The man brings the money home, the woman puts food on the table and the children go to bed: our worldview at the time is long outdated. But what does it look like now for Austrian couples – a few generations later, for boomers, millennials and the like? Who wears the pants in which places? We have done our research for you!
“In the past, more couples were found at a younger age than is now the case,” says demographer Bernhard Riederer of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW). The way people get to know each other has also changed: Unlike the boomers, online dating plays a major role for the millennial generation. And: The position of women is increasingly changing, especially among boys.
Specifically, “men and women born in the 1960s met each other even more often during their education or at work,” Riederer reports from the current study “Generations and Gender” by researchers from the OeAW, the University of Vienna and the University of Salzburg.
However, for the younger generations, the World Wide Web is becoming increasingly important: “Two in ten people born in the 1990s met their first partner via the Internet.”
In addition, non-marital partnerships have become more common and new marriages occur after divorce. “In summary, it should also be noted that the share of people in Austria who have never been in a relationship is very low after a certain age,” says Riederer.
In addition, Austrians today rely on equality: “The partners are very similar in many respects,” the expert explains. “Seven in ten couples have an age difference of less than five years. More than 80 percent of respondents were both born in the same country.”
And when you look at pair formation, “it’s more like ‘birds of a feather who like to mingle’ than ‘opposites attract,’” says the researcher.
Women on the rise in the workplace
But there are also exceptions, for example when it comes to professions: women and men still often work in different industries and women are still underrepresented in management positions. “Overall, there are more couples in which the man has a higher professional position than the woman,” says Riederer.
“It is striking, however, that among young people (18 to 29 years old) it is often the other way around,” the demographer emphasizes: “It is striking that women increasingly have higher education than men.”
Couples with different countries of birth are better educated
In terms of origin, research by researchers from Vienna and Salzburg shows that in 70 percent of couples, both partners were born in Austria. Moreover, the education level of both heterosexual couples is particularly high in couples where only part of the couple was born here.
And the age difference is greater in couples where only the man was born in Austria.
Spoken language surprises
Interestingly, “nine out of ten couples speak predominantly German at home,” says Riederer. And that is not just because Germans form the largest group of immigrants in Austria or because of the couples where at least one partner was born here.
Because, according to the researcher, “a large proportion of couples in which both were not born in Austria speak German at home – especially if they are both from different countries”.
What the future will bring
The researchers from the ÖAW, the University of Vienna and the University of Salzburg assume that the rising educational level of women will continue to be noticeable in the future.
“The share of couples in which at least one person has a migration background could also increase,” says Riederer. “And the trend of people getting married and starting a family later is likely to continue. These developments can further increase diversity among couples.”
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
