The average gender pay gap in the European Union is 12.7 percent. In Austria, the gap is considerably higher; in fact, the country has one of the highest gender pay gaps in the Union, with women earning 18.4 percent (2024) less than men.
The women's spokeswomen of the parliamentary parties in Austria were recently asked by Der Standard to outline their plans for closing the pay gap and preventing old-age poverty among women.
Here is what the spokeswomen from the different parties said.
The People's Party wants to implement more flexible work hours
Elisabeth Pfurtscheller from the People's Party (ÖVP) says there are two main areas to focus on for improving women's financial situation: economic and social.
She believes in making it easier for people to balance family and work by improving childcare and giving parents more choices.
She would also like to implement more flexible work hours, extended parental leave options for fathers, and a breakdown of traditional gender roles.
To close the wage gap, "a mix of measures and a coordinated approach" is needed, she says. For example, she believes that income transparency is necessary, which is planned to be implemented by an EU directive by 2026.
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Pfurtscheller also points out that Austria is close to meeting the EU’s goal of more women in management, but further action is needed at the top levels of companies to improve it further. She finds it confusing that businesses resist these changes since she says it is known that diverse teams perform better.
The People's Party also supports automatic pension splitting between partners, which Pfurtscheller says can prevent women from falling into poverty in old age.
The Social Democratic Party wants "half-half" in all areas
Eva-Maria Holzleitner from the Social Democratic Party (SPÖ) believes that mandatory wage transparency is crucial for improving women's economic situation and that it would have an immediate impact.
She points out that there is an unequal distribution of care work in Austria and that her party wants to see a "half-and-half" approach in all areas of life, from childcare to household responsibilities to the care of relatives.
Parental leave periods should be fairly divided between both parents. "When it becomes natural for both fathers and mothers to share childcare equally, we break down prejudices that still lead to unequal pay and unequal opportunities in careers," she says.
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Parental leave should also be better credited towards pensions. "Women should get their own good pension—regardless of their partner's income," she says. The party therefore rejects mandatory pension splitting, arguing that it would not improve women's old-age poverty but would instead encourage women to stay at home.
The Freedom Party wants equal opportunities without enforcing equal outcomes
Rosa Ecker from far-right The Freedom Party (FPÖ) believes in equal opportunities without enforcing equal outcomes.
She says the main issue with gender inequality is the lack of financial and social recognition for child care and caregiving.
Ecker argues that wages in low-paying jobs and apprenticeships need to be increased and that the role of a mother, along with parental and caregiving periods, should be more financially valued.
She is against mandatory pension splitting, as she says it could shift disadvantages to the other gender group instead of solving them. Instead, she suggests improving recognition and support of caregiving time to prevent pension gaps.
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The Green Party wants to upgrade sectors with a high proportion of women
Meri Disoski from the Green Party (Die Grünen) states that women continue to be responsible for the majority of unpaid household, caregiving, and parenting work, which negatively impacts their financial situation both during their careers and in retirement.
She says that 79 percent of Austria's part-time workers are women, who are unequally affected by lower wages in part-time jobs compared to men.
Disoski describes the impact of the pay gap on women as "dramatic" and would like it to be addressed through better wage transparency rules.
The Green Party supports improving the value of professions with high female representation, modernising parental leave policies to ensure the fair distribution of unpaid caregiving work, and providing a legal right to childcare from the child's first year.
Disoski also suggests that pension splitting could be a useful measure.
The Neos Party wants to reassess work
Henrike Brandstötter, the party’s spokeswoman, points out that more than half of Austria's working women have part-time jobs.
Brandstötter wants to create equal job opportunities for women by removing barriers in labour, tax, and family laws that make full-time work less appealing for women.
She believes in recognising and fairly compensating unpaid caregiving work and challenging traditional gender roles and job divisions.
To improve women's economic situation, she also wants to Increase the availability of childcare facilities and ensure there’s a legal right to a childcare place starting from a child’s first year.
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