Towards more gender equality in Austria

There is ample empirical evidence for strong and persistent patterns of separated gender roles in Austria. While this model is generally considered to have worked well in the past, it faces important challenges arising from societal and economic changes in Austria. Hence, gender mainstreaming with the aim of more gender equality ranks high on the agenda of Austrian policy makers. An integrated policy framework to make Austria more gender-equal should build on 3 pillars: i) make the tax and benefit system more employment friendly ii) extend the care service infrastructure and iii) encourage more flexible workplace practices. Streamlining family policies across regions and levels of government would entail efficiency gains for all pillars. Long-run simulations suggest that achieving more gender equality in Austria could boost GDP by 13 percentage points until 2060. In addition, promoting more gender equality in the Austrian Society will improve Austrians’ well-being.