September 30, 2025

Gender revolution in Austria and Poland? Changes in egalitarian attitudes and behaviour in the perspective of the theoretical insights by Goldscheider, Bernhardt and Lappegård

Key Points

Egalitarian attitudes have significantly increased in Austria, indicating a stronger endorsement compared to Poland.
Statistical analysis utilized data from the International Social Survey Program across three time points: 1994, 2002, and 2012.
Women in both countries exhibit higher levels of egalitarianism than men, especially in attitudes towards childcare.
Egalitarianism in domestic and care work has notably progressed in Austria over time, despite a general increase in Poland.

Abstract

The paper presents an empirical test of the theory of gender revolution by Goldscheider, Bernhardt and Lappegård in Poland and Austria. The two countries were chosen because they both are examples of conservative welfare states and intend to enlarge the involvement of men in childcare. The authors conducted a trend analysis to investigate the specific stage of gender revolution the two countries can presently be situated in. The statistical analysis was based on the data from the International Social Survey Program (ISSP) at three different points in time: 1994, 2002 and 2012. The analyses revealed that the level of egalitarian attitudes in Austria is more prominent than in Poland. In both countries, women tend to be more egalitarian than men. The growth of egalitarian attitudes towards gender roles is increasing over time, but only in Poland. However, in Austria an increase in egalitarianism in domestic and care work can be observed over time.

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