Controversy Over Work-Related Remarks

Chancellor Apologizes: “That Statement Was Wrong”

Federal Chancellor Christian Stocker (ÖVP) apologized for his statement.(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

Childcare isn’t work? Federal Chancellor Christian Stocker (ÖVP) would likely be contradicted by millions of women who still shoulder the vast majority of that burden. And even the chancellor himself now appears to have had a change of heart. That statement was wrong, he backtracks. 

During his summer tour “Austria in Conversation” on Thursday evening, Stocker responded to a participant’s question by saying, “To me, childcare isn’t unpaid work, because I wouldn’t consider childcare to be work.” A remark that caused a stir. 

“I apologize in the strongest possible terms”
The chancellor finally admitted on Friday: “A statement I made is currently sparking debate. Rightly so, because it is wrong. To all those who feel hurt, offended, or undervalued by my statement, I apologize in the clearest possible terms.”

Of course, childcare is work, said the ÖVP leader: “Women in particular, who in the vast majority of families still shoulder the bulk of child-rearing, are doing a magnificent job.” 

Chancellor Christian Stocker (ÖVP) apologized for his statement.(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

Mothers, fathers, grandparents—they all make an immeasurable contribution to our society by caring for and raising our children.

Bundeskanzler Christian Stocker am Freitag

Furthermore, the reward cannot be measured in monetary terms because “a family is not a company where you leave the office once your work is done”: “The reward cannot be measured in money, but in trust, solidarity, and countless shared moments.”

“I know how challenging this is”
Stocker said he knows from personal experience just how demanding this task can be: “My wife and I raised our two children together, and we were both working during that time. I know how demanding this task is. I know what it means to carry a child around all night when they’re sick. I know what it’s like when both of them are sick at the same time. But I also know how wonderful it is when they learn to walk, how proud they are of their achievements, but also how challenging it is when they test their limits. I know just how rewarding this work is. Family simply isn’t a business case. That’s exactly what I said—and that’s exactly what I meant.”

Lower Austria’s Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner had also spoken earlier. “As a mother of two daughters, I know that raising children is the most wonderful thing there is. And I also know how much love, strength, time, responsibility, and work go into it—day after day.”

Mikl-Leitner: “Without care work, the country has no future”
That is why she has the utmost respect for all mothers and fathers in our country who are there for their children day in and day out. What they do for our society deserves our highest recognition and appreciation. “Without the care work of our mothers and fathers, our state has no future. Politicians must therefore do everything in their power to strengthen families, recognize the contributions families make, and further improve the balance between family and career. That’s what we’re committed to every day in Lower Austria. I know our chancellor well enough to say that he believes our children mean a great deal of work for us as parents, but above all, they bring us even more joy. And that is exactly how I would interpret his words,” added the governor.

Styrian Deputy Governor Manuela Khom (ÖVP) expressed “surprise” at Stocker’s statement: “You’re not doing justice to the reality of family life today. Of course, childcare is shaped by love—but reducing it to that alone falls far short. Parenting is not a traditional paid job. There’s no vacation entitlement, no free weekends, and often no end to the workday. Instead—and I know this from my own experience as a mother—there’s a constant on-call status.”

Criticism Even from a Coalition Partner
There had been fierce criticism of the remarks from several quarters, even from the coalition partner, the SPÖ. Vice Chancellor Andreas Babler wrote on X: “Childcare is work. Millions of parents—especially women—do this work every day. We must neither downplay nor render this invisible.” SPÖ Women’s Spokesperson Sabine Schatz commented on Stocker’s statement: “Anyone who speaks this way ignores the reality of many women’s lives. Childcare is not a minor matter, but hard work—and unpaid work at that, with consequences for income, career, and retirement.”

According to Schatz, this is also highlighted by Equal Pension Day this Sunday, which draws attention to the fact that women receive, on average, 39.4 percent less in pension benefits than men. Schatz calls for the swift implementation of the EU Pay Transparency Directive, an expansion of childcare services, and greater responsibility on the part of fathers.

NEOS: “Creating Better Framework Conditions”
NEOS is using this opportunity to highlight the need to expand childcare services. “Childcare is, of course, work—a rewarding, enormously responsible, and, yes, often hard job,” says NEOS family policy spokesperson Gertraud Auinger-Oberzaucher. “And it is still predominantly women who shoulder this care work and have to perform an incredible balancing act every day to juggle family and career.”

Party leader Beate Meinl-Reisinger emphasized that it was good that Stocker had clarified this statement: “For me, as a mother of three children, one thing is clear: My children are the most important thing in my life, and I love them more than anything. But of course, raising and guiding children is also work—and it’s exhausting.”

Politicians are therefore called upon to create better conditions: “That’s why we at NEOS are working hard on the reforms needed to finally establish comprehensive, affordable, full-day early childhood education that truly deserves the name. The Austria-wide free kindergarten for all children aged 4 and older, which will be introduced next year, is a major success and an important step in that direction,” said Auinger-Oberzaucher and Meinl-Reisinger. 

The opposition had not held back on criticism beforehand. According to FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl, the chancellor’s statements were mocking mothers. Criticism from the Greens came from federal spokesperson Leonore Gewessler, who also reacted indignantly to Stocker’s statement. 

ÖGB Federal Women’s Chair Sees a Lack of Realism
According to ÖGB Federal Women’s Chair Christa Hörmann, Stocker is promoting a view of the family “that has disadvantaged women for decades.” Raising children is work, and anything else would be a denial of reality, Hörmann said. She also emphasized that, coming just a few days before Equal Pension Day, this statement belittles the contributions of mothers to such an extent that it could hardly be more out of touch with reality, according to Hörmann.