The Gender Pay Gap Indicator is available to enable comparison of the gender-specific salary differences across the EU. The calculation for this is standard for all member states across the entire EU and, according to the definition by Eurostat, refers to the average gross hourly earnings of men and women. The use of hourly earnings compared with annual earnings has the advantage of enabling a comparison of full-time and part-time employees with each other, regardless of their respective working hours. The disadvantage is that this does not reflect actual income received; it just provides a comparison of hourly rates.

^{Source: Eurostat, can be accessed from Statistics Austria, Gender statistics, Income}

 

There continue to be major gender-specific differences regarding subject choices. The disciplines of technology and mining have the lowest numbers of female graduates. In vocational colleges, girls are significantly under-represented in technical/commercial colleges. Gender-specific inequality is also very marked in the teaching profession.

 

In comparison with Europe, Austria is a country where the employment rate amongst women is high, as is the rate of part-time working.

^{Source: Eurostat, accessed from Statistics Austria}

 

The employment of women is a crucial means of enabling women and their families to earn an income that keeps them above the risk-of-poverty threshold. In all types of household considered, excluding single-parent households and multi-person households with at least three children, the risk of poverty lies significantly below the average for the overall population if the women are employed.

^{Source: Statistics Austria, Gender statistics, Risk of poverty or exclusion}

Employment of women and risk of poverty

 

Studies of the use of time and poverty statistics show that single parents generally do more on a day-to-day basis, but nevertheless have less.

Forty-seven percent of single parents continue to be affected above the average by poverty and the risk of exclusion, despite working

• 15 hours a day (9 of which are unpaid)
• around 1 hour more than mothers who are part of a couple, so 14.25 hours (9.5 of which are unpaid) and
• 1.25 hours a day more than fathers who are part of a couple, so 13.75 hours (6.75 of which are unpaid)

 

^{Source: https://www.alleinerziehende.org/images/Aktuelles/Presseaussendungen/PAEqualPayDay.pdf}, opens an external URL in a new window ^{on 05/02/2021}

 

In the time use survey conducted in 2008/09 – no more recent surveys have so far been conducted – around 8200 people over the age of 10 were asked to keep a diary for a whole day, recording any activities that lasted longer than 15 minutes.

 

Within the EU, female leaders are significantly under-represented. The higher the positions, the fewer the women in post. Compared with the EU, the proportion of women in leadership positions in Austria is in the lower range. When it comes to the proportion of female board members in the largest listed companies, Austria is slightly above the EU average, having maintained the applicable quota for some years. It is also generally evident in other European countries: mandatory quotas for women have ensured the rise in the proportion of women within a very short space of time.