PRESS RELEASE
Brussels, 12 May 2010
AGE calls for greater attention to be paid to the role and needs of older generations in family policies to respond to the demographic challenge and promote greater cooperation and solidarity between generations
On the eve of the United Nations International Day of Families on 15 May, AGE calls for greater attention to be paid to the role and needs of older generations in the family in the context of demographic change and the promotion of intergenerational solidarity. AGE considers that a greater emphasis should be placed on addressing the particular role that older generations in the family can play in terms of support to younger family members including childcare, practical and financial assistance etc. Greater attention should also be paid to the needs of older people in family and employment policies. In the context of the economic crisis, this is all the more necessary as Europe needs to keep people at work for longer but neither employment nor family policies take on board or seek to support the role that older people can bring in the family context or address the needs of families with older relatives.
AGE calls on public authorities at all levels to design and implement family-friendly policies and programmes that recognise the changing nature and diversity of family structures and forms, and geographical distances that can prevent family members of all age groups from providing care and support to their dependent relatives. Better measures enabling reconciliation of work life and family life are crucial in an integrated approach combining accessible, affordable, high quality child and elder care services and fully-paid carer leave for those who care for a dependent relative (a child, a relative with a disability or a dependent elderly person).
AGE believes there is a key role for the European Alliance for Families to influence future policy in this area making as family policies are still unevenly developed across the European Union and are often limited to policies supporting parents with young children, when in fact they should encompass a much broader vision of families and address the needs of families with dependent elderly and intergenerational issues as a whole. Although the family remains the main source of intergenerational solidarity in most Member States, social policy is not adapted to the families of today and few policies recognise and support the role of the family in terms of intergenerational solidarity since it is still too often regarded as something that goes by itself and belongs to the private life.
This means that it is urgent to re-think family policies in order to better meet the needs of the family in all its forms by working towards a more satisfactory division of labour between men and women and between the generations. A greater awareness and understanding of older people's vital role as grandparents and contributors to the family is also needed.
For more information:
AGE contribution to European Commission stakeholder consultation on the European Alliance for Families:
http://www.age-platform.eu/images/stories/EAF_evaluation_questionnaire_for_Stakeholders__-_AGE_response_Final.pdf
NGO coalition for a 2012 European Year for Active Ageing and Intergenerational Solidarity publications on: 'Intergenerational Solidarity: the way forward. Proposals from the NGO Coalition for a 2012 European Year for Active Ageing and Intergenerational Solidarity':
http://www.ageplatform.eu/images/stories/EN/CoverAGE/EN/21879_brochure_age_2010_en.pdf
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Communiqué de presse en français
Last Updated on Monday, 17 May 2010 12:00
