Degroof Petercam Foundation:
Unprecedented popular consultation on how to better reconcile parenthood and professional life delivers first results
September 3, 2024
A popular consultation launched by the Degroof Petercam Foundation to better reconcile parenthood and professional life was successfully conducted in May and June. Broadcast throughout Belgium, the consultation gathered nearly 180,000 votes and identified 9 concrete possible solutions that can be further developed.
Established more than fifteen years ago, the Degroof Petercam Foundation has developed into one of the ten largest foundations in Belgium. Based on the belief in the transformative impact of employment, the Foundation supports the most innovative organizations that contribute to sustainable and fair employment and recently launched a Social Innovation Lab focused on employment issues specific to Belgium. According to an international study1 conducted in 42 countries, Belgium is the 3rd country most affected by parental burnout. In Belgium, over 8% of parents are affected, or 200,000 adults. In this respect, the Lab defined 'Parenthood vs. Employment’ as its inaugural topic for 2024 and launched a nationwide consultation before the summer.
Broad mobilization
The consultation generated great interest and gathered more than 180.000 votes on potential solutions to tackle this topic in a concrete way. Via a platform specialized in collecting citizen opinions on social issues, participants could agree or disagree on numerous ideas.
In-depth analysis led the identification of nine most popular solutions, which were then divided into three themes: childcare, family support and the implementation of measures at work.
Three themes, nine solutions
- About childcare and education
Several popular ideas and priority needs of parents concerned childcare and education:
- Improving access, quality and affordability of childcare services;
- The creation of day care in the workplace;
- Improving after-school childcare programs;
- Empowering childcare entrepeneurs.
2. About more inclusive support for families
The need to put in place more inclusive measures to support families was also raised:
- Better support for single parents;
- Strengthening support for families with specific needs;
- Mental health support for new parents.
3. About parental leave and hours
The third theme is undoubtedly the most important in the eyes of citizens:
- Improving parental leave policies;
- Adapting work schedules and corporate culture to family needs.
Anne-Sophie Pype, general director of the Degroof Petercam Foundation: “This unprecedent mobilization underlines the ongoing importance of reconciling the world of work and parenthood remains. Capitalizing on this wealth of data, we now look forward to put in place the most urgent and most effective solutions, in a collaborative and transparent manner.”
Next steps
With this first phase of work successfully completed, the Degroof Petercam Foundation will act as an enabler to co-create concrete action plans. To achieve this, ten consultation workshops will take place in November with various partners active in the sector, leading to the selection of three projects, which will be implemented in 2025. These partners include Planète Darons, DUO for a JOB, CrisisKabinet Kinderopvang, The Parental Burnout research Lab, Ligue des Familles, Gezinsbond, Le Petit Vélo Jaune, Better, 40U40, Impactoo asbl and the King Baudouin Foundation. In the meantime, the associative world interested in work and parenting issues is invited to take part in these workshops to make their voice heard and showcase their expertise.
1 Parental Burnout Around the Globe: A 42-Country Study - International Investigation of Parental Burnout (IIPB) Consortium.