Our member Catholic Family Association in Austria hosted an event this month on Parental part-time work as a work-life balance tool for fathers.
Since 1 July 2004, parents in Austria have been able to take parental part-time leave, a measure that is particularly popular with women. According to the study ‘Parental part-time work in Austria’, commissioned by the Vienna Chamber of Labour and published in 2018, there is a clear gender-specific distribution in the use of parental part-time work: 21% are mothers and 7% are fathers, meaning that the number of mothers taking parental part-time work is three times higher than that of fathers.
Sociologist and study author Bettina Stadler used current labour market data to explain what has changed since 2018. Laura Hofbauer, entrepreneur and auditor for the certification of family-friendly companies, showed that family friendliness is not a one-way street and why father involvement is worthwhile for companies and employers.
Christoph Winter, sales manager at Lidl and on parental leave for almost three years, talked about his experiences as a father in his professional and private life.
With this event, KFÖ want to raise awareness of the issue of fathers working part-time and motivate companies to promote parental leave for their male employees as well, said Rosina Baumgartner, Secretary General of the Catholic Family Association.
The event concluded with a panel discussion featuring voices from civil society, research, and personal experience: Dieter Breitwieser-Ebster (Papainfo), Vera Glassner (AK Wien), Alexander Hopp (father), and Erich Lehner (psychotherapist and chair of the Men’s Work Association Austria). The session was moderated by Judith Tscheppe.
The event was held in cooperation with the Vienna Chamber of Labour, supported by the Federal Chancellery, on 19th of May 2025.
Find out more about the event HERE.
