On the occasion of World Grandparents Day (of the Catholic Church) on Sunday, Family Minister Susanne Raab, together with Senior Citizens’ Association President Ingrid Korosec (both ÖVP), explored possible designs of such a model, Raab and Korosec announced on Sunday.
“Grandparent Bonus”
The “grandparent leave” that Nehammer brought up in January is intended to be possible both when the grandparents are still working and when they are already retired. The financial support is to be in the form of a “grandparent bonus”, “similar to the childcare allowance at the same level”, it was said.
A leave option should be provided for working grandparents. The prerequisite for this would be that the grandparents look after the grandchildren instead of the parents because they are employed. As a possible example of a possible division between parents and grandparents, Raab and Korosec mentioned that the mother and father could each take six months of parental leave and the grandparents would take the remaining twelve months.
Freedom of choice
“For many families, the contribution that grandparents make to raising and caring for children is indispensable. Grandparental leave is therefore not only a great expression of appreciation for the older generation, but also a milestone for families’ freedom of choice,” said Raab in a written statement in which she pleads for “real freedom of choice.” Grandparental leave would be “an additional voluntary offer for families who want to return to work earlier.”
Korosec stressed that she welcomed the idea of a grandparental leave. It was “future-oriented, realistic and definitely worth it for us to work together constructively to develop a good idea into a ‘best practice model’ that is ready for implementation.”
criticism
The model had already been criticized by the coalition partner when it was presented in January. On Sunday, the Tyrolean Green MP Barbara Neßler once again clearly rejected the idea of ”shifting care responsibilities” onto grandparents: “It cannot be the case that responsibility is shifted from the mother to the grandmother. Families must no longer be left in the lurch. Instead of excuses and abdication of responsibility, we finally need reliable, free and comprehensive childcare throughout Austria,” said the National Council member in a written statement. The “expansion turbo” must be ignited here. “That is the political homework.”
The model would not improve the situation with regard to old-age poverty among women, but would actually make it worse: “If grandma is still working and then stays at home for a year, this will of course have a negative impact on her pension. For many women, old-age poverty is a bitter reality.”
