The “invisible” February 29th only occurs in leap years. It was therefore chosen as a day of action for the “Equal Care Day” initiative by the federal association of the same name, which advocates for the appreciation of invisible care work. Since there is no February 29th this year, the day of action will take place on March 1st. Care work includes everything that has to do with looking after the household, children or relatives who need to be cared for, for example.
This particularly affects women: according to figures from the Federal Statistical Office, they do an average of 43 percent more unpaid care work than men. The reason is deeply anchored role models in society. For example, women are considered more caring. However, it has now been scientifically proven that the skills required can be learned regardless of gender.
Parental and part-time work, especially for mothers
These prejudices also influence the world of work: in 2024, every second working woman was employed part-time and only every ninth working man. In the same year, only around two percent of fathers whose youngest child was under six were on parental leave. It is primarily women who step down from their careers after starting a family and are therefore less likely to have the opportunity to advance to higher levels of the company.
Almut Schnerring, co-founder of the “Equal Care Day” initiative, criticizes the fact that flexible working hours, mobile working or part-time work are still too often seen as special solutions in companies. “Instead, they should be self-evident options – also for managers,” says Schnerring. “As long as the desire for flexibility is seen as a brake on a career, companies are sending a clear message: Anyone who cares is not really a good fit for us here.” In contrast, Schnerring sees wasted skills here: “Those who have taken care of themselves have not fallen behind, but rather bring additional experience.”
Strong statements are required
For Schnerring, there is a lack of clear signals from the company that care work is seen and taken into account. This would also have an impact on society as a whole: “If fathers or caring relatives are expressly encouraged to take parental or care leave, role models and expectations will change in the long term.” She advises companies to better structure the return to work after care phases with structured return discussions, targeted further training or mentoring.
Another advantage: If companies offer this flexibility and support, they can position themselves as an attractive employer for skilled workers: An analysis by the Competence Center for Securing Skilled Workers (Kofa) recently showed that there is great recruiting potential in unemployed women who prefer to look for part-time positions due to additional family obligations.
Angela Heider-Willms is responsible for reporting on the topics of transformation, change management and leadership. She also deals with the topic of diversity.
