Hard-up families in affluent Austria

“One in five large families near the poverty line,” headlines Der Standard after the Ministry of Social Affairs released a report revealing that families with more than two children have a hard time making ends meet in Austria. A million people, or 12% of the population, are at risk of sinking into poverty. And the gap between rich and poor continues to widen, warns the Viennese daily. The report couldn’t have come at a worse time for the government, which is supposed to push parliament next week to cut family benefits, one of the cornerstones of the Austrian budgetary retrenchment plan.