Violent crime – Why women are often not safe in Austria

Dr. Erich Lehner, chairman of the umbrella organization for men’s work in Austria, refers to the traditional and conservative image of men that prevails here. This image of the ‘right’ man is characterized by dominance, competition and hierarchy. In a more extreme form, this masculinity leads to the perpetrator personality. This obviously does not mean that every man is a (potential) perpetrator of violence, but in situations where, for example, his own dominance is tested – such as during a relationship break-up – a man can relapse into a violent pattern.

Similarities and differences between men in abusive relationships
Yvonne Widler, journalist at “Kurier”, talks about her research for her book “Heimat sind du deader Augen” about the similarities between violent men. She noted that the group of men who were required to take violence prevention classes due to an entry and approach ban was very mixed. From the native Austrian to the migrant, from the social underclass to the upper class, from young to old – what these men largely have in common: that until these violence prevention classes they had never been able to talk openly about their problems, a one-on-one conversation and reflect on that.

The image of men from an early age
Both girls and boys learn from an early age that a ‘real’ man only speaks carefully about his feelings and is responsible for providing care, but not for care work. This is why the traditional role models of men and women are firmly entrenched in our society. Mothers still do most of the child rearing and housework, while fathers are at home very little. This creates a hierarchical imbalance between men and women in the first years of life.

The gaps in the Austrian parental leave model
Both the so-called father’s month and the partnership bonus are intended to encourage the two parents to divide their maternity leave fairly. Yet the number of months of parental leave among fathers is actually decreasing. However, this is not necessarily due to the will of the fathers. On the one hand, Widler attributes this to the financial losses – despite compensation and a one-time bonus payment for an approximately 50:50 split, the bottom line is that the young family usually has more if the parent who earns less stays at home. On the other hand, men sometimes have to fear the consequences from their employers and colleagues if they take paternity leave – from being socially labeled as ‘oppressed men’ to possible job loss.

Another aspect why shared parental leave is often not taken up is the traditional role model of a family that still exists. Widler states that she has observed very entrenched attitudes, especially in rural areas, that lead to young mothers often staying home for several years and essentially raising the children alone, regardless of previous career goals.

Widler is therefore calling on the government to adjust the maternity leave model accordingly, so that fathers are significantly more involved in raising children. This could be implemented with a mandatory distribution of parental leave, as is already the case in Iceland, for example. Companies must also be made more responsible when it comes to gender equality – both in terms of salaries and the rights of mothers and fathers after the birth of a child.

It takes men to rethink things
The predominant image of men in Austria is not only reflected in the many femicides, sexist and misogynistic statements are also a sign of masculinity, characterized by dominance and competition. This image of men is especially evident in situations where men are among themselves. Widler and Lehner make it clear in the conversation that men in particular should respond appropriately to such conversations and point out the misconduct. So there is a need for change not only among the violent men themselves, but also men with liberal and more modern values ​​so that the image of men in Austria can change in the long term.

Perpetrator-victim reversal
Most femicides in Austria are relationship crimes. There may be many reasons why the affected women were unable to divorce their violent partners in a timely manner. In addition to the hope for improvement, isolation, fear of the behavior of the current partner, care for children, the environment dominated by the partner and the perpetrator-victim reversal play a major role in this. The latter is expressed by the partner, for example, in statements such as ‘If you behaved differently, I wouldn’t have to do that’, but this perpetrator-victim reversal can also come from outside and ultimately solidify itself in the own situation. thoughts when In a similar case the woman is blamed, for example in the form of ‘She should have known better’.

Please don’t look away!
Due to the isolation from their partner, the affected women often lack social contacts and their own safety net. This makes it all the more important to intervene as an outsider. As a first step, simply offering or seeking a conversation is often sufficient. Of course, you also have to be careful not to endanger yourself. For example, if you hear unusual noises coming from your neighbor’s apartment, it may make more sense to call the police directly. Regardless of how you feel about the individuals in an (allegedly) abusive relationship, you also have the option to contact the above offices anonymously and free of charge.