Austria looks old with equality in the workplace – the World Women’s Day on March 8 is a good opportunity to view it closer. Men still earn considerably more than women and especially single parents have to struggle with poverty in old age, as showing new figures.
“While other countries have made great progress after Pandemie, Austria lags at work at work,” Agatha Kalandra, board member of PWC Austria, criticizes.
Compared to other countries, it really doesn’t look good in Austria: Austria came in the ranking in the 27th of 33 OECD countries, as in the “Women in Work Index 2025” by the PWC audit company.
Women work and earn less
In Austria, only 66 percent of women worked at full time. In 2000 this value was 76 percent. For the men it was nine out of ten who work completely.
A woman earns almost less than a man. In particular it is 18 percent less. This value only fell at least by one percentage point compared to 2018. Despite a small improvement in the gender gender gender – that is, the wage difference between men and women – “the general placement remains weak”, PWC summarizes.
Loon gap has only been closed in 50 years
“If the current development continues, it will take almost 50 years before the pay gap is closed,” Kalandra explains. “Single women in particular are threatened with poverty in old age and are still disadvantaged as pensioners.”
If women work more, this not only means social, but also economic benefits. An increasing employment rate of women can increase productivity in Austria and strengthen the economic stability of the country in the long term.
“The relationship between equality in the workplace and economic growth shows that investments in gender justice are not only social but also economically wise,” says PWC expert Johanna Schaller. A larger and different team reduces the differences in income between the genera and increases economic innovative power.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
