Gender Five Plus is proud to contribute to the latest issue of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Future of Work series, Technology, Employment and Wellbeing (Issue 2026/14). This issue brings together a set of contributions from Gender Five Plus, focusing on how women’s everyday experiences are shaped by the intersection of economic and social inequalities, the undervaluation of care work, persistent violence, unequal access to power, and the growing impact of AI technologies that reproduce bias and create new risks for wellbeing and safety.
Read the full issue here: https://futureofwork.fes.de/tew-14.html
A feminist perspective on the future of work
As the first independent European feminist think tank committed to European integration and a future grounded in gender equality, human rights, and sustainability, Gender Five Plus brings a structural perspective to debates on digitalisation and labour.
The contributions in this issue underline a common message: technological and policy developments cannot be understood in isolation from the broader systems of inequality in which they are embedded.
Contributions from Gender Five Plus members
Digital violence and structural inequality
In “Digital violence against young women and girls: when online abuse mirrors offline inequality”, Barbara Helfferich shows how online violence reflects and amplifies longstanding gender inequalities. The article calls for a shift in Europe from reactive approaches to more structural solutions that address the root causes of gender-based violence, both online and offline.
Care policies and persistent stereotypes
In “Care in the European Union: fighting stereotypes while reinforcing them?”, Chiara Gianferotti and Alazne Irigoien Domínguez argue that, while the European Care Strategy marks important progress, it does not fully address the structural inequalities that shape care work. Their analysis highlights how policy frameworks can simultaneously challenge and reproduce gendered assumptions.
Pay transparency and structural reform
In “Why pay transparency and why now?”, Valentina Maglietta examines the EU Pay Transparency Directive as a significant step forward. At the same time, the article stresses that transparency alone is not sufficient: its effectiveness will depend on robust implementation and broader structural reforms aimed at tackling the root causes of the gender pay gap.
AI, regulation and intersectional bias
Finally, in “Artificial intelligence, fundamental rights and intersectionality: a critical analysis of EU regulatory frameworks”, Victoire Olczak provides a critical assessment of key EU frameworks, including the GDPR, the Digital Services Act and the Artificial Intelligence Act. The article argues that these instruments fall short in addressing intersectional bias, overlooking how overlapping inequalities—such as gender, race, and class—can lead to discriminatory outcomes in digital systems.
Towards a more inclusive digital future
Taken together, these contributions highlight the need to move beyond fragmented or purely technical responses to inequality. They call for a more comprehensive approach that addresses the structural dimensions of gender inequality across policy areas—from digital regulation to labour markets and social protection.
For Gender Five Plus, this collaboration with the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung reinforces the importance of embedding feminist analysis at the heart of discussions on the future of work. Ensuring that technological and social transformations contribute to equality, rather than reinforcing existing divides, remains a central challenge for Europe and beyond.