“Structurally, a lot has improved for women, but we’re still talking about the same issues as 30 years ago, when the women’s office in Linz was founded,” says women’s city councilor Eva Schobesberger (Greens) on the occasion of the anniversary. And she adds: “Most of the unpaid care work, such as caregiving, is done by women. In the 1970s, that was still formally stipulated by law, but that’s no longer the case today.” This is also one of the reasons why women receive 40 percent less pension than men (yesterday was the so-called Equal Pension Day, the day on which men have already received as much pension as women will only receive by the end of the year).
Violence is also an issue, “this year there were 20 femicides,” says Schobesberger. Violence against women has increased, especially during the corona pandemic. “Not only in the frequency, but also in the extent,” know Schobesberger and the municipal women’s representative Jutta Reisinger, who refers to the achievements of the office, such as the Walk of Fem, which honors Linz personalities, or advice centers such as those in the Pichling family center, where victims get help for domestic violence. The women’s office would like to further expand the protection against violence.
Personnel Director Brigitta Schmidsberger points out that although 67 percent of the municipal authorities are women, 61 percent of management positions are held by men, which is why there is fairness advice for women in the municipal authorities. “Women continue to be underrepresented when it comes to power and money,” says Schobesberger.
Source: Nachrichten
