Make Mothers Matter - MMM

The European Child Guarantee four years on, is no longer an early stage initiative. Strengthening the rights of children and pushing back on child poverty is an imperative. Great strides forward...but much still to be done.

🇫🇷 À l'Assemblée Nationale Française, le 2 avril dernier, notre rapport "The State of Motherhood in Europe 2024" a été mis à l'honneur durant la table ronde “Les nouveaux enjeux de la maternité et de la paternité”.🤝 🌍✨Le rapport est basé sur l’ enquête que nous avons mené auprès de 9600 mères à travers 12 pays Européens. Nous sommes heureux de voir que le sujet de la parentalité est au centre des discussions. Notre enquête révèle des chiffres alarmants: une mère sur deux déclare souffrir de troubles de santé mentale. 💬 Comme l’a dit Julie Foubert: “La crise de santé mentale des parents est bien la”.  🙏 Un immense merci à Julie pour avoir mis en avant ces chiffres. Et bravo à Clémentine Sarlat de la matrescence et Cédric Rostein de Papatriarcat pour leurs prises de parole puissantes et nécessaires. 👏 🤝 Ensemble, continuons à faire avancer l’agenda de la santé mentale maternelle, à porter la voix des mères et à construire un avenir plus juste pour toutes les familles en Europe 💪💬 Source Video: Assemblée nationale - Délégation aux droits des femmes : Table ronde sur les nouveaux enjeux de la maternité et de la paternité 👉 https://lnkd.in/eeEhVnCi "The State of Motherhood in Europe 2024" report: 👉 https://lnkd.in/eWpc_wef #assembléenationale #Assemblenationale #parentalité #maternité #paternité

Norway faces severe maternal mental health challenges, despite strong policies. When mothers struggle, workplaces feel the impact too—because mothers are employees, leaders and the backbone of the economy. At the SHE Conference in Oslo, Make Mothers Matter - MMM shared insights from our survey of almost 10,000 mothers across Europe and the UK, revealing that many mothers want to balance part-time work with caregiving, yet face barriers that harm both family well-being and career progression. This urgent issue was the focus of the panel discussion “The New Generation of Parents at Work”, organised by our network member 1001 dager, in front of a packed house. Moderated by Cécilie Ramona Kass Furuseth, the conversation featured: 🎤 Mette Schjelderup - Landsforeningen 1001 dager 🎤 Lena Yri Engelsen - Landsforeningen 1001 dager 🎤 Wenche Fredriksen - DNB 🎤 Dr. Kaveh Rashidi 🎤 Anne-Claire de Liedekerke - Make Mothers Matter - MMM Thank you to Astrid Rønning Skaugseth for welcoming us to the SHE Community. 💡 It’s time for companies to take maternal mental health seriously—not just for families, but for the future of work. How can workplaces adapt to the needs of today’s parents? Let’s keep the conversation going. Anita Hegge Julianne Rydberg Michelle Chinnappen

Immense thanks 🙏🏻 Lena Yri Engelsen Mette Schjelderup Landsforeningen 1001 dager for your gracious hospitality and hard work. And for bringing this critical topic to an amazing SHE Community audience. Make Mothers Matter - MMM stands with you in no longer accepting to 'pay our way out of exhausted and burnt-out parents of young children'. Together, we will make it our mission to make working life, family-friendly🤞 🤞

🇪🇸 Make Mothers Matter was proud to contribute to the new edition of the Día de la Conciliación y la Corresponsabilidad — a key event hosted by our network partner Fundación Másfamilia - efr in Madrid, Spain. “Conciliación real, impacto global”, brought together more than 250 participants, made up of experts, businesses, and leaders committed to advancing effective family-friendly policies. Make Mothers Matter - MMM shared a video presentation, offering a first look at the results of the State of Motherhood in Europe 2024 Survey, with a special spotlight on mothers in Spain. These early findings reflect the lived realities of Spanish mothers and highlight the urgent need for more inclusive, family-friendly policies in the workplace. Representing Make Mothers Matter - MMM, our Project Director Angela Garcia Romero was delighted  to attend and engage with so many committed voices. 👏 A big thank you to the organisers, speakers and the vibrant EFR community for working towards creating more sustainable and care-friendly business models. 🗣️ Mercedes Hernández - efr 🗣️ roberto martinez fernandez - efr 🗣️ Diana Cifuentes - efr 🗣️ Rafael Fuertes Martínez - efr 🗣️ María Andrés Marín, directora de la Oficina del Parlamento Europeo en España 🗣️ Laura Rojas Marcos Ph.D. 🗣️ Pablo González Ruiz de la Torre - TRIVU This event was a successful prelude to the upcoming full launch of our survey findings in Spain, in a major follow up event. 💼👩👧👦 #DíadelaConciliacion #ConciliandoTodoEncaja #efr #IIIEncuentroConciliación

Supporting Informal Carers Across Europe! We urge the European Commission to champion tailored services and rights through the implementation of the Council's long-term care recommendation. ▶️ Read our joint statement: https://lnkd.in/djSid7Mf #CareForCarers #SocialProtection #LongTermCare

Make Mothers Matter - MMM addresses UNHRC 🇺🇳 championing Mothers’ Rights at HRC58 MMM's United Nations team in Geneva: Valerie de Saint-Luc Bichelmeier, Mélanie Nédélec, Natalie van Venrooij MD, Karen Thorsen and Gizem Demir Nirennold actively participated in the 58th Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, using this crucial opportunity to advocate for the rights of mothers, caregivers and children globally. 🤝 At #HRC58, we reaffirmed our commitment to ensuring mothers are recognised, supported and empowered. We focused on elevating the voices of mothers in conversations around gender equality, economic justice, social protection and early childhood development. KEY THEMES AND HIGHLIGHTS _________________________________ 🔸 Called for explicit recognition of mothers in gender equality talks 🔸 Advocated for migrant single mothers’ right to housing 🔸 Urged universal social protection for unpaid caregivers 🔸 Spoke out on how debt & climate crisis hit mothers hardest 🔸 Championed early childhood development as a human rights priority SIDE-EVENT SPOTLIGHT _________________________________ We want to thank all who co-organised and contributed to the side event co-organised by Child Rights Connect members, supporting caregiving and maternal mental health. 💜Early Childhood Development Action Network (ECDAN) 💜Family for Every Child 💜Hope and Homes for Children 💜Lumos 💜Make Mothers Matter - MMM 💜Defence for Children International 💜Moving Minds Alliance 💜Child and Youth Friendly Governance Project FIND OUT MORE: _________________________________ 🔗 Read our full recap https://lnkd.in/eMefKE6t If you appreciate the work we do, consider: 💬 Joining our newsletter to stay informed. https://lnkd.in/esWKZEFR 👉 Donating to support our work. https://lnkd.in/eeSiKpdY LOOKING AHEAD _________________________________ Let’s continue to raise mother’s voices, because when mothers are excluded, gender equality suffers — and so do children, families and society as a whole. 💪🌱 #HumanRights #MakeMothersMatter #SocialJustice #GenderEquality #CareEconomy #womenempowerment #earlychildhooddevelopment

🌍✨ Make Mothers Matter - MMM is hitting the road! We’re officially launching our European Tour to unveil the findings of our State of Motherhood in Europe 2024 Survey Report — and we kicked things off in beautiful Portugal! 🇵🇹💥 📅 March 21 📍 Oeiras, Portugal 🎤 Presentation by Angela Garcia Romero - Make Mothers Matter - MMM Project Director We were thrilled to be part of #AsVozesdoEmpreendedorismoFeminino, an inspiring annual event organised by our network member Mulheres à Obra and supported by the Oeiras Valley Municipality. This year’s theme — Women 5.0: Conexão, Inovação, Superação, Impacto — was all about entrepreneurship: how women can connect, innovate and lead meaningful change. 💡🤝 Angela presented key findings from our report - The state of Motherhood 2024 - with a spotlight on Portugal, offering fresh insights into the real challenges and opportunities mothers are facing across Europe today. ⭐ Learn more:  https://lnkd.in/eWpc_wef It was great connecting with all the speakers and guests. Thank you all 🌟 💜 Camila Rodrigues 💜 Carla Rocha 💜 Paula Barros 💜 Silvia Vaz Pinto 💜 Mayara marinov 💜 Teresa Valente 💜 Liliana Marques 💜 Marco Gouveia 💜 Catarina Coelho 💜 Sandra Félix 💜 Patrícia Romão 💜 Olga Costa 💜 Rita Bernardino 💜 Ana Ramos 💜 Marcelle Rebelo 💜 Luísa Madeira 💜 Luisa Fragoso 💜 Petra Barros 💜 Marisa Veríssimo 💜 Vanessa Asturiano 💜 Helena Mourão 💜 Verónica Garcia de Castro 💜 Elizabeth Sirqueira This is just the beginning — Next stop Spain! 🇪🇸 #WomenInInnovation #womeninbusiness #womeninleadership #makemothersmatter #workingmothers

👩👧👦 The Gender Pay Gap Has a Name: The Motherhood Penalty 🧾💸 It’s not just about being a woman. It’s about being a mother. 📉 The gender pay gap widens suddenly between the ages of 30 to 33 — when many women become mothers. Careers stall, earnings dip and promotions dry up. 📊 Research shows up to 80% of the gender pay gap is driven by the motherhood penalty — a hidden cost of having children that hits women’s pay, careers and pensions. Here’s what that looks like: 🕰️ Women do 3x more unpaid care work than men 💸 Mothers are less likely to be hired or promoted 🧠 Mental health suffers and so do long-term opportunities We’re not just talking about workplace bias — we’re talking about a system built on unpaid care work that’s invisible and undervalued. 📣 Let’s close the gender pay gap! Support the carers around you and stand up for them! ✨ Share this if you believe care should be valued and paid fairly. 💬 Tag someone who needs to know this. #GenderPayGapDay #CloseTheGap #MotherhoodPenalty #GenderEquality #CareWorkCounts #EqualPayDayNow #makemothersmatter #womenempowerment

Being a working mom is demanding. Being a single working mom takes it to a whole different level. Whether you’re in hospitality, education, healthcare, or any other field, the balancing act is real: managing work tasks, rushing for school pickups, keeping up with housework, and trying to stay present for your kids. And yet—millions of women do it every day. 📊 According to the State of Motherhood in Europe 2024 survey (Make Mothers Matter - MMM), based on responses from over 9,600 mothers: - 67% feel overloaded - 50% suffer from mental health issues such as burnout, anxiety or depression - 55% had to change their working status after having a child - 63% of caregiving and household tasks fall solely on mothers - 41% say society doesn’t recognize their role These numbers aren’t just statistics. They reflect real lives—real women navigating impossible expectations. Here’s what I’ve learned from my own journey: ✅ Work and Parenting Require Similar Skills – resilience, adaptability, emotional intelligence  ✅ Boundaries Are Essential – avoiding burnout is crucial  ✅ Support Systems Are Vital – asking for help is strength, not weakness This isn’t just a personal story. It’s a structural issue! I’m not an HR professional, but I go deep — I’m doing research across Slovakia, Europe, and experiences from the U.S. Based on that, I’m launching a project aimed at bringing real solutions for single mothers in Slovakia and within the broader European context. 🤝 If you’re an HR leader, CEO, lawyer, or someone whose experience and know-how could help — whether through collaboration, support, or advice — I’d be glad to connect. This project isn’t about me. It’s about the system we can build together. I 👓 ’m not wearing rose-colored glasses — I know it’s going to be a long road. 💪 But I also know I’m all in. 👉 We need to bring this conversation into HR rooms, leadership meetings, and policy circles. 💥 Maybe it’s time we stop treating motherhood as a private issue and start seeing it as a workforce and equity issue. 🎯 One opportunity? Let’s open this discussion at HERE Conference 2025 in Starý Smokovec—where HR leaders, employers, and change-makers meet. How are companies addressing the needs of single parents? What flexible models actually work? Let’s share what’s missing—and what’s possible. Because recognizing mothers isn't a benefit. It's a necessity. And policies that recognize mothers—especially single ones—not as burdens, but as the backbone of the workforce. 📎 Read the full report here: [State of Motherhood in Europe 2024](https://lnkd.in/eFtcB_W7)