CAMPAIGN : European Union - Value of the unremunereted family work
Whether remunerated or not, the family-based work of caring for dependents and educating children is of paramount importance to the whole of society. This work brings an added value indispensable to the enrichment of society and reflects a quality of life. Yet this work remains assimilated into the "private domain".
Whether done on a voluntary formal or informal basis, all unremunerated work within the community life or in the home, is an integral part of the European Social Model. Benevolent workers and at-home parents and carers are indispensable to the creation of a cohesive and stable society which is vital for the preservation of democratic principles. Those persons are fundamental sources of care, support and education to children, the elderly, the sick and the disabled. Without their invaluable contribution, the Community’s budget would be seriously compromised.
Population ageing puts the whole organisation of our societies to a challenge. The family unit is one of the undeniable pillars of to-morrow’s society.
The family-based work of care is still done mainly by women, who find themselves “sandwiched” between their children, their parents, their professional remunerated career and their personal life. To-day a growing number of men demand the possibility to take on this family work themselves.
Making visible this, legally required, family-based work of care will show its true economic and social weight, broaden the notion of "work", allow a better conciliation of "remunerated work - family time". Taking it into consideration will also make visible the important contribution of women to the development of society.
F.E.F.A.F requests:
- the obligation, in "policies for rendering work more attractive" (Lisbon agenda aim), to take into consideration all forms of work, both remunerated and unremunerated, to recognize its human, social and economic value, and thus recognize the dignity and citizenship of those who carry it out on a part- or full-time basis
- to get the unremunerated work out of the realm of the invisible, whether carried out in out of the community life or within the family : the economic value of this work must be assessed and the consequences of its reduction or elimination must become known. It is indispensable to take into consideration the social and economic situation of these unremunerated workers
- to find new ways of organizing work, including voluntary part-time work for family reasons
- for those women and men carrying out the family-based work of « care »: a statute of « unremunerated active citizen » ensuring them of social rights without loosing out on established rights
- the collection of data on this whole invisible part of the informal economy with the aim of taking into consideration the human person in an integral fashion, not simply from the standpoint of remuneration