Country comparison

Austria lags far behind when it comes to equality

Austria is lagging behind when it comes to equality in the workplace - International Women's Day on March 8 is a good opportunity to take a closer look. Men still earn significantly more than women and single parents in particular are struggling with poverty in old age, as new figures show.

"While other countries have made great progress after the pandemic, Austria is lagging behind when it comes to equality in the workplace," criticizes Agatha Kalandra, PwC Austria board member. 

Compared to other countries, things really don't look good in Austria: Austria landed in 27th place out of 33 OECD countries in the ranking, as stated in the "Women in Work Index 2025" by auditing firm PwC. 

Women work and earn less
In Austria, only 66% of women work full-time. In 2000, this figure was still 76 percent. Among men, nine out of ten worked full-time. 

A woman earns almost a fifth less than a man. Specifically, it is 18 percent less. This figure fell only minimally by one percentage point compared to 2018. Despite a small improvement in the gender pay gap - i.e. the difference in pay between men and women - "the overall ranking remains weak", summarizes PwC. 

"Single mothers in particular are at risk of poverty in old age"

Agatha Kalandra, PwC-Österreich-Vorstandsmitglied

Wage gap won't be closed for another 50 years
"If current trends continue, it will take almost 50 years before the wage gap is closed," Kalandra clarifies. "Single mothers in particular are at risk of poverty in old age and will continue to be disadvantaged as pensioners."

If women work more, this means not only social but also economic benefits. A rising employment rate for women could sustainably increase productivity in Austria and strengthen the country's economic stability in the long term.

"The link between equality in the workplace and economic growth shows that investing in gender equality not only makes social but also economic sense," says PwC expert Johanna Schaller. A larger and more diverse team reduces the income gap between the sexes and increases economic innovation.