Gender Equality in the Labour Market and Socioeconomic Equality
Even though progress has been made and numerous initiatives have been successfully implemented, further efforts are needed in order to achieve gender equality in the Austrian labour market. Discrimination against and disadvantages for women are still distinct in many areas of the labour market:
- Austria's gender pay gap remains one of the largest in the EU.
- The Austrian labour market is characterized by a high female employment rate and, at the same time, by a high part-time employment rate among women. Part-time employment can be detrimental to women’s economic independence during their professional lives and after retirement.
- For the most part women carry out unpaid care work within the family and face the consequences of related career breaks.
- The Austrian labour market is gender-segregated: Women predominantly work in lower-paying jobs in the service industries such as in retail or in health and social services.
- Women are still underrepresented in leading positions in the economy, in science and research, in politics and the public service in Austria.
What initiatives are taken to strengthen gender equality in the labour market?