Have you taken care of all your appointments?
Many parents took vacation during the fall break week. This was not only noticeable among the staff, but also in the courses, where seats remained empty. Many of them were probably engaged in caregiving activities during this time.
Care work includes all activities that are necessary for everyday life, such as raising children, housework, nursing, and emotional and organizational care (mental load). The separation between unpaid care work and paid work is not natural, but has developed historically. Despite its central importance, care work is still socially and economically devalued today and is distributed unequally between the sexes, to the detriment of women.
How does this manifest itself in Austria?
According to Statistics Austria, as soon as children under the age of 15 live in the household, part-time work among women and full-time work among men increases in Austria. Man full-time/woman part-time is the most common combination of labor force participation among heterosexual couples. Only 3.38% of childcare allowance is paid to fathers. Social stereotypes and fear of negative consequences at work are obstacles to greater participation by fathers.
How does this manifest itself among the employees of Alpen-Adria-Universität?
As of April 2024, 13 women and 3 men at AAU are on parental leave. 21 women and 3 men continue to work part-time after parental leave. Studies show that equal sharing of childcare responsibilities also leads to greater equality in working life and reduces the risk of poverty in old age for women.
What is the situation among students?
According to the 2023 Student Social Survey, 8% of students across Austria live in a household with at least one child under the age of 25, and 2.6% with at least one infant under the age of 3. Students with children can spend an average of 10 hours less per week on their studies—and even less with infants (21.1 hours). In addition to the high cost of childcare and nursing care, there is also a significantly higher level of employment. 0.9% of all students are single parents – the majority of whom are mothers. Of these, 51% struggle with financial problems (compared to 29% of all students).
You can listen to episode 04 of the podcast here: Balancing work and family life – a systemic issue
In this episode, we talk about the systemic issue of balancing work and family life. Lux Pratter interviewed Barbara Schuster, deputy chief economist at the Momentum Institute, who focuses on wealth distribution, labor economics, and feminist economics. Kirstin Mertlitsch, head of the University Center for Women’s* and Gender Studies and Diversity at the University of Klagenfurt/Celovec, talks about changes in gender roles and their explosive social impact, and why the topic of “gender” is so important to right-wing and conservative forces. In addition, Bronwen Arbeiter-Weyrer, head of family services at Alpen Adria University, talks about the measures and services available at the university to promote the compatibility of studies, career, teaching, and family. The podcast is only available in German.
We also invite AAU members to the following exchange formats:
- Wiedereinstieg@AAU – returning to work after parental leave
When: Thursday, November 20, 2025, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Further information & registration: pe4you.aau.at - Balancing professional mobility and family life
When: Wednesday, January 14, 2026, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. // Where: online // Registration via pe4you.aau.at
What can we do individually to improve the situation?
We can all:
- Make different forms of care work visible and value them more highly.
- Contribute to a work-life balance-friendly culture, for example by holding meetings during working hours and exchanging emails on working days.
- Question attributions and role expectations: AAU supports paternity leave, for example.
Employees can:
- Enable flexible formats and examination methods in teaching
- Offer childcare services for conferences or meetings, see, for example, the services offered by Family Services
- Enable working from home, more flexible working hours, and hybrid meetings
Further information on the statistics:
https://www.statistik.at/statistiken/bevoelkerung-und-soziales/gender-statistiken
https://www.statistik.at/statistiken/bevoelkerung-und-soziales/sozialleistungen/familienleistungen
https://www.sozialerhebung.at/index.php/de/
With the campaign “Youniversity: Celebrating diversity. Living respect.” the Equal Opportunities Working Group (AKG) of the University of Klagenfurt will focus on various diversity topics throughout the next two semesters. You can find more information on the campaign website.
Der Beitrag Have you taken care of all your appointments? erschien zuerst auf University of Klagenfurt.