Women earn less and are more at risk of poverty
St. Pölten (OTS) – The regional councilors Christiane Teschl-Hofmeister and Ulrike Königsberger-Ludwig as well as Elisabeth Cinatl, chairwoman of the network of Austrian advice centers for women and girls, took International Women’s Day on March 8th as an opportunity to speak at a press conference in St. Pölten about equality, emancipation and equal opportunities to provide information and to present the numerous initiatives and campaigns with which the state of Lower Austria contributes to equality between women and men.
“Every act of violence is one too many,” said State Councilor Teschl-Hofmeister, who also emphasized: “Women must know where they can turn before they become victims. Showing them possible ways out of violent relationships is an important task for politics and society as a whole.” Lower Austria has a well-developed network of initiatives and institutions for women who are looking for support in difficult phases of life. The Lower Austria women’s hotline on 0800 800 810 offers free advice. In Lower Austria there are ten women’s advice centers as well as ten branch offices, six women’s shelters and the Lower Austria Violence Protection Center.
According to the European Institute for Equality, Austria is about two thirds of the way to equality. With 14.5 percent or 83 women, Lower Austria has the highest proportion of female mayors in Austria, informed Teschl-Hofmeister. Among the local councilors, around 27 percent are women who make an important contribution to women’s interests. In the Lower Austrian state government, 4 out of 9 members are female, and Lower Austria has the only female state governor in Austria. In the state parliament, with unfortunately only 23 percent women, the distribution is below average, she addressed another aspect.
There is unequal treatment in the pay of women. “Equal Pay Day in Austria falls on February 14th in 2024. This day is intended to make it clear until which date the women have worked for free.” The calculated income difference across Austria is 12.4 percent. The lower salary is also based on the choice of career. For this reason, initiatives such as Tech Dating, Girls Day or HTL 4 Girls have been running in Lower Austria for years to get girls and young women interested in technical careers and, above all, better-paid jobs.
With regard to the term “mental load” and the division of work at home, State Councilor Teschl-Hofmeister said: “Fathers take fewer and shorter breaks from their employment to look after children. Only 2.8 percent of all recipients of childcare benefits in Lower Austria in January 2023 were men.” The interruption necessary for women would have a negative impact on old-age pensions. “Women do two-thirds to over half of the unpaid work in a household,” says Teschl-Hofmeister. In this context, four events are planned this year to raise women’s awareness of this issue. The first is in Wolkersdorf on April 30th.
State Councilor Königsberger-Ludwig explained: “International Women’s Day was celebrated for the first time in 1911, with the right to vote for women being the focus. This demand was then implemented in 1919.” Switzerland only complied with this women’s demand decades later.
A demand that is still current is “equal pay for equal work” or “equal pay for work of equal value,” said Königsberger-Ludwig. A good income enables women to live a self-determined life.
With regard to women’s right to a “violent-free life”, Königsberger-Ludwig said: “The offers for the women affected are diverse and there is a dense network of women’s advice centers, violence protection centers and women’s shelters in Lower Austria.” In the next few years the income gap between women and men should be reduced.
Elisabeth Cinatl, chairwoman of the network of Austrian advice centers for women and girls, said: “The lives of women are characterized by the fact that they work more, earn less money and have a high risk of being affected by violence.” “Mental load” is one invisible care work that includes organizational family management and also the performance of emotional work. The Lower Austrian state government will increase funding for women’s and girls’ advice centers by 30 percent with immediate effect.
Further information is available from the LR Teschl-Hofmeister office at 02742/9005-12655, Mag. (FH) Dieter Kraus, and email dieter.kraus@noel.gv.at
Questions & Contact:
Office of the Lower Austrian State Government
State Office Directorate/Public Relations
Ing. Mag. John Seiter
02742/9005-12174
presse@noel.gv.at
www.noe.gv.at/presse