Equal Pay Day in Lower Austria: Women earn 16.8 percent less - a wake -up call!

Equal Pay Day in Lower Austria: Women earn 16.8 percent less - a wake -up call!

focused on October 31: the Equal Pay Day in Lower Austria. On this day, the considerable equalization of wages between men and women is made aware. According to current reports, women in the region earn an average of 16.8 percent less than their male colleagues, although they work the same number of hours full -time. The man who has already earned as much as a woman at the end of the year at the Equal Pay Day is none other than Markus Wieser (SPÖ), the President of the Lower Austria Chamber of Lower Austria and chairman of the ÖGB Lower Austria. Wieser demands: "Equal wages for equivalent work must apply to all industries and professions."

The reasons for the wage differences are varied. One fundamental problem is that in many professions in which women mainly work, the social and financial assessment lives behind that of men. This is reinforced by the experiences during pandemic, which has shown how indispensable professions are in the areas of care, education and retail. Nevertheless, phrasing seems to have disappeared from the general discourse.

insight into the gender pay gap

Didem Strebinger (SPÖ), State Women's Chairman of the ÖGB NÖ, emphasizes that the income disadvantage for women is more than 10,000 euros per year. However, this gender PAY GAP varies depending on the district: it is over 25.2 percent in the Mödling district, while only 13.2 percent in the Hollabrunn district is reached.

Despite significantly higher educational qualifications, as frequent Matura and university degrees in women, these are still strongly underrepresented in management positions. In 2023, only one of three leadership positions were occupied by a woman. This inevitably contributes to continuing wage scissors. Around two thirds of the differences in income can also be explained by other factors than the gender, which indicates continuing discrimination.

The discussion about transparent wages is gaining in importance. Birgit Schön, the head of AK Lower Austria's women's policy, calls for the timely and effective implementation of wage transparency, which is to come into force by mid -2026. She underlines that women have to get more insight into the salary structures to fight against injustice.

It is particularly alarming that one would include part -time employees who would have occurred even earlier. The gender Pay GAP would then have been 28.6 percent, since about half of the women in Lower Austria work part -time.

A deeper analysis of the situation and the background to the findings are in a report by www.meinbezirk.at read.