“Stove bonus is an attack on women’s rights”

“The so-called stove bonus, which is intended to pay parents for staying at home, is a step backwards to times long gone. Instead of supporting families, it forces women into financial dependency and deprives children of important future opportunities. The stove bonus is a direct attack on women’s rights and equality,” warns SPÖ Vienna state party secretary Barbara Novak, MA.****

“Instead of investing in nationwide, affordable childcare, the ÖVP and FPÖ are pushing women into traditional role models and thus preventing their self-determination,” continues Novak. The planned stove bonus makes it more difficult for women to start their careers, increases the risk of poverty in old age and promotes outdated role models. Instead of investing money in backward-looking projects, the Viennese Social Democrats are urgently calling for the expansion of free childcare places. Vienna shows how it works: 90% of places for two-year-olds are suitable for full-time and offer families real support – a model that all of Austria should adopt.

What the FPÖ and ÖVP are doing here is not a policy for families, but rather a frontal attack on progress and equality. The stove premium manifests existing inequalities and harms society as a whole. “We in Vienna are fighting for real equality and equal opportunities for women – through fair wages, universal child care and the promotion of self-determination in all areas of life.” The ÖVP and FPÖ would also be well advised to find real solutions to the challenges and not to place responsibility on society as a whole Novak emphasized that dumping the women’s backs was important. (Ending)