Distribution of Household Incomes from a Gender Perspective

Even though wage differences between occupations and industries in Austria are amongst the highest in the EU and the country has an above-average gender wage gap, income distribution among households is amongst the most egalitarian in Europe. This seaming paradox can be explained by a combination of various factors. On the one hand, Austria has a fairly small number of super-rich individuals; on the other hand, the persistency of the traditional male breadwinner model, where men engage in full-time work and women complement the household income, largely through part-time work, strengthens the middle range of the household income distribution. The tax and transfer system ensures that older persons as well as families with children do not get caught in a poverty trap.