Work in Austria: Women fight against poverty in old age!

Work in Austria: Women fight against poverty in old age!

St. Pölten, Österreich - The Equal Care Day on February 29 emphasizes the serious injustices in the distribution of concerns in Austria. According to the Lower Austrian poverty network, women spend an average of over four hours with unpaid care work every day, while men only spend about half of this time for it. This unequal distribution leads to an alarming poverty in old age among women who receive an average of 41 percent lower pensions than men. "Whole work - half a pension", as the chairwoman of the poverty network, Barbara Bühler, aptly formulated, illustrates the precarious financial circumstances of many women who often work in part -time jobs and are therefore significantly less deposited into the pension funds, reports Orf.at .

An example is the retired geriatric nurse Maria from Lower Austria, who cannot afford to heat her apartment in winter because her minimum pension is below the poverty line. According to Bühler, almost 45 percent of the households at risk of poverty cannot currently manage unexpected expenses. The demands of the poverty network to politics are clear: an increase in the minimum pension and a fair distribution of the care work between the sexes. "Age poverty is not a law of nature, but a politically made reality," said Bühler. It also calls for structural reforms in paid care work and a fair remuneration in order to tackle the challenges of unjust equity equality. These topics are also the focus of the discussions about the upcoming International Women's Day, such as nön.at reported.