Equality in focus: Equal Pay Day 2023 in Bregenz and its consequences [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVZezwIYt6E[/embed]

Equality in focus: Equal Pay Day 2023 in Bregenz and its consequences [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVZezwIYt6E[/embed]

Equal Pay Day is a significant day for many, putting a clear focus on the pay gap between women and men. This year, this crucial day falls on November 1st. This means that from this date women will no longer be paid for their work compared to their male colleagues in Austria. The numbers are alarming: women only receive a salary 304 days out of 365 a year, illustrating that they work unpaid for 61 days.

But why are there such differences in pay? Current calculations show that the average annual gross income for men is 59,258 euros, while women only earn 49,438 euros gross. This corresponds to a difference of over 10,000 euros. Compared to the previous year, Equal Pay Day has only been postponed by one day - from October 31, 2023 to the current date. This indicates that the situation is only slowly improving, with almost nine weeks left to close the gap known as the gender pay gap.

Regional differences and their causes

The differences between the federal states are very pronounced. For example, women in Vienna work unpaid until November 22nd, which corresponds to 40 days, while in Vorarlberg there are already 86 unpaid days on October 7th. This means that women in Vorarlberg are at another extreme end of the scale, with an income of 14,258 euros (23.4%) lower than men. In Vienna the difference is less pronounced at 6,574 euros (10.8%), which shows that local conditions play a major role.

A key factor in these income differences is the unequal distribution of paid and unpaid work between genders. Women are often employed part-time or take on unpaid care work, for example in raising children or caring for relatives. This division of labor extends beyond working histories and has long-term consequences, especially when it comes to retirement planning. In 2024, women will still face around 40.09 percent lower pensions due to this inequality.

In order to draw attention to this grievance, the Women and Equality Department of the city of Bregenz, in collaboration with political representatives, distributed information material and budget plans to citizens. These budget plans are intended to help distribute household tasks more fairly and equitably.

The initiative of the Women's Committee of the Austrian Association of Cities aims to make discrepancies in pay between men and women visible and to initiate changes. If you would like to find out more about this area, you can download helpful material and the budget plan from the city's website.