Press release: 12.200-040/20

Vienna, 2020-03-04 – In the past decades, women have successfully caught up in education and employment. In the group of 25- to 64-year-olds, more women (19.2%) than men (15.9%) hold an academic degree. The labour force participation of women has also steadily increased. As Statistics Austria reports, the employment rate of women aged 15 to 64 years rose from 58.5% in 1998 to 64.8% in 2008 and finally to 68.6% in 2018. Yet, the increase in female employment is mostly due to a rise in part-time work. In 2018, 47.5% of women in employment worked part-time. Part-time work plays an important role especially for women with children. In 2018, 73.0% of women aged between 25 und 49 years who have children below 15 years of age worked part-time.

Looking at the income situation of women and men, there has been a slight decrease in the gender pay gap. In 2018, the average gross hourly earnings of women were 19.6% lower than those of men, compared to 25.1% in 2008. Lower incomes and the differences in employment opportunities for women and men ultimately result in women having lower pensions and a higher risk of poverty. Single female pensioners (26%) and single parents (37%) – of whom the most are single mothers – have a particularly high risk of poverty.

For more detailed information please refer to the German version.

©  STATISTICS AUSTRIA, Last Changed 04.03.2020

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