International Women's Day (IWD) grew out of the labour movement to become an annual event recognised by the international community. It is the one day of the year that recognises the value that women bring to their local communities and collectively to the world.

Social work is underpinned by human rights and social justice, and commitment to the original aim - to achieve full gender equality for women around the world is embedded at the heart of social work and social services. 

Social services practice has always been focused on working with disadvantaged families, supporting women who are often the main carers of children but also of ageing parents or loved ones with disabilities.

A recent European Parliament report reveals that 80% of all care in the EU is provided by informal carers, of whom 75% are women. “We need a social contract for those who spend their lives caring for their loved ones. They should have help and support from professionals, but also financial support if they have to stay at home,” argues Katalin Cseh, the report’s author. Female carers are also more likely to be providing ‘round the clock’ care which impacts the whole economy. In the UK, the national carers association has calculated that the economic value of the unpaid care provided by women is estimated to be a massive £77 bn per year.

The pandemic has exacerbated this phenomenon, partly because of difficulties in accessing social care and social services and partly because responsibility for caring for people with Covid-19 symptoms at home also fell mostly on women. This phenomenon illustrates the cracks in traditional care for broad sectors of the population, like older people, people with disabilities, or children. The continued off-loading of the cost of care onto the shoulders of underpaid and unpaid realms of society, combined with marketisation, has led to a debate on how to reframe the model of care within the broader social services context.

National governments need to recognise the importance of providing care for people in need in the framework of a reinforced social services system. Care is not valued enough, hence it is not well financed. The whole system of social care across Europe should be reviewed, including putting in place a workforce strategy that recognises care professionals as essential and their central role for society is acknowledged through adequate development, pay and support.

As the European population becomes increasingly older, the phenomenon and the imbalances it creates are likely to increase in the years to come. In the European Commission’s upcoming European Care Strategy, it is important that the Commission considers the need to improve the attractiveness of the sector and proposes a workforce plan to address this current imbalance.

Gender inequalities are also found in formal social services, where women outnumber men. For instance, approximately 90% of social workers in Spain and 78% of social workers in the UK are women. In Slovenia this figure is 82% in social work and roughly the same in social care.

The actual reasons for the gender imbalance in care and social services more broadly are complex. While acknowledging this imbalance, we should take the opportunity today to recognise the role that women play in shaping social services and their enormous contribution to a sector that promotes social change and development, social cohesion, and people’s empowerment.