A Care-Divide training programme to promote gender balance in care work

Friday 19 June 2026

Who takes care of those who care? Join CareDivide’s free training! The burden of care work still falls disproportionately on women. It’s time to change that – starting in the workplace.

Across Italy and Europe, informal care work — supporting elderly relative, a child, or a person with a disability — falls disproportionately on women, limiting their career prospects and deepening a persistent gender gap. Yet this imbalance is not inevitable: it can be addressed through awareness and concrete changes in the everyday practices of companies, organisations, and institutions.

The CareDivide project responds to this challenge with a free training programme designed for those who, every day, have the power to make a difference: business leaders, managers, and HR professionals – as well as the wider workforce that makes up organisations.

Objectives

The training aims to:

raise awareness of the value of care work and its impact on gender equality and women’s employment

promote family-friendly workplace policies and practices within organisations

challenge the gender stereotypes that sustain the informal care gap

What we will cover

The first session, held online, is designed to encourage active participation and exchange among participants. Key topics include:

the gender gap in long-term informal care

the stereotypes that perpetuate it

concrete family-friendly practices that organisations can adopt, in line with the EU Work-Life Balance Directive

The training content was developed out of the Mapping the Gap report, published as part of the research phase of the project. All materials are also accessible through an open online course, available for free to everyone: caredivide.eu.

Who can participate

The programme is primarily aimed at employers, managers, and HR professionals. Employees who personally manage care responsibilities, or who wish to foster a more inclusive workplace culture, are also welcome.

When

First session: 1 July 2026, 10:00–12:00, online.

Participation is free, subject to registration.

About the project

Care-Divide is funded by the CERV Programme (Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values), aiming to address the gender gap in informal long-term care, particularly elderly care, by supporting caregivers and promoting gender equality in both work and caregiving through collaboration among employers, policymakers, the media, and civil society.