Brussels, 25 September, (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Belgian families with three or more children are reporting growing difficulty balancing employment with childcare and household responsibilities, with a recent survey finding that 83% of parents consider full-time work difficult or very difficult. Official Belgian statistics also show that a growing proportion of working carers encounter obstacles when combining employment with family responsibilities.
Large families report difficulties with full-time work
The Ligue des familles survey covered 2,062 households with at least three children. Conducted online from 27 April to 1 June 2026 with the Walloon Housing Fund for Large Families, it included parents and step-parents with at least three children aged up to 25 living at home for at least part of the time.
Women reported a particularly significant impact on employment. Some 59% said they had reduced their working hours following the arrival of a third child, compared with 34% of men.
The findings are consistent with broader official Belgian labour-market data. Statbel reported in August that 45.3% of employed women with caring responsibilities had made a work-related adjustment, compared with 25.4% of men.
Official data shows care pressures are increasing
Statbel’s latest figures show that 3.4 million people, representing 41.4% of Belgium’s population aged 18 to 74, provide care for a child, grandchild, partner or another family member. Around 2.3 million care for children under 15.
Describing the latest findings, Statbel said: “We observe that an increasing number of people experience obstacles to combining work and care responsibilities.”
In 2025, 44.8% of employed people with caring responsibilities reported encountering obstacles, compared with 33% in 2018. Long working hours were cited by 13.7%, demanding jobs by 11.1% and unpredictable working schedules by 10.4%.
Housing and household costs add financial pressure
Pressure on Belgian families extends beyond employment. The large-family survey found that 65% of respondents had difficulty finding another home, while 41% experienced problems paying rent, mortgages or household charges during the previous year.
Family benefits were considered important by 92% of respondents, with 68% describing them as “absolutely indispensable.”
Education costs are another concern. Seven in ten households reported financial difficulties around the beginning of the school year, while only 21% believed they could finance higher education for all their children without additional assistance.
Women make more employment changes for care
Official data shows that caring responsibilities continue to affect women and men differently. Women were more likely to reduce their working hours, while men were more likely to change their schedules without cutting their total hours.
Among non-working Belgians under 65, 23.6% of women said caring responsibilities prevented them from working, compared with 4.7% of men.
Family organisation calls for stronger support
The Ligue des familles has called for family benefits to be maintained, stronger parental leave and increased availability of larger social homes. It has also sought measures to address gender inequalities in caring responsibilities and reduce costs associated with education and mobility.
The findings place work-life balance firmly on Belgium’s social-policy agenda, with employment conditions, childcare, housing and household costs influencing how parents combine paid work with raising children.
Work and family pressures remain a policy issue
The latest figures provide policymakers with fresh evidence of the pressures facing larger households. Measures affecting childcare, parental leave, family benefits, housing and working arrangements remain divided across different levels of Belgian government.
For parents, the immediate challenge remains managing sufficient employment alongside childcare, education, housing and transport demands, while official statistics indicate that difficulties combining paid work and care have become more widespread in recent years.
