Vienna conquers the women's quota in the town hall with the red-pink coalition!

Vienna conquers the women's quota in the town hall with the red-pink coalition!

An exciting change is underway in the Viennese political landscape. SPÖ leader Michael Ludwig recently presented a red-pink coalition that sets standards with 62% women in the city government. This is a clear step in a direction that many in politics have long been calling for: promoting female voices at decision-making tables. The Vienna City Council currently has 59 men and 41 women, which corresponds to a female quota of 41% - an improvement compared to the national average of 36.6% in the National Council, as the courier reported.

But the numbers dampen the euphoria a little. Compared to international standards, Austria doesn't do particularly well. According to that Federal Statistical Office and other reports, the proportion of women in parliaments at global level is still too low. The global average was just 27.2% in March 2025. While in Rwanda there are 63.8% female representatives, in Austria we see that only 31 of the 2,115 municipalities have a proportion of women of over 50% in their committees. In the state parliaments, the highest rate is 44% in Vorarlberg, while Carinthia brings up the rear with just 17%.

Political challenges for women

The political environment is not exactly friendly to women. In Austria there are no legally established quotas for women in the National Council or the state parliaments, which further complicates the necessary representation of women. The Parliamentary service points out that voluntary quota regulations exist for the larger parties (ÖVP, SPÖ, Greens), but are often viewed as inadequate. In order to increase the proportion of women, it is recommended that women be placed at the top of the list. A model used in the Vienna City Council provides financial support for clubs with at least a third of women.

The FPÖ has the worst figures with a proportion of women in the local council of only 4%, while the ÖVP has 40% and the SPÖ has 49%. There is a pleasing trend among the Greens and Neos: women are in the majority here (Greens: 8 to 7, Neos: 6 to 4). In contrast to these encouraging figures, the position of local council chairman, which is held by Thomas Reindl (SPÖ), remains dominated by men.

A look into the future

Despite these encouraging developments, the entire political landscape in Austria remains male-dominated. The state parliament presidium is entirely male, and among the five club chairmen in the local council there is only one woman: Selma Arapovic from the Neos. The district leader positions also show an unequal picture: 16 men versus 7 women. After all, the first district leader in the city's history, Marie Franc from the ÖVP, can look back on a history that goes back to 1959.

The academic quota is also interesting among the parties: While the Neos have the highest quota at 90%, the FPÖ has the worst result at only 32%. Angela Schütz from the FPÖ remains the only academic woman in her party, a sign of how important it is to increase the proportion of women not only in parliament, but also in municipalities and committees.

Finally, it is to be hoped that efforts such as the new red-pink coalition are not just a flash in the pan, but bring about real change. So that politics in Austria is no longer just dominated by men, but women are given a decisive voice in shaping the future.