50 CultureShock! Austriapayment (percentage of last
income for one year; ca. €436/
month for three years) in order
to raise their child. And until the
child is done with school, there
is an additional payment from
the government to help defray
the cost of child rearing.
Single motherhood is also
on the rise in Austria. The state takes such good care of
the mother and child that many women choose single
motherhood over abortion, adoption or marriage—a not
unreasonable choice when one considers that half of all
marriages in Austria today end in divorce.
Even with all the incentives to have children, the birthrate
is equal to the death rate, resulting in a zero net birthrate.
Austria has a low birth rate because women are having less
children than before and are postponing motherhood until
they are older. The implications of this statistic will be felt
in years to come.THE NEIGHBOURS
Neighbours can be important to you. Most of them are
friendly and will always greet you. They are a good source of
information and advice during your stay, and will also help
out during emergencies. They often keep an eye on their
neighbours’ homes when their neighbours are on vacation.
Julie moved around a lot in Vienna and always found the
neighbours extremely nice. Once, when there was a medical
emergency, the neighbours really went out of their way to
help out.
It is also a good idea to always invite the neighbours if you
are having a large party. Not only is it a goodwill gesture, but if
you are intending to make a lot of noise, there will be no one to
complain. This would also avoid the inconvenience of having
to end the party early or toning down the noise by 10:00 pm,
which is the law! There have been instances when the police
visited our friends in response to a neighbour’s complaint
regarding the noise level. Then again, there are neighboursAustrian women take great pride
in their appearance. No matter
what their activities are for the
day, they dress nicely and with
care. Fashions are elegant and
understated, never flamboyant.
You will not see women dressed in
sneakers or ratty jeans. Workout
clothes such as sweat pants are
only for the gym.