Christian Stocker sparks debate over unpaid care work in Austria

Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker has sparked significant debate regarding unpaid care work following controversial remarks made during a public event in Salzburg. Stocker initially suggested that children are not a form of work and that family is not a ‘business case,’ though he later admitted his statement was incorrect.

The controversy has brought renewed attention to the division of domestic labor in Austria. According to data from Statistik Austria published in 2023, women with children perform approximately 40 hours of unpaid work per week on average. When looking specifically at childcare, women with at least one child under 18 spend an average of nearly two hours per day on these tasks, rising to approximately four hours per day when the child is under three. In contrast, men with children average about one hour of childcare per day.

The incident, referred to by some as ‘#Stockergate,’ has drawn criticism regarding the worldview of the ÖVP and the broader political response to domestic social issues.