Women face disproportionate impact from budget cuts, Momentum Institute says

Women will bear a larger share of Austria’s planned budget consolidation than men, even though they account for a smaller share of total income, according to a report by the trade union-linked Momentum Institute.

The institute’s Gender Budgeting Report says women hold about 40 percent of income but will carry 46 percent of net budget consolidation between 2027 and 2031. Measured against income, the report says, the savings measures in the 2027/28 double budget therefore affect women disproportionately.

Women are expected to lose an average of 1.58 percent of their net income each year from 2027 through 2031. The comparable figure for men is 1.43 percent.

The report also points to the failure to increase family benefits in line with costs and to cuts in rehabilitation services as measures that will place a stronger burden on women. Nicolas Prinz, a co-author, said the key issue was not how many euros women and men contributed, but their different economic starting points.

“

What matters is not how many euros women and men contribute, but the economic starting point.