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[ European Commission, DG V ]

© Sept 2001

 European Database: Women in Decision-Making

Gender Mainstreaming Strategies in Austria

1. Action Plans for Gender Mainstreaming

Did national, regional and/or local governments in your country launch a plan aiming to implement equal opportunities for women and men in all fields of policy while at the same time ensuring that persisting gender gaps are being addressed by positive action?

If so, please indicate:


Official name of plan in original language National level: Bundesgleichbehandlungsgesetz (www.bmwf.gv.at) - amendment 1. january 2000. There are experts installed at all levels (chambers, trade union, at national as well as regional level). In most of the Austrian Bundesländer there are directives on equal treatments (Gleichbehandlungsrichtlinien) or positive action plans (Frauenförderpläne) as well as Gleichbehandlungsgesetze. In some Bundesländer there are some resolutions in planning:
Tyrol: not yet, a resolution on regional level is at the planning stage, Gender Mainstreaming should be a central point, a working group (steering group) should be installed.
Vienna: responsible for equal treatment: womens office of the city of Vienna. (www.wien.gv.at)
Date when plan was presented and launched. Vienna: Frauenförderpläne since 1996
Essential objectives and features Vienna: Assuring a 40% quota of women in all departments and city founded institutions.
Quantitative goals and timetables Vienna: 40% quota and different package of measures depending on the department concerned.
Allocated budget Vienna: internal resource


2. Getting ready for Gender Mainstreaming

Are national, regional and local governments or other key-players currently preparing the ground for implementing gender mainstreaming?

If you see indications in your country, please elaborate.

Examples:


Awareness raising events and publications by governments, equality infrastructures, women's NGOs, trade unions etc. General: different guidelines and publications for gender mainstreaming. Each women's office on regional level (Bundesländerebene) deal with the strategy gender mainstreaming.
Tyrol: different information events, newsletter
Training targeted at various actors organised by governments, equality infrastructures etc. General: gender trainings at all level are offered Upper Austria: Egalite - a project founded by the EU: To promote awareness raising on local level for gender mainstreaming (target group: politicans, social partner, decision maker, key actors)
Research and study Vienna: Publication by the Womens office of the City of Vienna: a basic introduction to the gender mainstreaming tools, 2000
Public employment service: guideline for gender mainstreaming in the labour market policy
Information and funding of women's NGOs in a perspective of making them key-actors in the process of gender mainstreaming ESF: national coordination office for gender mainstreaming (gem office) TEP (Territorial Employment Pact): Gender Mainstreaming as a commitment for the participation
TEP Styria: Gender Mainstreaming experts in all regional TEP with right of veto.
TEP Salzburg: Gender Mainstreaming coordination office in the Lungau (Part of Salzburg)
TEP upper Austria: Gender Mainstreaming responsibility by the esf-regional manager.
TEP lower Austria: Gender Mainstreaming expert in the TEP
Other Upper Austria: 2002: Year of equal opportunities and Gender Mainstreaming Vienna: City of Vienna is launching a top-down strategy by the City council to introduce gender mainstreaming in all policy decisions (2001).


3. Gender mainstreaming targeted explicitly at women in decision-making

Besides getting an overview of the broad-based approaches to gender mainstreaming it is important to track information that is particularly relevant to current and future aims of the WID project. The following points reach beyond women's participation in the political arena. Please try to cover them as far as possible considering questions such as:

  • Are the relevant strategies including timetables and quantitative goals?
  • What are the concrete measures to reach them?
  • Who are the major players to take action?
  • What are the relevant monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to be applied?

Tackling gender gaps in decision-making - in both the political arena and in economic and cultural life - as priority in the (already mentioned eventually existing) national action plan for gender mainstreaming Tyrol: Brochure about networking is in preparation; Initiating networks for women - Mentoring programmes for female civil servants is running; business and professional women -network for female entrepreneurs (bpw-Tirol); course for women in political functions (local level) - autumn 2001;
Vienna: see above
Styria: Mentoring Program for female local politicians.
Vienna: Introduction of "managing equality" seminars and training in the citiy of Vienna from 2002; Pilot project 2000 (womens office); Polot project: gender mainstreaming in the City of Vienna for members of the city council and civil servants 2002 (womens office)
Salzburg: two networks for civil servants are installed, for career planning and information.
Vertical desegregation of the labour market (i.e. enhancing women's access to senior management and decision-making levels) as a priority among measures described under pillar 4 of your country's National Action Plan for Employment (NAP)'. See Frauenförderpläne of the City of Vienna.
Strategies and measures targeted at vertical desegregation in the Community Support Frameworks and Operational Programmes for the new Funding Period (2000-2006) of the European Structural Funds² National level:
ESF (Objective 3, Equal): Quota 50% for all measures; Gender Mainstreaming - cross section task (Querschnittsaufgabe?); obligation for gender analyses for all projects.
EFRE (Objective 2, Interreg lll): not really established.
EAGFL (Program for the rural development, LEADER +): not really established, but in some programs gender mainstreaming is a criteria for the eligibility.
Vertical segregation is only stressed in the equal program.
Gender balance in the Monitoring Committees of the Structural Funds In each monitoring committees there are experts for gender mainstreaming nominated.


'NAPs can be found on the Europa Server at the website of the DG Employment & Social Affairs. Search for European Employment Strategy.
²In most Member States these can be obtained from the Ministry for Economic Affairs (ERDF), the Ministry of Labour (ESF) and the Ministry for Agriculture (EAGGF).


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