Male women's minister wants men's lib

Herbert Haupt: Men are victims too

Austria's controversial minister for women - a male vet from the far-right Freedom Party - has sailed into a new storm.

Herbert Haupt says he wants to start a men's department within the women's ministry - because men are facing a growing problem of discrimination.

"It is clear that for some time more and more men (have been) complaining to the equal rights commission and reporting discrimination including harrassment at work," Mr Haupt told state radio.

Instead of balancing out his deficits, he chooses to swap women's affairs for male affairs

Martina Ludwig, Social Democrats

Female political opponents have angrily denounced the plan as an insult to women.

"Chauvinistic whinging," said Green MP Madeleine Petrovic, pointing out that women in Austria were still paid on average a third less than men.

Women were being let down badly by their minister, said Martina Ludwig of the opposition Social Democrats.

"Instead of balancing out his deficits, he chooses to swap women's affairs for male affairs," she said.

There is growing pressure on men, as traditional roles are thrown up in the air

Maria Rauch-Kallat, People's Party

But parties that work with the Freedom Party in the ruling coalition backed Mr Haupt's assertions that men needed a state-sponsored backing.

"There is growing pressure on men as traditional roles are thrown up in the air," said Maria Rauch-Kallat, secretary-general of the right-wing People's Party.

Mr Haupt's own party backed him up, insisting that discrimination and harrassment were no less serious if the victim was a man.

Mr Haupt took over as women's minister in February 2000, when the minstry was merged into his social affairs department.

Official figures show that the number of complaints from men has risen by around 15% every year for the past six years.

By 1999, the total had grown to 145 - still well short of the women's total of 627.