experiences.
This shift in language better reflects the lived experiences and challenges of informal carers, allowing for a more comprehensive approach to supporting their choices. In a nutshell, work-life integration entails:
- Valuing and supporting informal carers.
- Developing flexible working arrangements for employees of all ages.
- Promoting lifelong learning and professional development.
- Providing adequate working conditions for workers willing to work beyond retirement age.
- Providing higher number of leave days for informal carers.
- Governments supporting smaller companies or those with limited resources to help them meet these minimum provisions for their employees.
- Strengthening the affordability and availability of home and community-based care.
Resilience is not only about individual financial security – it is also and above all about systemic support, accessibility, and inclusion. Policymakers have the opportunity to dismantle the systemic barriers that older women face in the labour market and informal care.
These include addressing the gender stereotypes, multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination that they accumulate over their life course. This will allow their full recognition and participation beyond mere survival. It also means acknowledging the different lived experiences and perspectives of women through the life course and the implementation of policies that move beyond the binary, with a diverse and inclusive approach for all women – an approach that will end up benefitting society as a whole.
Follow FutuRes on Linkedin
Acknowledgement: This is a publication by the FutuRes Project. FutuRes is funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe Programme, Grant Agreement n° 101094741. Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.