A pensioner, a manager, a technician, a sausage seller and a little girl: They are all actors in a new campaign under the motto “Deafs a bissl mehr sei? Equal pay for equal work”. This was brought to life by State Councilor for Women Christine Haberlander together with the band “Poxrucker Sisters” and presented today, Thursday, in Linz. The campaign is named after the Poxruckers Sisters song of the same name: There are also ten clips with women from Upper Austria who draw attention to the unequal pay between men and women (“Gender Pay Gap”) in a humorous way (this can be found here video and the clips with the short stories at www.frauenreferat-ooe.at). The gender pay gap in Upper Austria is 17.8 percent. On average, girls would get 17.1 percent less pocket money than boys, said Haberlander.
“In recent years, a lot has changed for the better,” said Haberlander, who referred to figures from the economic research institute: “But there is still a lot to do.” Equal Pay Day (March 5th) and International Women’s Day (March 8th). The videos will be featured on social media.
One reason for the gender pay gap is that women still tend to choose poorly paid jobs. “First of all, we have to convince the economy that mixed teams make sense,” said Haberlander. Secondly, secondary schools must be open to companies, and girls must come into contact with other professions at an early age. In this context, it is important to sensitize the educators and especially the parents.
When asked about the high rate of part-time work among women, Haberlander emphasized that she supports “freedom of choice”: In addition, childcare is to be expanded.
“Claim what is due to them”
Two of the Poxrucker sisters are already mothers: “Many automatically assumed that our band career would come to an end as soon as a child was born,” said the oldest sister, Stefanie Poxrucker. Especially in times when feminism is no longer cool for many, women must be encouraged all the more to demand what is due to them.
Source: Nachrichten
