500 female participants

Women’s Protest Outside the Chancellery: “We’ve Had Enough!”

“It’s just the beginning,” said the organizers of the women’s protest in front of the Federal Chancellery.(Bild: Imre Antal)

Anger over Federal Chancellor Christian Stocker’s controversial remarks about childcare shows no signs of abating. On Monday, numerous women—and men as well—voiced their frustration right in front of the Federal Chancellery. Some had even traveled from other federal states specifically for this purpose.

Christian Stocker’s remark that childcare is not “work” for him continues to anger many mothers. While the chancellor was meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara, around 500 women protested in front of the Federal Chancellery: “We’ve had enough!”

To vent their anger, many even traveled from other federal states. Take Martina Eigner from Upper Austria, for example: “The more I hear the chancellor’s apology, the angrier I get,” she says. Women put up with too much: “We have to get even louder and even angrier. If necessary, we’ll have to go on strike!” said Eigner, who is calling for equality in all areas.

This is just the beginning, said the organizers of the women’s protest in front of the Federal Chancellery.(Bild: Imre Antal)

Calls for Legal Provisions to Ensure Fair Division of Labor
It’s not just angry moms and grandmothers who have gathered at Ballhausplatz to protest. There are also some men in the crowd. Günther Oberhollenzer shares the caregiving responsibilities for his son with his wife and is irritated by Stocker’s statement: “That’s why I’m here—to make it clear that raising children is actually a lot of work.” He wants legal regulations that require men to share the burden of unpaid work fairly: “So that men who haven’t figured this out yet will be motivated to do so!”

Among the demonstrators is also Judith Pühringer, a Green Party city councilwoman from Vienna. She says she is “really angry.” She says Stocker’s statement is a “slap in the face” to many women. After all, it’s not just mothers who perform unpaid care work, but grandparents as well. “No one can hold down a job if care work isn’t being done.” She is therefore calling for a complete reevaluation of work! “This remark shows where the ÖVP stands with its view of the family.

“Just the beginning today”
In any case, the mood outside the Chancellery is combative. One of the organizers announced that this rally won’t be the only one: “Today is just the beginning.” If people join forces, she said, they can “revolutionize Austria.”