"Krone" Commentary

Controversial Remark by the Chancellor: But He Has a Point…

Pros and Cons of the Chancellor’s Controversial Remarks(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Christian Jauschowetz, Eva Manhart, Imre Amtal)

“I wouldn’t consider childcare to be work.” With this remark, Chancellor Christian Stocker sparked heated discussions. “Krone” journalists Petja Mladenova and Conny Bischofberger—both mothers of two—argue why the chancellor is absolutely right with this statement—or perhaps not...

Stocker caused a stir with these words during his summer tour “Austria in Conversation” on Thursday: “To me, childcare isn’t unpaid work, because I wouldn’t consider childcare to be work. Family isn’t something that can be quantified in terms of paid work. If we view families as a business case, if we treat families as a mathematical example, then that’s a different image of family than the one I have. Family is taking responsibility for one another; family is saying ‘yes’ to one another; family is doing something without getting anything in return. I didn’t raise my children as a mathematical example.”

“Krone” journalists Petja Mladenova and Conny Bischofberger comment on these controversial statements.

Chancellor Christian Stocker during his summer tour(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

Pro von Petja Mladenova

Warum der Kanzler recht hat

I know what I’m talking about—I have two children myself. Of course, Christian Stocker’s first statement is wrong. The chancellor has since apologized for it. But I believe the core of his entire statement is correct. A human life shouldn’t be a matter of calculation. Not everything we do can, should, or must be compensated monetarily.

No one has children to do something good for society or, even less so, to be “rewarded” by the general public for it. It is certainly true that the state must provide the necessary framework conditions.

Mothers not only need recognition for their efforts; they also need enough childcare spots to be able to work and be financially independent. But we don’t start a family for the government’s sake; we do it because it gives us love, comfort, and security. We have children because it is a deeply rooted desire within us to have descendants, to leave something behind in this world.

Children also provide a certain degree of security in old age. They take over the family business or care for their parents when the latter can no longer do so. That is precisely what defines a community—doing something for others without expecting anything in return. The chancellor is right about that.

Contra von Conny Bischofberger

Warum der Kanzler unrecht hat

Did Christian Stocker ever have to explain to his young son that there would be no candy right now, while the little boy was already throwing himself on the floor and screaming at the supermarket checkout? Did he have to take caregiving leave because his daughter was sick? Were he and his wife ever at their wits’ end because they didn’t have enough money for summer camps and didn’t know what to do with two school-age children during the long nine weeks of summer vacation?

Probably not—otherwise, that fateful remark wouldn’t have slipped out of the chancellor’s mouth. Sure, he’s apologized now and claims the opposite. But the damage has already been done.

Millions of mothers—but also fathers—in this country provide childcare 24 hours a day for countless years of their lives. That’s not just work—it’s hard labor.

As a way to make amends, Stocker could now ensure that this important and rewarding work receives the recognition it deserves. Through equal pay for women, who still shoulder the bulk of unpaid work and, on top of that, have to accept massive losses in their pensions. By providing fair salaries for everyone who does outstanding work in preschools and schools and is criminally underpaid. By publicly and sincerely acknowledging the value of unpaid parental work—especially coming from the Chancellor himself.