Experts urgently call on the new federal government to ensure the financial security of women's and girls' counseling centers. "It is now March, but we still have no funding commitment for the current year," said Sophie Hansal (Network of Austrian Women's and Girls' Counseling Centers) on Wednesday in an online press conference: "The government needs to act quickly."

The professional support system should also be secured in the long term and not just with annual funding. Currently, it is uncertain in December whether operations will be funded in the following January, according to the expert. "It is incredibly difficult for us to retain good counseling staff," explained Martina Fürpass from the counseling center "Sprungbrett": "Good people look for secure positions." Therefore, index-adjusted, long-term funding is needed for women's and girls' counseling centers.

Demand for Women's and Girls' Counseling Centers

Last year, the services were expanded, and the basic funding from the federal government was increased, reported Hansal: "This achievement must now be permanently secured." Annually, more than 120,000 people turn to the women's and girls' counseling centers across Austria. They need support there with professional issues, relationship problems, financial worries, psychological stress, legal questions, and after experiences of violence, according to the expert: "The counseling is free and anonymous, and thus very low-threshold."

Hansal is critical of the government's program to suspend family reunification for asylum seekers: "This particularly disadvantages women and children." It is also questionable whether this is compatible with European law. "However, it is positive to highlight the planned promotion of women in leadership positions and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) professions," she said.

Career Counseling Under the Influence of Various Factors

Career counseling for young women and girls is becoming increasingly difficult, reported Fürpass. She cited reasons such as the increase in mental illnesses and poverty, experiences of violence or discrimination, lack of housing, and the fact that they have often dropped out of several training programs. Before suitable career opportunities can be addressed, all these difficult problems must first be worked through. In times of crisis like now, people also tend to fall back on the familiar, she explained. As a result, young women are less likely to choose careers based on their talents, interests, and abilities, and increasingly aim for so-called "typical women's jobs" - such as hairdresser and office clerk.

Migrant and refugee women often have to deal with an "inseparable connection of discrimination based on their gender, religious affiliation, and origin," criticized Florina Platzer (maiz - Autonomous Center by and for Migrant Women). She demanded that in a "lived democracy," more action should be taken against such multiple discriminations.

In recent times, setbacks in gender equality have also been noticeable, said Elisabeth Cinatl (Association wendepunkt). Society increasingly expects women, for example, to take on more unpaid care work, such as for children and in-laws. It is also "urgently necessary to create compensation for the ubiquitous inflation" for women with disabilities, said Elisabeth Udl (Ninlil - Empowerment and Counseling for Women with Disabilities). They are particularly affected by this. "More investment in protection against violence for women is also urgently needed," she explained.

(APA/Red)

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