Full -time work for women: Key to independence and just pension!

Full -time work for women: Key to independence and just pension!

On August 11, 2025, Juliane Bogner-Strauß, the women's leader of the ÖVP, the Equal Pension Day, addressed an important day that indicates the significant discrepancy between the guest houses of men and women. While men already have as much pension as women at the end of the year, the average pension for women in Austria is 1,527 euros, while men receive an average of EUR 2,535. This results in a pension gap of 39.7 percent, which means 1,008 euros less per month for women. This gap only decreased minimally compared to the previous year. According to the forecast, it could take over 100 years to close the pension gap if the current development continues. On January 1, 2024, the women's pension age is gradually increased from 60 to 65 years.

In order to counteract the challenges, such as multiple pollution from care work or health problems, targeted measures are necessary. Bogner-Strauß emphasized that full-time work is a central lever for economic independence of women. The focus is on encouraging women to exploit their working hours potential for retirement provision and to clarify them about the consequences of part -time work in order to counter the pension GAP. In Austria, part -time is a structural problem, since over 50 percent of women work part -time, often unwanted. This part-time work leads to lower pension claims and is considered harmful to your own future by Bogner-Strauß.

effects of part -time work

The increase in part -time employment among women is particularly striking. As of June 30, 2024, 16.2 million women were employed, but for the first time more women work part -time (50.3 percent) than in full -time (49.7 percent). This shows how difficult it is for women to find full -time jobs. A large part of these employed people would like to work more hours, but encounters challenges such as inadequate childcare options or inflexible working hours. The increase in the part -time quota is not only a sign of larger course in the labor market, but also for the need for incentives to promote additional work.

gender pension gap reduce

To reduce the gender pension GAP, various political measures are required. This includes a better crediting of child -rearing times, a legal claim to a child's education position and the breaking of gender -specific role models. A legal claim to a full -time job should also become a reality for women. Each federal state in Austria shows great differences in pension payment for women. In the negative ranking, Vorarlberg, where women receive 46.7 percent less pension than men, with only 1,333 euros compared to 2,501 euros for men.

The seriousness of this situation is not only shown in the average pension payments, but also in the fact that many women exit from working life prematurely due to work pollution and health problems. "We have to support women in clarifying the long-term consequences of their professional decisions," appeals Bogner-Strauß. This is the only way to achieve the goal of significantly strengthening the economic independence of women.

Overall, the situation on the labor market remains complex for women and requires extensive reforms to ensure the same opportunities and fair retirement provision. The current problems in the area of part -time work and poverty in old age must be addressed urgently to improve the participation of women in working life and securing their pension.