Women and Pensions

The Gender Pay Gap, i.e. the differences between the average wages of women and men, in Austria is quite high compared to the European average. These differences are also reflected in pensions: the average women's old-age pension in 2023 is 37.6 percent lower than men's. Inter alia due to a high female part-time employment rate, longer interruptions of working life and sector-specific differences in wages, this leads to a significant higher risk of poverty for female pensioners compared to men.

The brochure "Women and Pensions", updated in 2024, and the accompanying folder "My Pension" provide compact information in German on the key elements of the pension system and show how women can secure their pensions while they are still working. The brochure also includes specific information for self-employed women. In addition, a folder also provides information on pensions in an easy-to-read language, and another folder focuses on relevant information for young women at the start of their working life and in training. Postcards, the pension wheel, a bookmark, and videos also provide compact information on the Austrian pension system as well as on opportunities to increase women's pension entitlements.

The EU-co funded project "TRAPEZ – transparent pension future – securing women's economic independence in old age" (2019-2020) aimed at a thorough analysis of the Austrian Gender Gap in Pensions (GGP), and at highlighting possible options for actions to reduce the GGP and to improve the independent security of elderly women. The project was carried out in cooperation with the former Austrian Federal Ministry for Labour, Social Affairs, Health and Consumer Protection, the Austrian Institute for Economic Research WIFO and with the Working Life Research Centre FORBA.

Documents and Links