The hidden cost of inadequate care in Europe

PANEL | Care is Europe's hidden foundation. What does it cost all of us when the care isn't there?

Childcare, long-term care, parental leave and the quality of care jobs will be at the centre of a panel discussion at the EIGE Gender Equality Forum 2026 on 17 November. Experts from research, local government, care providers and civil society will explore the costs of inadequate care and where investment can make a difference.

By the time they get to work, millions of Europeans have already made the family breakfast, cleared the dishes, done the school run and checked in on an elderly parent.

For carers this is the tip of the iceberg. There is no option to clock off, while these important tasks don’t respect office hours. Yet most care work goes unseen and unpaid but could very well be alleviated with more reliable and high quality formal care services. 

As the glue that holds society, and our economy together, care is worth an estimated €576 billion a year. That is around 4% of Europe's total GDP.

And our research shows that women carry the heaviest load. Today in Europe, women are more than twice as likely as men to provide over 35 hours of childcare a week.

Who should help them? Their employers? The Government? Or their partners?

Fitting care responsibilities around work becomes harder when care is unfairly shared, and when support services are too expensive… or in some cases, unavailable.

Europe’s potential for growth can stall when women are forced to trim their working hours or put skilled careers on hold.

To succeed in a competitive world, the EU needs all the talent at its disposal.

When care is shared equally and coupled with affordable, high-quality care services, people can choose their working arrangements more freely,” says EIGE Director Carlien Scheele.

By treating care as an important foundation, along with transport and energy, where families, employers and governments share responsibility, we can keep everything else running.