{"id":18488,"date":"2026-05-18T13:00:46","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T11:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.wu.ac.at\/?p=18488"},"modified":"2026-05-18T11:43:25","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T09:43:25","slug":"so-how-much-do-you-make","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.wu.ac.at\/en\/2026\/05\/so-how-much-do-you-make\/","title":{"rendered":"So, How Much Do You Make?"},"content":{"rendered":"

This question arose <\/i>at the recent \u201cWU matters. WU talks.\u201d event<\/i><\/a>, where experts discussed whether pay transparency is the key to greater pay equity or whether it creates new conflicts. Susanne Auer-Mayer, professor of labor and social law at WU Vienna, Sieglinde Gahleitner, attorney and honorary professor, Rolf Glei\u00dfner from the WKO, and Romana Wochner from the AK Vienna participated in the discussion. Note: The audience couldn\u2019t stay silent on this topic either.<\/em><\/p>\n

It has been illegal for decades, and yet it still happens. Women in Austria earn on average 17.6 percent less than men<\/a>. And yet, question after question arises: What lies behind this gap? Is it perhaps even possible to close it?<\/p>\n

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What Does the Pay Transparency Directive Achieve?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The EU Pay Transparency Directive is actually due to be implemented by June 7, 2026\u2014a deadline that Austria, like almost all EU member states, has not yet met. The directive introduces transparency requirements (prohibitions on non-disclosure, disclosure of average pay for the reference group, etc.) and stronger enforcement.<\/p>\n

\u201cI fear that expectations for the directive are simply too high\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Susanne Auer-Mayer, Professor of Labor and Social Law, Vienna University of Economics and Business<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

But who actually belongs in the same reference group? Are all professors at a university comparable? Ultimately, this determines whether a pay gap is discriminatory or not.<\/p>\n

83% want transparency. 51% do not want their colleagues to know their salary.<\/h2>\n

Instagram followers of the official WU account were surveyed live: 83% believe that salary transparency can contribute to pay equity. But when asked, \u201cDo you want your colleagues to know your salary?\u201d 51% answered no. This once again reflects the whole dilemma of this rather complicated issue.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s beating around the bush.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sieglinde Gahleitner, attorney and honorary professor, WU Vienna<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Sieglinde Gahleitner, who herself handles equal treatment cases as an attorney, said the directive is a \u201cdance around the hot potato.\u201d Instead of genuine disclosure, there are reports with average figures by group; and these are hardly useful in individual cases. From her experience in litigation: When things get serious, the employer has to disclose what the comparators earn anyway. The so-called \u201cwhite elephants\u201d\u2014that is, employees who were eventually moved to less relevant positions but retained their high salaries\u2014will no longer exist in the future because they immediately stand out in comparison groups and must be justified.<\/p>\n

The audience weighs in<\/h3>\n

Rolf Glei\u00dfner from the WKO made no secret of the fact that the business community is not happy with the directive<\/a>. \u201cEqual pay for work of equal value\u201d\u2014Rolf Glei\u00dfner does not question that. But implementation, he says, is enormously costly.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t just let that stand!\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Glei\u00dfner\u2019s remarks were met with sharp criticism from the audience: \u201cIt\u2019s not just about the adjusted gender pay gap, but also the unadjusted one. And that\u2019s one of the highest in the EU.\u201d Why do women dominate low-paying industries? Why are top positions still held by men? You can\u2019t argue that away.<\/p>\n

A member of the audience who has been working full-time on the directive for over three years also spoke up: Countless companies are proactively working to implement the directive correctly, investing resources in it, and yet are left in the dark. \u201cThese delaying tactics in the name of the economy are harming precisely these companies.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Curious? Watch the entire discussion here:<\/h3>\n