Fight for child care: women bear the double burden!

Fight for child care: women bear the double burden!

In Tyrol, 50 people in cities such as Wörgl, Schwaz, Innsbruck, Imst and Lienz are currently undergoing consultations in order to overcome the challenge of combining care work and paid work. The consultant Petra Kirchmair explains that the people affected have different individual difficulties. Many are already in the process of working or planning to return, while others are no longer able to work in their original jobs due to childcare issues. Those interested often seek help to find both childcare and a job. Concerns about long care times in daycare centers and unclear options for action if children become ill are often heard. There is often no supportive social network they can fall back on, as Kirchmair notes. This shows how important these advice centers are in the region in order to meet the need for childcare places and the subsequent entry into working life tirol.orf.at reported.

Inequality in child care

The head of the counseling center, Lisa Maria Egger, points out that women in particular struggle with the double burden. The statistics from the Austrian social security agency show alarming results: In November 2024, 5,633 people in Tyrol received childcare benefit - a shocking 5,466 of them were women and only 167 men. Egger appeals that more fathers or men with care responsibilities should come forward to find solutions to the care situation. You can even appear as a couple to discuss the division of care together. Egger still sees a lot of potential here to improve the gender distribution in order to achieve a more equitable distribution of care tasks.

In addition, a publication highlights the issue of child labor in connection with human dignity and the rights of children. The editor Manfred Liebel and his authors from different continents bring important perspectives and encourage discussion about the ability and goals of dignified work for children. The book provides international research and important food for thought that provides colorful insights into the challenges facing child laborers. You can read more about this in the scientific discussion, as well as in the publication “Children. Work. Human Dignity” is presented.