A joint workshop organised under the WELL CARE and Equal Care projects in the context of the EASPD Conference in Turin (October 2025) brought together researchers, practitioners and policymakers to discuss the gender dimension and wellbeing in both formal and informal care. The event served as a platform to exchange knowledge and explore innovative approaches to improving the mental health and working conditions of carers across Europe.

Women continue to make up most of both informal carers and the formal social service workforce, a reality that underscores their essential contribution to society but also highlights ongoing gender inequalities within the care sector. Participants noted that carers, whether working in professional settings or providing unpaid support to family members, often experience high emotional strain, long working hours and heavy physical demands. These factors contribute to elevated levels of stress, burnout, anxiety and depression, making it crucial to strengthen systems that support their wellbeing.

Drawing on research from the two EU-funded initiatives, the workshop examined strategies for promoting gender equality in care and enhancing resilience among care workers. Marco Socci (IRNCA) presented the WELL CARE project findings from its comparative research conducted across Europe, which identified and analysed 170 practices classified as good practices, mainly implemented in targeted countries: The Netherlands, Sweden, Slovenia, Italy and Germany (57.6%) were used as examples of innovative solutions that improve the mental wellbeing and resilience of long-term care (LTC) workers and informal carers. The top 40 practices will be published by the beginning of 2026.

Complementing this perspective, Ana Ramovš (Inštitut Antona Trstenjaka) presented theEqual Care project, which focus on the gender dimension of care work, presenting results from its recent report on care stereotypes and gender gaps in formal and informal care. The project also aims to strengthen the competencies of employers and employees in promoting gender equality in care settings and creating more inclusive and supportive workplaces.

Participants engaged in discussions on barriers and opportunities for advancing gender equality and mental wellbeing in care, sharing examples of successful initiatives and policies that can be replicated or adapted across countries.