EESC adopts opinion on services to the family

On 16 October, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) adopted an own initiative opinion entitled “Developing services to the family to foster employment and promote gender equality between men and women at work”.

This text acknowledges the potential of personal and household services (PHS) in terms of job creation (especially for women) and encourages the EU and its Member States to take action. For instance, it invites the Member States to simplify the administrative aspects and implement financial incentives (tax breaks and vouchers) in order to bring more jobs into the formal economy.

It also underlines the important impact of PHS activities on work-life balance and gender equality, by making more women financially independent or by allowing individuals to take their caring responsibilities while working. For instance, the EESC encourages the EU to foster the exchange of good practices among businesses for the implementation of work-life balance measures through the use of PHS.