Doubly discriminated against: Viennese women with a migration background

City of Vienna invites newly arrived women to an information day on March 8

Vienna (OTS) –

Half of Viennese women between the ages of 15 and 64 have foreign citizenship or were born abroad. 46% of women working in health and social professions have a migrant background. In wholesale and retail, more than half of the women employed there are migrants. Despite their importance in maintaining the quality of life in the city of Vienna, migrant women are affected by poorer working conditions and significant differences in income. On Women’s Day, the Department of Integration and Diversity, together with the Vienna Employment Promotion Fund (waff), the Vienna Business Agency and the Advice Center for Migrant Women, will provide information on further training, self-employment and employment law issues.

Doubly discriminated against

Women earn less than men. Women with a migrant background earn even less. Migrant women from third countries with the same level of education earn on average 500Ꞓ to 800Ꞓ less than women without a migration background. In addition, migrant women from third countries are particularly often affected by poor working conditions. They often work in jobs with early or night shifts and are less likely to have permanent and open-ended employment contracts.

“Equal access to the labor market and qualified employment promote integration into the labor market and enable immigrant women to continue their educational and professional careers in Vienna. This is why we need good framework conditions, such as advice on employment law and offers of specialist German courses, including childcare, in order to support women in their professional development and promote them in the best possible way,” says Theodora Manolakos, Head of the Department of Integration and Diversity of the City of Vienna.

Lectures and advice for newly arrived women

To help women get off to a good start in Vienna, the Department of Integration and Diversity is organizing an information day on 8 March, International Women’s Day, as part of the “StartWien” programme. Visitors can attend presentations on a variety of topics specifically tailored to newly arrived Viennese women. On March 8, there will be information on self-employment and further education for women on the subject of the labor market.

Excerpt from Original – City of Vienna, March 7, 2025