* The present document is being issued without formal editing.
** The present document was submitted pursuant to the simplified reporting procedure. It contains the responses of the State Party to the Committee’s list of issues and questions prior to reporting ( CEDAW/C/AUT/QPR/10 ).
** * The annex to the present document may be accessed from the web page of the Committee.
Tenth periodic report submitted by Austria under article 18 of the Convention, due in 2026 * , ** , ***
[Date received: 7 April 2026]
General
1.Continuous data collection and analysis on women and girls across all areas of life is essential for advancing gender equality in its many dimensions; see annex for current data. In Austria, evidence-based women’s and gender equality policy is enabled by numerous reports, studies and data collections. The BMFWF is committed to regular and long-term data collection on all areas of women’s and girls’ lives: The annual report “Women and Men in Austria” since 2012 was reissued in 2025 with the latest gender-specific disaggregated data in key areas and sheds light on gender equality from various perspectives. The statistical compilation “Gender Equality in Austria” covering six dimensions of gender equality was published in 2024. A Time Use Survey was conducted by Statistics Austria from October 2021 to December 2022 and published in 2023. The 2025–2029 government programme provides for the next Time Use Survey to be carried out in Austria during the Europe-wide survey as well as for a new “Women’s Report”. The National Coordination Body for the Implementation of the Istanbul Convention collects nationwide data on violence against women and girls. Relevant data analyses from police and judicial crime statistics as well as from specialised support services are published.
2.With a Ministers Resolution marking the 25th anniversary of the Gender Mainstreaming Strategy and the Inter-ministerial Working Group on Gender Mainstreaming/Budgeting (IMAG GMB) in 2025, the federal government strengthened its commitment to an effective gender equality policy and defined concrete gender mainstreaming measures. This includes promoting gender-specific data collection, analysis and presentation in reports, studies and publications.
3.Statistics Austria regularly publishes reports as part of its monitoring of the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including data on SDG 5 on income, violence against women, sexual and reproductive health and women in decision-making positions. In the project to develop regular statistics on disability and participation (BETESTAT), which has been implemented by Statistics Austria on behalf of the BMASGPK since 2023, data is i.a. disaggregated by gender, thus enabling conclusions about the realities of life for women and girls with disabilities—for example, in education, labour market, and housing. The annual brochure of the Austrian Integration Fund (ÖIF) contains up-to-date figures on the integration of women in areas such as immigration, residence, language, education, work, family and health. For analyses and data collection of the Länder, see annex.
Constitutional framework and definition of discrimination against women
4.Equality between women and men is a societal responsibility to which the federal government has repeatedly committed itself and which is enshrined in the Austrian legal order (cf. paras. 14–15). The implementation of gender mainstreaming at federal level is based on seven Ministers Resolutions. The following milestones were reached in the reporting period by Ministers Resolutions: continued commitment to implement the gender mainstreaming strategy comprehensively (2020) and reinforced commitment to an effective gender equality policy and specific gender mainstreaming measures (2025) (cf. paras. 2 and 22). The IMAG GMB, in which all ministries, the supreme bodies, the Civil Service Union and the Länder are represented, was founded in 2000. Further coordination mechanisms are chaired by the minister for women, see annex. At the annual Länder Women’s Counsellors Conference women’s policy issues are discussed at a political level and joint positions or resolutions are developed, which are then forwarded to the relevant government members. The Minister for Women is invited as a guest.
5.With the implementation of the EU’s Work-Life Balance Directive (2019/1158), amendments in GlBG and B-GlBG came into force in 2023 to include protection against discrimination in connection with certain statutory entitlements regarding family caring responsibilities, which does not require that the discrimination be based on gender. With its inclusion in the GlBG, responsibility lies with the GAW and the GBK. The time limit for asserting claims was also amended, to avoid cases of hardship due to time constraints. Furthermore, women’s and equality representatives in the federal civil service can now also be appointed even if there is no (longer an) under-representation of women.
Access to justice
6.The GBK-proceedings enforce the GlBG and combat discrimination. The GBK are independent and provide low-threshold, free of charge access to the assessment of whether discrimination has occurred. The procedure is not public and there is no obligation to have a lawyer, but those involved can have an NGO represent them. During COVID-19, the possibility of conducting interviews via video calls was introduced, making procedures more accessible. Additionally, a written procedure was introduced for cases that involve no personal contact (e.g. job applications), to speed up the procedure and bring it to a quicker conclusion.
7.The women’s and girls’ counselling centres (FMBS) funded by the Directorate General (DG) for Women and Equality are available nationwide to all women seeking support, regardless of origin, age, sexual orientation or disability. For holistic consultation, legal advice and counselling is offered for women in various life situations. The DG also funds the Association for Women’s Legal Protection and the Litigation Association for the Enforcement of the Rights of Victims of Discrimination (Klagsverband), which offer counselling and legal representation, particularly in cases of intersectional and gender-specific discrimination against women in all areas. The non-profit Klagsverband, also co-funded by the BMASGPK, is entitled to participate in court procedures as a third-party intervener, with its legal interest assumed to be given.
8.At federal level, the improvement of victims’ rights and victim protection has been at the centre of almost all changes to criminal procedure in recent decades, see also the thematic evaluation report on the implementation of the Istanbul-Convention 2023. The 2019 Protection Against Violence Act (Gewaltschutzgesetz) extended the group of victims of domestic violence to include victims who have experienced some form of violence in their close social environment, such as victims of stalking (Article 107a of the Criminal Code – StGB) or victims of conflict situations in the neighbourhood. With the Act combating Online Hate (HiNBG) 2021, psychosocial support and court assistance in criminal proceedings for victims of online hate speech, as well as for minor witnesses of domestic violence was further expanded in line with the Istanbul-Convention, and it was made much easier for those affected by online hate speech to assert their rights. Further improvements were made by the Criminal Procedure Amendment Act (StPRÄG) 2024. This has made access to justice easier, for example by expanding the groups of victims entitled to court assistance and ensuring awareness of the rights and opportunities of these groups by offering psychosocial and legal support throughout the entire process. In addition, there are numerous rights and measures for the protection of victims of gender-based violence in Austrian criminal proceedings: victims who may have had their sexual integrity or right to self-determination violated are considered highly vulnerable, and protective measures such as a restraining and protection order may be imposed, and they have further rights (see annex).
9.Free psychosocial and legal court assistance is i.a. to be provided to persons affected by intentional violent or sexual offences, including (cyber-)stalking and hate speech, to relatives of persons killed by criminal offences or who witnessed them, and to child and adolescent victims or witnesses of violence, including sexual violence (as of 2025 extended to all minor violence witnesses). The Federal Minister of Justice contractually commissions institutions for all Länder to provide court assistance. Psychosocial court assistance includes preparation for the proceedings and the associated emotional stress as well as company at interrogations during the preliminary and main proceedings. Legal court assistance by lawyers includes legal advice and representation. Court assistance organisations and lawyers are committed to the principle of confidentiality and act in the interests of the victims.
10.In the work environment, the scope of protection of the GlBG includes sex and gender, ethnicity, age, religion or belief, and sexual orientation. Outside the work sphere, however, the GlBG provides different levels of protection aligned with the scope of the EU-anti-discrimination directives. A standardisation in the sense of raising the level of protection for discrimination grounds in the GlBG that are currently less extensively protected has repeatedly been demanded at both national and international level (e.g. ECRI, CEDAW, UPR), this discussion should be continued.
11.The Federal Constitution stipulates a general prohibition of discrimination – for the legislative and executive – which individuals can assert in court. The allocation of competences regarding anti-discrimination legislation and institutions is rooted in Austria’s federal structures and regulates the competences of the federal government (and the respective ministries) and the Länder. As an interdisciplinary topic, equal treatment also affects several policy areas. Due to this division of competences, a complete standardisation of equal treatment and anti-discrimination law is not possible. The federal government is aware that, due to these allocations of competence, Austrian anti-discrimination legislation poses major challenges for individual victims who wish to make use of existing legal protection and institutions. The government therefore endeavours, through regular evaluation processes, to make legislation more efficient, improve legal protection, and offer as much support and guidance as possible. In this context, cooperation and coordination between the responsible bodies and levels are crucial so that those affected can easily identify the competent authorities. In practice, the GAW acts as a clearing centre. To make the situation easier and improve access to the law, the GAW published a digital initial counselling platform in 2025, which provides, for the first time, a central point of contact that also offers local information, to ensure that those affected quickly find the body that can support them in cases of discrimination. EU-Directives 2024/1499 and 2024/1500 on standards for equality bodies contain provisions on improving access to justice and cooperation and are to be implemented by 2026. This is expected to further facilitate access to the competent bodies and improve the resources and powers of equality bodies. Due to the distribution of competences under federal law, the standardisation of equal treatment and anti-discrimination law is challenging and requires political consensus.
National machinery for the advancement of women
12.The budget for the DG for Women and Equality has tripled since 2019 (10.15 million euros). It totalled 33.6 million euros in 2024 and 2025 and increased further to 34.1 million euros in 2026. All financial and human resources of the DG serve to protect and empower women and girls and promote gender equality in Austria. A substantial portion of the budget is used to finance the nationwide FMBS and violence protection, including the funding of violence protection centres (Gewaltschutzzentren), clinical forensic examination centres (Gewaltambulanzen) and the federal-Länder agreement on shelters and support measures for women affected by violence and their children (Frauen-Schutzunterkunfts-Vereinbarung – FSchVE). These apartments for temporary accommodations provide women affected by violence, whose situation does not require admission to a women’s shelter, temporary living space with accompanying counselling and support with the aim of supporting them on their path to a self-determined and violence-free life. An overview of the overall budget for women and gender equality is provided by the analysis of the Parliamentary Budget Service.
13.Violence protection and prevention are cross-cutting issues, therefore all ministries concerned are required to provide the appropriate human, technical and financial resources in their respective fields of action. In 2024, the IMAG GMB presented reports on surveying the 2023 federal budget expenditure, providing an overview of some of the budgetary funds for measures to promote women and equality, and for specific measures for violence prevention and protection in Austria.
14.Women’s and gender equality policy as an inter-ministerial, cross-cutting issue requires the cooperation of all ministries. In this context, the Ministry for Women assumes a coordinating and advisory role, while each specialised ministry is responsible for formulating and implementing gender equality objectives within its own area of responsibility. Central concerns include the comprehensive improvement of equality for women, particularly economic independence, prevention of violence against women and further development of anti-discrimination measures. Implementation of these goals is supported through low-threshold access to comprehensive counselling services and the expansion of violence prevention measures. Targeted information and awareness-raising measures are also taken to reduce existing wage and pension differences and to empower women and girls. Achievement of the goals is regularly reviewed based on indicators. The ongoing training of counsellors and inter-ministerial cooperation are being continuously developed. Equal treatment reports and publicity measures ensure transparency and effectiveness and guarantee a sustainable gender equality policy in the future. Outcome goals, indicators and evaluations are published online.
15.The obligation to pursue gender-responsive budget management has been enshrined in the Austrian Federal Constitution since 2009. The Federal Budget Act 2013 stipulates that legal provisions and major projects must be assessed regarding their impact on gender equality. The dedicated annual report on the consideration of the actual equality of women and men in the framework of outcome orientation to Parliament provides a comprehensive overview of the status of equality in Austria in areas such as labour market, education, health, infrastructure and the environment. It is based on quantitative meta-indicators and contributions of all ministries and supreme federal bodies. The Länder are also obliged by the federal constitution to implement gender budgeting. For examples, see annex.
National human rights institution
16.The recommendations made in 2022 concern the method of appointment of members of the Austrian Ombudsman Board (AOB) and the further expansion of cooperation with civil society. To guarantee democratic legitimacy, the three AOB members are nominated by the three strongest parties in the National Council and elected by the National Council (Art. 148g B-VG). In practice, this generally ensures that the opposition has the right to nominate at least one Ombudsperson. The members must have knowledge of the organisation and functioning of public administration, as well as expertise in the field of human rights, and the chair rotates annually. The AOB is independent in the exercise of its office (Art. 148a (6) B-VG). The current government programme includes additional reform steps. A mandatory hearing in Parliament for designated Ombudspersons is to be provided for and the appointment procedure is to be evaluated and reorganised without amending Art. 148g(2) B-VG. This fulfils civil society’s desire for transparency and participation in the selection process.
17.Women have been represented in the AOB since 1983. In the term of office 2019–2025, two out of three members of the AOB were female from November 2024 to June 2025. Since 1 July 2025, one member of the AOB is female More than 50% of the staff of the AOB and 50% of staff in management positions were women (July 2025).
18.The AOB regularly works together with NGOs. Institutionalised cooperation takes place in the Human Rights Advisory Council established by constitutional law, that consists of a chairwoman and her deputy as well as 16 members and their deputies who are mostly representatives of NGOs and ministries. The AOB’s annual NGO Forum provides a platform for the exchange of opinions on human rights-related topics. The AOB maintains close contacts with numerous civil society organisations, including self-advocacy groups of people with disabilities, youth and senior citizens’ organisations and the Anti-Poverty Network (Armutskonferenz). In the NGO Sounding Board around 15 NGOs meet with the AOB quarterly to coordinate, identify work overlaps and share information on upcoming initiatives and participation opportunities.
Temporary special measures
19.Re a) In a Ministers Resolution in April 2025, the federal government committed to increasing the proportion of women among the members appointed by the federal government to supervisory bodies (“federal share of women”) of companies in which the federal government holds at least a 50% stake from 40% to 50%. This target is to be implemented within the current legislative period (2025–2029). Annual progress reports show the positive development: the average federal share of women in supervisory bodies has increased from 26% since its introduction in 2011 to 55% (2025).
20.Women still have fewer opportunities in the world of work, earn significantly less and have a lower employment rate than men. These disadvantages are also counteracted by active labour market policy (cf. para. 81), e.g. via the distribution of the labour market promotion budget. In relation to the proportion of women among the unemployed, they receive higher levels of support in the labour market promotion budget since 2016. From 2016 to 2019, at least 50% of this budget was earmarked for women. In 2020, the target was redefined, so that the proportion of the budget spent on women should be at least 3.5 percentage points higher than the proportion of unemployed women, since 2022, it was increased to four percentage points.
21.To reduce the pronounced gender pay gap in Austria, three projects, co-financed by the BMASGPK and the ESF+, contribute to gender equality and the (financial) valorisation of female-connotated professions, see annex.
22.re b) A 2025 Ministers Resolution defines ensuring a needs-based training and further education programme at the VAB as one measure (cf. para. 2). The VAB offers special training courses for all public employees, including on intersectional discrimination against women with disabilities. A general sensitisation of judicial staff takes place in the comprehensive training and further education programme on fundamental and human rights as well as in special anti-discrimination training. The Curriculum Fundamental Rights is compulsory for candidate judges. To ensure non‑discriminatory conduct, additional training for judicial staff has been offered since 2020 on disability and accessibility.
Stereotypes and harmful practices
23.To promote women and their positive portrayal and to contribute to eliminating gender stereotypes, the Grete Rehor and Käthe Leichter Prizes have been awarded under the umbrella of the Austrian Women’s Prize since 2023. Grete Rehor Prizes are awarded for outstanding and exemplary (pioneering) achievements contributing to gender equality or to the self-determination of women and girls, in different categories. The Käthe Leichter Prizes recognise significant academic achievements in women’s and gender studies, contributions relating to the women’s movement and the advancement of gender equality and achievements promoting equality in the workplace.
24.In cooperation with the DG for Women and Equality, the Anti-Sexism Advisory Board was integrated into the complaints procedure of the Austrian Advertising Council. The opinions of the Advisory Board on complaints about gender-discriminatory advertising are submitted to the Advertising Council together with the complaints and the company’s response. On this basis, the Advertising Council decides whether it recommends the campaign to be stopped. This is not a binding decision, but the extensive sanctions have proven to be very effective. In 2024, the Anti-Sexism Advisory Board published 40 opinions.
25.The social situation of Roma women and girls (Romnja) is frequently shaped by multiple discrimination on grounds of ethnicity and gender. Traditional family structures are often patriarchal and characterised by strict gender and generational roles. The strategy for continuing the inclusion of Roma in Austria therefore places a special focus on empowering Romnja to participate in society in a self-determined way, to inform them about their rights and how to assert them, to secure access to societal institutions and to sensitise them for equality issues.
26.To combat forced marriage, FGM/C (female genital mutilation/cutting) and other forms of coercion and oppression, a focus is placed on work with girls and young women to identify patriarchal patterns of violence at an early stage and intervene effectively. Preventive workshops for boys and young men raise awareness of these forms of violence. Several specialisedcounselling centres co-financed by the Ministry for Women have been continuously expanded in recent years and offer health advice, awareness-raising and support, especially for women with a migrant background, as well as training courses for specialist staff. The Coordination Centre against FGM is the central point of contact for women and girls affected or threatened by FGM/C and publishes an annual activity report. With the goals of improving the health of women and girls affected by FGM/C, expanding prevention through sensitisation and educating affected communities, a multiplier effect is created. The National Competence Centre against Abduction and Family Violence PeriFeri (formerly Orient Express) provides assistance in Austria and organises returns from abroad. PeriFeri issued a guide for carers to recognise early and warning signs of impending forced marriage and to have access to actionable recommendations. In addition to specialised centres, there is a comprehensive network of support facilities and shelters for victims of domestic violence. The FMBS are important first points of contact. As part of the 2024/2025 funding call of the DG for Women and Equality, four projects totalling around 440,500 euros were funded and implemented by the end of 2025 to raise awareness and prevent family-based violence and harmful practices.
27.Forced marriage is defined as a separate criminal offence in Austria (Section 106a StGB). The executive works closely with various NGOs to prevent forced marriage. The BMI ’ s funding strategy Protection from violence includes continued expansion of prevention measures and cooperation with victim protection organisations. An advisory board against abduction and forced marriage with representatives from relevant ministries and NGOs chaired by PeriFeri meets four times a year to discuss both individual cases and structural problems that need to be solved. The 2024 report on forced marriage in Austria in the context of migration highlights different risk situations and options for protecting potential victims. Its results and conclusions were incorporated into the development of the NAP to combat violence against women (see para. 32). For procedures concerning forced marriage in the reporting period and for exemplary measures of the Länder on combatting stereotypes and harmful practices, see annex.
28.An important legal step to protect minors from early and forced marriage was the Marriage and Partnership Law Amendment Act 2025. Thus, marriage and registered partnerships under 18 are no longer legally possible in Austria, and the ban on marriage and registered partnerships was extended to relatives up to the fourth degree of the collateral line to prevent marriages e.g. between cousins, nephews and nieces or uncles and aunts.
29.In Austria, preventive alerts in the Schengen Information System may be issued by order of the competent judicial authority. These are also possible for minors in need of protection, for example to prevent abduction by a parent, potential victims of human trafficking, forced marriage, FGM, other forms of gender-based violence or terrorist threats. With EU-Directive 2024/1712, the forms of exploitation were extended to include forced marriage, illegal adoption and surrogacy. Police trainingon these changes sensitised particularly on exploitation through forced marriages and on contacting the multilingual human trafficking hotline established in 2016 in case of suspicion.
30.Since 2017, the ICD-10 code Z91.7 –History of female genital mutilation – can be documented as an additional diagnosis for statistical recording. Professional associations (e.g. doctors and psychotherapists) implement measures to raise awareness of FGM/C in training and further education programmes. As part of medical training, knowledge must be acquired in the special subject of gynaecology and obstetrics on “recognising signs of abuse and caring for women after violence, including FGM”. There are also statutory reporting obligations for various healthcare professions, if there is reasonable suspicion that children or youth are being or have been mistreated, tortured, neglected or sexually abused.
Gender-based violence against women and girls
31.The federal government attaches the highest priority to preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence. As the protection and prevention of violence are tasks for society as a whole and cross-cutting issues, all ministries concerned and Länder provide for comprehensive measures to combat all forms of violence within their respective spheres of action. For information on taken measures (including the Protection Against Violence Package 2021, budget increases, the expansion of shelters and temporary accommodation and of support in the health sector) see the thematic evaluation report. For exemplary measures of the Länder, see annex.
32.With the adoption of the National Action Plan (NAP) Combating Violence against Women and Girls 2025–2029 on 26 November 2025, a long-standing national and international demand was realised. In eight thematic working groups, which were (co-)led by various ministries, concrete proposals for measures were developed in a participatory process involving civil society. The NAP was based particularly on the already comprehensive preparatory work of the Protection strategy for coordination and networking with a focus on counselling for women affected by violence in Austria, the measures set out in the current government programme, recommendations of the GREVIO Committee and of the Austrian Court of Audit, as well as measures resulting from EU-Directive 2024/1385 and topics and measures put forward by civil society and experts.
33.In the statistics for women and girls’ counselling in 2023, violence (including physical, psychological and sexualised violence) is among the top five topics for individual counselling. This illustrates the role of the FMBS as first point of contact for women seeking help. In addition, specialised counselling centres and a comprehensive network of support services, emergency shelters and protection facilities are available. The 2024 Protection Strategy for Coordination and Networking aims to further strengthen and improve protection and support. Ultimately, every woman and girl in Austria should know at an early stage who she can turn to in the event of violence and receive customised, professional help. The strategy describes concrete measures for prevention, victim protection, awareness-raising and lasting quality assurance. Key components include strengthening institutional coordination, a joint communication strategy, raising awareness of forms of violence, improving the data situation and continuously taking the client perspective into account.
34.From 2020 to 2025, the DG for Women and Equality published additional funding calls to educate, raise awareness and prevent violence against women and girls – particularly regarding domestic, cultural and digital violence. In 2025, specific attention was paid to violence on the internet and in social media, and projects were funded that communicate protection strategies against cyberviolence and educate about the risks of digital technologies.
35.In the Platform against violence in the family, funded by the BKA,45 organisations such as child protection centres, women’s and men’s counselling services, youth facilities and senior citizens’ associations cooperate with the following objectives: reduce violence, increase detection rate, initiate interventions efficiently and raise awareness. In addition, the free and anonymous family counselling service funded by the BKA offers women affected by violence protection and help, regardless of their financial situation, with a view to preventing family crises. In cooperation with the BMFWF, the BKA set up the working group “Preventive measures against sexualised violence against and by children and young people” in 2025, involving experts from civil society and academia. The establishment of the working group was prompted by current recommendations and obligations to prevent sexualised violence (GREVIO, UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, EU-Directive 2024/1385). The working group is to develop measures that teach children and youth the concept of free consent in sexual relationships in an age-appropriate manner, raise their awareness of the harmful effects of violent pornography and the sharing of intimate images of themselves and others, and develop prevention projects on body awareness and respect for one’s own body. In 2025, the “Quality Assurance” working group developed criteria for workshop facilitators, which form the basis for the expanded provision of violence-prevention workshops within family counselling.
36.The BMASGPK has implemented a bundle of measures in recent years including violence-prevention projects in the areas of empowerment for women affected by violence, violence against older people and prevention of sexualised violence against women. Since 2021, the BMASGPK has also been funding the Men’s info crisis helpline 0800 400 777, which offers men low-threshold initial counselling, crisis intervention and referral to local counselling and thus prevents violence against women and girls. On average, the helpline carries out around 500 consultations per month. With funding for the men’s counselling centres, around 10,000 hours of violence-prevention counselling are financed annually. To develop non-violent problem-solving skills already with children and youth, gender-sensitive work with boys is financed, which enables the realisation of violence-prevention workshops throughout Austria with around 16,000 contacts per year.
37.Civil law protection against violence by issuing a temporary injunction is continuously being developed and expanded. See the thematic evaluation report for details of the legal changes in 2019 (Gewaltschutzgesetz), 2021 (enforcement) and 2022 (violence prevention counselling). Thethird edition of the 2019 decree Guidelines for the prosecution of crimes in the immediate social environment came into force in 2021.Particularly in proceedings relating to violence in the social environment, the timely and substantiated objective assessment of injuries is a central evidentiary issue. Persuasive forensic medical expert reports can increase the probability of conviction. Therefore, an inter-ministerial project was initiated to establish nationwide, low-threshold Gewaltambulanzenwhere victims of physical and/or sexual violence can be examined around the clock, independently of the proceedings and free of charge. Gewaltambulanzen ensure usable findings for criminal proceedings and are directly linked to victim protection services. A study on the status quo of forensic medicine and the creation of a concept for establishing Gewaltambulanzen was presented at the Violence Protection Summit 2022. To implement the project quickly, pilot centres in the model regions East (Vienna, Lower Austria, northern Burgenland) and South (Styria, Carinthia, southern Burgenland) were established and opened in April 2024 (Graz) and January 2025 (Vienna). The Clinical Forensic Examination Centres Funding Act (GewaltAFG) 2024 provides further funding. The aim is to roll outthe centres nationwideunder the conditions of the GewaltAFG after evaluating the pilot centres.
38.The project to establish cybercrime competence centres since March 2022 to improve investigative activities in cyberviolence and hate crime, including against women and girls, has been extended until 31 December 2027. Cybercrime coordinators were appointed at the senior public prosecutor’s offices. In these competence centres, specially trained public prosecutors provide information on legal and technical issues relating to cybercrime. This will further improve law enforcement. A new criminal offence to combat cyberflashing, classified as a sub-category of sexual harassment, came into force on 1 September 2025. It criminalises the intentional and unsolicited transmission, using a telecommunication or computer system, of an image that essentially shows human genitalia.
39.Numerous measures have been taken at national level to combat gender-based violence and violence in the domestic sphere. In recent years, homicides of women by (ex-)partners have often been the subject of intensive media coverage. Only rarely were there police interventions before the offences took place. The Gewaltschutzgesetz 2019 also created the possibility of holding security police case conferences, which are intended to coordinate protective measures for people at risk as efficiently as possible. Furthermore, the legal basis was created to commission counselling centres to provide specific victim-protection-oriented work with perpetrators (violence prevention counselling). These counselling centres for violence prevention advise persons posing a threat after a restraining and protection order has been issued by the police to improve victim protection. The aim is to work towards refraining from (further) use of violence. The provisions on data transmission in the Security Police Act were also amended when these counselling centres commenced operations. On 1 January 2020, a mobile restraining order to the at-risk person was introduced in addition to the protection order. A temporary weapons ban has been mandatory since 1 January 2022 for the person posing a threat when a mobile restraining or protection order is imposed for preventive victim protection. The weapons authority must then examine whether the conditions for issuing an indefinite weapons ban are met.
40.In addition to legal measures, numerous awareness-raising measures were implemented during the 16 days against violence against women and girls, see annex.
41.The four-year training programme for candidate judges regularly includes specialist days in cooperation with victim protection institutions and Gewaltschutzzentren. Sessions inform on victim protection and the Act Governing the Victims of Crimes, dealing with traumatised persons, and the legal and psychosocial support of victims during criminal proceedings. The training for candidate judges includes instruction in family law and assignment to detention and legal protection judges, as well as since 2009 a mandatory assignment to a victim protection or welfare institution for at least two weeks. All candidate judges complete the mandatory Fundamental Rights Curriculum, also on the Istanbul-Convention. Violence protection and violence in close social relationships are also essential compulsory components of the mandatory training for candidate judges in all four districts of the higher regional courts. A general obligation of continuing professional training for judges and public prosecutors is legally stipulated. Mandatory participation in (certain) training events has not yet been provided for and is seen as being in a certain tension with the constitutionally guaranteed independence of the judiciary. However, more specific formulation of the training obligation is under discussion. Special training has been required since 2008 for public prosecutors in larger public prosecutor’s offices who deal with proceedings relating to violence in close social relationships. Specific conferences and training events on family law and protection against violence were held during the reporting period. The training programme is continuously evaluated and adapted. The 4-year Curriculum for family court judges offers modules lasting several days on this subject. Since 2021, the regular networking meeting Violence in close social relationships brings together representatives from public prosecutors’ offices, courts, the Federal Criminal Police Office, victim protection institutions, the legal profession and the NEUSTART association to identify current problems and jointly develop best practices. It took place for the fourth time in 2024 and focused on the new Gewaltambulanzen. Furthermore, training courses for judicial psychologists and anti-violence trainings for imprisoned offenders were expanded.
42.Together with experts of violence protection, women’s shelters, child protection and the BMJ, the guidance on dealing with violence in connection with custody and contact rights was presented in 2024. It aims to strengthen the protection of children from all forms of violence – both through extensive awareness-raising of the various forms of violence and their impacts, and through concrete strategies for action. Thereby the judiciary ensures a standardised and coordinated approach in this highly sensitive area. To implement the ministerial strategy for addressing all forms of harassment and violence in the working environment of the justice system, a steering group was set up in December 2023. It develops strategic measures to further promote awareness and embed the results of the strategy in training and further education as specific teaching contents. Austrian judges and public prosecutors also took part in the international training programmes offered by the European Judicial Training Network and the Academy of European Law during the reporting period.
43.Basic and advanced police training also focus on the topic of violence in the private sphere. The Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum (BFA) offers numerous (further) education programmes for employees involved in procedures dealing with vulnerable persons. If (suspicion of) a criminal offence becomes known during an asylum procedure, the BFA immediately forwards the case details to the law enforcement authorities. If an asylum seeker bases their fear of persecution (Art. 1 Section A(2) of the Geneva Refugee Convention) on violations of sexual self-determination, they must be interviewed by an official of the same sex, unless they request otherwise. Asylum seekers must be demonstrably informed about this option.
44.For federal basic welfare support, the BBU developed concepts for child protection and violence protection, which are aligned with the Istanbul-Convention. These concepts define prevention and intervention measures, including staff training, target group-specific provision of information to asylum seekers, support measures within daily routines (workshops, women’s cafés, courses on the prohibition of violence and contact points) and networking with relevant stakeholders. During implementation, contacts are established with external partners (e.g. Gewaltschutzzentren) and modalities for cooperation are specified. Individualised protection concepts are developed for each establishment and office nationwide.
45.The FMBS ’ counselling network includes migrant-specific establishments offering consultation in native languages, and counselling centres for women with disabilities and LBTIQ women. Funding for all FMBS has increased significantly, from around 5.5 million euros in 2019 to a record budget of around 13.9 million euros in 2024. It is planned to continue the total funding volume of around 14 million euros for FMBS in 2025 and 2026 to ensure continuous support and further development of counselling services. Targeted expansion steps were also taken: women’s counselling centres for sexual violence have now been established throughout Austria; and since 2024, a counselling centre co-financed by the Ministry for Women now exists in every political district. As part of the labour market policy, female jobseekers who have experienced violence are supported by Gewaltschutzzentren of PERSPEKTIVE:ARBEIT to find secure, long-term and viable employment, which is a prerequisite for economic independence and for breaking the spiral of violence.
46.Women’s shelters fall under the general responsibility of the Länder, which also implement measures to protect from and prevent violence, i.a. by (co-)financing further counselling services. Accommodation for women and children affected or threatened by violence are being increased significantly in the Länder, with federal support under a federal-Länder-agreement, see annex. The amendment to the Lower Austrian Social Welfare Act 2000 aimed at expanding the target group entitled to assistance in the event of violence by relatives. It enables all women who are legally resident in Austria to be admitted to a women’s shelter, provided they do or could not receive basic welfare support. Asylum seekers, persons entitled to subsidiary protection, other persons entitled to residence and displaced persons are entitled to basic welfare support and can be cared for in the women’s shelter for basic welfare support.
47.The healthcare system is frequently the first point of contact for affected individuals. Acute healthcare facilities have been under a legal obligation to establish child protection groups since 2024 and victim protection groups since 2011 (Article 8e KAKuG). Victim protection groups are responsible for the early detection of domestic violence and for raising awareness among the relevant occupational groups. In 2020, the online victim protection toolbox was published to support hospitals in setting up and developing their victim protection groups by providing the necessary information and tools. It has since been constantly updated and expanded. The project commissioned by the BMASGPK, Protection against Violence in the Healthcare Sector, implements measures and develops nationwide standards in cooperation with a multidisciplinary advisory board (representatives from hospitals, victim protection groups, violence prevention institutions, academia etc.). Several measures to further develop early detection in the healthcare sector were also included in the NAP Combating Violence against Women and Girls 2025–2029. For training and awareness measures of the Länder, see annex.
48.Among the 48 organisations providing court assistance (cf. para. 9), ZARA – Civil courage and anti-racism work , specialises in supporting victims of online hate speech. The HiNBG i.a. extended the offence of hate speech (cf. para. 9). The additional inclusion of insults directed against human dignity of individuals means that such cases can now be punished as hate speech with a correspondingly higher penalty. In 2021, the BMJ also informed the public about the new Act.
49.Since 2020, the police have received nationwide training in recognising and recording prejudicial motives, the documentation in the police logging programme has been anchored and the registered data with the offence identifier Prejudicial Motive have been transmitted to the judicial authorities via a specially created interface using the electronic legal relations system. Following the technical expansion of the interface between police and judicial databases in April 2025, any prejudicial motive recorded by police officers now automatically triggers the corresponding identifier for the offence – categorised by specific prejudicial motives and their subgroups – for the respective suspects in the judicial databases. To accompany the technical changeover, a new decree was issued to the judicial authorities in May 2025, which contains information on background, legal basis, technical steps and further training opportunities and is dedicated to the new categories of prejudicial motives, together with practical examples. It is now mandatory for the judicial decision-making bodies to set or review the respective offence identifier.
50.The StPRÄG 2024 further strengthened victims’ rights: the option for victims to request the transfer of their personal data to an organisation of their choice, for the purpose of contacting and consulting on possible claims; the option for victims to file an application for prosecution of the offence if preliminary proceedings have not been initiated; relaxation of the formal requirements for continuation applications; and improvement in the legal position of victims in proceedings concerning claims under private law.
51.For the police, three-stage training coursesare offered: a compulsory e-learning seminar, train-the-trainer seminars for internal police multipliers, personal training of all graduates by multipliers. Civil society is also involved on an ongoing basis and international workshops on victim support and information campaigns are held with domestic and foreign authorities. Nationwide contracts with victim protection organisations ensure implementation of measures aimed at raising awareness and support for victims of gender-based violence in close cooperation with the police. BMI’s funding of NGOs in this area has increased steadily in recent years.
52.In basic welfare support, women affected by violence receive individual medical care in the federal care facilities (BBE) or are supported in their efforts to connect with specialist centres, for example in the care of those affected by FGM/C. Carers were trained in 2023 and 2024 on the low-threshold promotion of women’s health in the refugee context. In addition to mandatory e-learning on FGM/C for medical staff, psychologists and care managers in 2025, a full-day FGM/C training course is also planned for the site-specific contacts for women and girls (cf. para. 102). Psychological (online) counselling is available to asylum seekers in all BBE. The clinical psychologists receive regular training on target group-specific support. The violence and child protection concept of BBU emphasises the particular vulnerability of women and girls with disabilities and the dependent relationships associated with this. Employees are made aware of this and of case management when dealing with suspected cases. Potential grounds for suspicion that do not require reporting are documented in the internal case management system and internal case discussions. Cases are also discussed anonymously with specialist agencies if necessary.
Trafficking and exploitation of prostitution
53.re 11 a) The Joint Operational Office of the Federal Criminal Police Office conducts annual bilateral checks to identify victims and perpetrators of human trafficking with Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria and is in regular bilateral and international dialogue, for example with delegations from Kosovo, North Macedonia, Serbia, Greece, Lebanon and Türkiye for the purposes of strategic coordination and operational implementation. International training events and workshops were held in 2024 – together with UNODC, CEPOL and VICESSE. Austria also participated in international projects to combat trafficking (Nigeria, Western Balkans) with a focus on recognising the links between irregular migration and the identification of women, men and children as victims (from third countries) of human trafficking. The cooperation and subsidy agreement under the Internal Security Fund for the THB LIBERI II project (“multidisciplinary fight against human trafficking in persons under the age of 21”) between Germany and Austria was extended for the period 2023 to 2026.
54.re 11 b) and c) The decree on the nationwide responsibility of the criminal police for victims of human trafficking (pursuant to Article 104a StGB) and on their identification and treatment, that presents Austria’s national referral mechanism (NRM) or national system in this area was reissued by the BMI in 2023. A NRM, that should include all authorities, (victim protection) organisations and civil society institutions, is currently developed by the interministerial Task Force against Human Trafficking to improve procedures, coordination and effectiveness of measures in the fight against human trafficking – especially regarding to support and care for victims. The cooperation of law enforcement authorities with other involved authorities and organisations, particularly victim protection organisations, aims to ensure that affected persons and victims are provided with appropriate assistance and protection. The Task Force has drawn up the seventh NAP against human traffickingfor 2024–2027, which contains a wide range of measures for coordination, prevention, victim protection, prosecution and international cooperation.
55.re 11 d) and e) In order to ensure that EEA citizens who are victims of human trafficking or forced marriage can obtain a confirmation of registration under the NAG, including when the requirements (such as gainful employment or sufficient means of subsistence and health insurance) are not met, the BFA must be consulted, stating the victim status. The BFA then reports back that measures to terminate the stay are not possible and the settlement and residence authority then immediately issues a confirmation of registration to guarantee a continued right of residence in Austria. In this context, very good cooperation procedures are in place between the authorities involved and the NGOs. The return counselling at BBU trains return counsellors to become specialists for vulnerable adults and victims of violence. This training includes comprehensive knowledge of the characteristics and dynamics of human trafficking and gender-specific violence as well as understanding the specific needs and challenges faced by vulnerable adults and victims of violence. A high degree of sensitivity to the signs of exploitation, abuse and traumatisation is also promoted, and the development of risk assessment and safety planning skills for vulnerable adults are trained. Return counselling provides support in connecting with victim protection institutions, Gewaltschutzzentren and other relevant counselling centres.
56.re 11 f) Since 2014, the DG for Women and Equality and the BMI have been funding the Intervention Centre for Trafficked Women (IBF), which offers highly specialised support for female victims of human trafficking aged 15 and over. The IBF pursues an empowerment approach with all its measures and supports women and girls on their path toward a self-determined and dignified life as well as their social integration (i.a. language, work). In its comprehensive support, the IBF places a focus on migrant women and obtaining residence permits for women who have been trafficked. In addition to four shelters, the IBF offers: Free of charge psychosocial and judicial court assistance and accompaniment to police hearings, for example in proceedings under Section 104a StGB, support with detention pending deportation in cases of suspected trafficking in women, counselling and intervention regarding right of residence, and preparations for return, including risk analysis, in cooperation with organisations in the countries of origin (see also e). The budget was increased by 50% and the contract extended in 2021, enabling nationwide outreach work in the digital space, expansion of cooperation in police training and expansion of support for women with disabilities and trans women and girls.
57.Regular training events of the judiciary for judges (also of the Austrian Federal Administrative Court) and public prosecutors deal with the topic of human trafficking. An annual exchange of experiences and opinions has been held between law enforcement authorities, courts and NGOs since 2013, including in 2024 on the topic of human trafficking for the purposes of forced marriage. The annual conference “Cybercrime”, a basic training with in-depth modules and the new certificate course introduced in 2024 provide public prosecutors and judges with the necessary knowledge and technical understanding of cybercrime, also in the area of trafficking.
58.The inter-ministerial working group against child trafficking in which all involved authorities (BKA, BMI, BMEIA, BMJ), the child and adolescent welfare offices of the Länder, victim protection institutions, international organisations and research institutions are represented, regularly exchanges information on the latest developments. The working group will publish new and further developed “Guidelines for identifying and dealing with potential victims of child trafficking” in 2026, to provide information, raise awareness and trainingfor police, asylum authorities, basic and child and youth welfare, judiciary, as well as social and health institutions for early detection, treatment and referral to appropriate services for victims of human trafficking. The NAP 2024–2027 (cf. para. 54) includes, in addition to the provision of informational material and professional group-specific training on child trafficking, the establishment of a nationwide protection centre for victims of child trafficking as a pilot project, for its preparation BKA and Council of Europe cooperate in a TSI project.
59.Austria pursues a regulatory approach to sexual services as part of a comprehensive strategy to combat human trafficking. The target is to improve protection in areas that are particularly vulnerable to exploitation, such as 24-hour-care, seasonal work, construction and sex work. A regulatory system that focuses on the protection and rights of people offering sexual services may be better at counteracting possible situations of exploitation. This enables working conditions to be influenced, sex service providers to be reached and supported more effectively by counselling centres and the police, targeted health care to be provided and sex service providers to receive better social safeguards (health, accident and pension insurance). Since 2009, the nationwide “Sexual Services” working group has been set up, chaired by the DG for Women and Equality, and has also been anchored in the current NAP 2024–2027. One of the most important tasks of the interdisciplinary working group is to develop specific recommendations to minimise the risk of exploitation and effectively improve the working and living conditions of sex workers. Regular implementation reports are thus published. To reduce stigmatisation, the working group coordinated a fact sheet for journalists with recommendations for objective and respectful reporting together with counselling centres and self-organised groups of sex workers. Legality and regulation of sexual services also make it easier to identify victims of human trafficking. The working group produced the information brochure Sexwork Info on the rights and obligations of sex workers and the support system in Austria in nine languages.
60.In accordance with the regulation on Health Precautions for Persons Providing Sexual Services, the persons concerned must undergo regular control examinations by a public medical officer. Those affected should be informed about relevant counselling and support establishments, including regarding possible exit scenarios if requested. Every Land has at least one specialised counselling centre for sex workers, usually co-financed by the DG for Women and Equality. The centres funded provide psychosocial support and social work and cooperate with counselling centres specialising in violence. Sex service providers who want to change their line of work are supported in doing so. A total of around 3,200 sex workers received counselling from these (co-)financed specialist counselling centres in 2023. The most frequent counselling topics related to legal, tax and social insurance issues. Topics involving violence were less common in the counselling sessions and were, when addressed, mostly related to domestic violence.
Participation of women in political and public life
61.In accordance with the B-GlBG, each ministry must draw up a women’s advancement plan with measures and binding targets for increasing the proportion of women. Women with the same qualifications are given preferential treatment until a 50% proportion of women has been reached in the respective function level; job advertisements must point this out. For monitoring and consistent implementation, the indicators “highest salary classification” were developed (see annex). Since 1996, the Federal Equal Treatment report, enshrined by law, biannually informs on the status of the realisation of equal treatment and the advancement of women in the federal civil service as well as on the activities of the Federal Equal Treatment Commission.
62.At the BMEIA, there are currently a total of 158 senior management positions in Austria and abroad, including departments and embassies, multilateral representations, and consulates-general. Of these, 57 (36%) are headed by women. The expected demographic developments will contribute to an increase in the proportion of women in senior diplomatic management positions in Austria and abroad. The increase in the proportion of women in the BMLVand theAustrian Armed Forces is based on the women’s advancement plan, which includes mentoring programmes for the civilian and military sectors, awareness-raising, involving women in decision-making processes, flexible working time models, childcare options in the summer months, teleworking and management positions in part-time. The Armed Forces have further measures in place to make it easier for women to enter military service and to open up long-term career prospects (e.g. an entry model tailored to women, recruitment and information events for girls and women in the armed forces, targeted use of female soldiers in public relations work, annual graduate meetings). The measures set out in the women’s advancement plan in the BMJ include further women-oriented training events (in particular for employees with caring responsibilities), representative participation of women as trainers, ensuring sufficient representation of women in committees, duty of care of superiors with regard to the career advancement of women (encouragement to apply for higher functions etc.), work-organisational support for expectant mothers and returners from parental leave, and the linguistic visibility of women in communication. The women’s advancement plan for prison officers and bailiffs contains additional measures on initial and further training, career advancement, reconciliation and the improvement of working conditions for women.
63.Numerous ministries use the Girls’ Day in the federal civil service to make young women aware of the wide range of job and career opportunities available to them, and to attract more women to these occupational fields in the long term. The cross mentoring programme in the federal civil service supports female staff who aspire to management positions since 2005. Mentoring programmes for female executives are also implemented in Vienna and Vorarlberg.
64.The Act on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men on Supervisory Boardshas been in force since 2018, setting a target of 30% for women and men on the supervisory boards of listed and large companies (with more than 1,000 employees) under certain conditions (see para. 19 for state-affiliated companies). The plan is to extend the existing regulation by implementing EU-Directive 2022/2381.
65.In 2019, the Parliamentary Group Funding Act introduced a 3% increase in funding (bonus) for parliamentary groups in National and Federal Council that achieve a women’s proportion of at least 40%. The DG for Women and Equality publishes an annual report on the political representation of women at municipal, Länder and federal level as well as in social partner organisations, and an exploratory study on political participation of young women was published in 2023. The Girls in Politics project has been taking place annually since 2022, in which local politicians throughout Austria are accompanied by girls and young women for a day to give them an insight into local politics. The project was continuously expanded and is a joint initiative of the BMFWF, the Associations of Austrian Municipalities and of Austrian Towns and Cities. For further Länder measures, see annex.
66.According to the “All in Plus” survey, the proportion of women in Olympic sports associations in Austria in 2024 was 18% for presidents, 19% for vice presidents, 24% for managing directors and 28% for board members. Targeted programmes to promote women’s participation in sport have been implemented at the federal level, and the good governance funding programme awarded additional funding to national sports associations that implemented the specified criteria, such as protection against sexual harassment, promotion of gender equality and measures to combat discrimination in sport, most effectively. The Ministry of Sport supports the autonomous association “100% Sport” as Austrian centre for gender competence and safe sport in the aim of preventing violence and ensuring gender equality in sport. The vera SPORT trust centre, established additionally in 2022, provides confidential counselling and support in cases of harassment or violence. The Ministry of Sport launched two innovative projects in 2021 aimed at effectively empowering women in elite sport: the eight-year Gender Trainee Programme aims to train highly qualified female coaches and officials to secure their position in all areas of Austrian sport over the long term. Dream Teams aims to raise the performance level of the women’s leagues and national teams and ensure their international competitiveness. Targeted support was provided for girls, young women and active female players in team sports to provide momentum towards equality and achieve harmonisation of the framework conditions in the still male-dominated team sports. An innovation call project aims to strengthen girls’ and women’s football in Austria by training female coaches across clubs and Länder to increase the number of female coaches and expand training to include expertise specific to women, so that women can coach teams professionally at the grassroots and competitive football levels in the future.
Nationality
67.Article 14 of the Austrian Citizenship Act (StbG) provides for easier acquisition of Austrian citizenship for stateless persons who were born in Austria and are stateless from birth. According to the provisions of the StbG, children acquire Austrian citizenship by descent if one of their parents is an Austrian citizen. In the case of children of male Austrian citizens born outside of marriage, a formal acknowledgement of paternity is required within eight weeks of the child’s birth. There are simplified options for acquiring Austrian citizenship if the recognition is not provided within this period. The amount of sufficiently secure livelihood corresponds to the equalisation supplement reference rate. To assess this criterion with a view to the economic circumstances of women, especially single mothers, in addition to their own income, statutory maintenance claims, insurance benefits and benefits such as family allowance or childcare allowance are also taken into account. Regarding the low-wage sector, the current government programme stipulates that in the case of people in urgently needed professions, the collective agreement should be used to determine the ability to support oneself in future.
Education
68.The amendment to school law, which enshrines a ban on headscarves in schools, was passed by parliament on 18 December 2025. The provisions are due to come into force on 1 September 2026. From summer semester 2026, a headscarf ban will apply to girls up to the 8th grade (under 14 years of age) in all schools, to promote the equal development and personal fulfilment of girls, as wearing a headscarf is considered potentially oppressive for minors.
69.The calls for funding for 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 from the DG for Women and Equality were aimed at empowering girls and women in education and careers – especially in STEM. The call 2021/2022 (1.6 million euros) also focused on increasing economic independence through financial education and financial literacy; the call 2022/2023 (2 million euros) focused on teaching digital skills, protection against cyberviolence, promoting diversity and quality assurance in counselling. A total of 31 projects were implemented – including by universities and associations – aimed at girls and young women as well as their parents, teachers and counsellors, aiming to break down traditional roles, promote digitalisation and open new access to STEM education and financial knowledge.
70.The long-standing initiatives Girls’ DayandGirls’ Day MINI in the Federal civil servicehave been held annually (since 2006 and 2015 respectively) to encourage girls and young women to pursue interests and careers beyond stereotypical gender roles. The Boys’ Day enables young males to get to know nursing, early child education and social professions and to reflect on stereotypical ideas of gender in relation to other areas of life since 2008, with more than 7,000 participants annually. The MINT (STEM) Girls Challenge was held for the first time in 2021, organised by the Ministers for Women and for Economy in cooperation with the Federation of Austrian Industries. It aims to encourage girls and young women to experiment and conduct research in the STEM fields, provide perspectives on the wide range of STEM career opportunities and motivate to pursue non-traditional professions in the long term. The Austrian Fund for the Empowerment of Women and Girls(Let ’ s empower Austria – LEA) established in 2022 aims to promote actual equality between women and men in Austria.
71.The 2018 circular on Reflexive gender education and gender equality provides schools with a guidance framework for implementing the interdisciplinary and skills-oriented topic incorporated within the new curricula. For school education, contacts for reflexive gender education and gender equality have been created in the departments of education in 2023. The university course on reflective gender education and equality in the context of heterogeneous living environments, which accompanies the implementation of the circular, completed its fourth cycle in summer 2025. Work is currently underway to continue the course. For the future development of the university colleges of teacher education (PH), the PH development plan sets several targets for “equality/gender equality” in the “human resources development” strategic objective. Gender skills are also taught as part of the training for school quality management staff enabling them to recognise gender aspects and deal with them in an equality-oriented manner. The guidelines on reflexive gender education and equality in teaching materials (2023) provide support for the development and approval to counteract discriminatory and/or stereotypical content in teaching materials. On behalf of the BMB, the PH offer numerous qualification programmes for teachers to continue to counteract the consequences of perpetuating gender stereotypes and imbalances. The topics of the seminars such as stereotypical role attributions in education and career choices, dealing with gender diversity, gender-specific violence, the role of social media in the context of stereotypes (beauty ideals etc.) and male role behaviour are very close to the reality of the pupils’ lives. In the 2023/2024 academic years, 3,613 teachers attended these training courses.
72.In outcome-oriented management, outcome goal 2 focuses on gender-atypical educational choices to counteract horizontal and vertical segregation in school education, with a trend towards more diversification observed in recent years. Austria is implementing extensive measures aimed at increasing the representation of women and girls in engineering, technology and other non-traditional training programmes and internships:theJoin in STEM: action plan for more STEM experts was launched in 2023 as a central initiative of BMB and BMFWF. It aims to encourage more young women to pursue a STEM education, targeting the entire education chain – from kindergarten to a graduate degree. The following targets have been set for higher education by 2030: increasing the proportion of STEM graduates by 20% and increasing the proportion of women graduates in technical subjects by five percentage points. These ambitious targets of the Austrian Research, Technology and Innovation Strategy 2030contribute to combating the shortage of skilled workers in STEM, in particular by empowering more women to enter the fields of computer science and technology. Increasing the proportion of female graduates in technical fields is a key performance indicator for the BMFWF. This objective is also a cornerstone of major strategy documents, including the Overall Austrian University Development Plan 2025–2030 and the University of Applied Sciences and Financing Plan 2023/24 – 2025/26. A key component of the Join in STEM action plan is the STEM regions initiative: These regional collaborations between educational institutions and companies are designed to inspire and encourage girls and young women to pursue STEM subjects at an early stage. Applicants for the STEM Regions Quality Label must explain in detail which initiatives are being used to promote gender equality, and which specific projects are planned to inspire girls and women.
73.Measures aimed at increasing the proportion of women in STEM fields have been agreed with all technical universities for over a decade in the performance agreements. This focus was intensified further in the performance agreements 2025–2027 with measures to encourage more girls to study engineering. The universities also offer workshops in teaching/learning laboratories in the summer. To increase the proportion of women in professorships and tenured positions, binding targets have been agreed with all universities: they must fill vacant or new positions with women based on the proportion of women at the previous career level. To reduce the “glass ceiling” for women, technical universities are focusing on mentoring programmes for young female scientists and measures to improve reconciliation for female research assistants. Since 2007, the BMFWF has supported two annual L’Oréal scholarships of 25,000 euros each entitled “For Women in Science” to promote young female fundamental researchers in medicine, natural sciences, computer science or mathematics. The proportion of women graduating in technical subjects at Austrian universities increased significantly from 2019/2020 to 2022/23, see annex.
74.The AMS endeavours to break down the horizontal segregation through advice and support, and to encourage people to pursue their personal interests and skills. To this end, the AMS provides individual and gender-sensitive advice on training, further education and job searches. In addition, businesses are made aware of the potential of girls and women and are encouraged to train them in STEM professions. The AMS ’ careers information centres provide age and gender-appropriate informational material. During school class visits, girls get to know manual and technical professions, and test their interests in hands-on workshops, among other things. Vocational centres for young women (youngFBZ) offer women between the ages of 15 and 25 individual support with career guidance, selection and planning of training and further education. Following longstanding projects in Vienna, Graz and Carinthia, youngFBZhave been established throughout Austria continuously since 2023. Since 2025, there is a youngFBZin eight Länder, and Lower Austria offers mobile counselling in a youngFBZ bus. One priority area involves providing information about future-oriented professions such as the STEM sector, skilled trades and green jobs. Parents can also be actively involved in the counselling process as needed. As part of the long-standing FiT-programme, women continue to have the opportunity to receive trainings in technical professions, including green jobs. The FiT salary calculator compares income opportunities in traditionally female professions with traditionally male professions, helping (young) women make informed decisions about their career choices and better assess their income potential.
75.To reduce early school dropout rates, several strategies were continued during the reporting period, such as the Compulsory Education or Training until 18 thatcan be completed through school attendance, company or inter-company apprenticeships or other labour market policy offers since 2016. Youth who are not in training are supported by youth coaching. This is intended to limit the numbers of early school leavers and incentivise further education. These and other services from the Network of Vocational Assistance (NEBA), such as production schools, represent low-threshold measures for the integration of girls and boys at risk of marginalisation. Another preventive measure ispsychosocial counselling at and for schools, which takes a gender-sensitive approach to provide the best possible advice and support to young women and men affected by leaving school early. The Summer School introduced in mid-2020 for students with insufficient German language skills, along with the simultaneous information provided to parents with a migrant background through ÖIF parent courses, are intended to prevent dropouts. Additional measures to prevent girls from dropping out of school and apprenticeships and to promote reintegration into the education system include educational and career counselling, individual support for re-entry and measures aimed at stabilising educational careers. Between 2019–2025, projects with a funding volume of 1.65 million euros were supported to this end. The integration support programme implements targeted measures for girls and young women with 3.56 million euros between 2019 and 2025.
76.The proportion of German course places taken up by women increased significantly due to the introduction of mandatory integration measures (Integration Act 2017) from 36.6% (2017) to 52.1% (2018) and 62.0% (2019). The proportion of women fell in the following years, characterised by COVID-19, meanwhile stabilising at just under 50% (2025: 48.7%). The number of women on German courses rose from 7,313 (2019) to 29,361 (2024); a total of around 147,900 women have attended a language course since the Integration Act came into force. Since the 2018/19 school year, pupils with insufficient language skills have been taught in German language support classes or courses so that they can learn German and be taught in class with the other pupils as soon as possible. Guidance classes were introduced in 2025 for initial guidance for entering the school system. For exemplary measures of Vienna, see annex.
77.Modernised curricula for special needs education came into force in school year 2025/2026 to promote the inclusion of pupils with disabilities in mainstream education. Austrian Sign Language has been incorporated into these new curricula as independent subject and can also be offered as a second living foreign language in general secondary schools from the 2026/27 school year. The Vienna Social Fund (FSW) promotes supportive assistance/specialised assistance in Vienna’s compulsory schools for children with autism spectrum disorders who would be unable to (fully) attend kindergarten or school without this individual support. Also, two private schools for pupils with disabilities are supported to supplement the regular school system. The basic support classes enable an inclusive school setting for pupils with multiple disabilities and care dependencies at locations where children without disabilities are also taught.
78.Under the Austrian Universities Act 2002, universities are required to take into account the objectives of Article 24 of the UN CRPD when designing curricula, but they do not make distinctions based on gender in this process. Students with disabilities have legally defined rights, including the right to alternative forms of assessment, exemptions from certain aptitude criteria and appropriate support measures, in particular (language) assistance. For students with disabilities and a degree of impairment of at least 50%, tuition fees are waived even if the standard period of study is exceeded. A 2021 amendment to the Universities Act introduced “temporary impairment in connection with a disability” as a new statutory ground for taking a leave of absence. Students with a disability as defined in § 3 of the Federal Disability Equality Act are exempt from the statutory minimum academic achievement (16 ECTS credits in the first four semesters), which has applied since winter semester 2022/23. Universities are required to ensure barrier-free access to electronic examinations. The Web Accessibility Act requires universities to provide accessible websites. All universities have a contact person for students with disabilities and health impairments. Counselling and support measures are intended to facilitate equal participation by reducing and compensating for barriers in the higher education system. Individual support is intended to avoid drop-outs. There is a lack of evidence regarding high drop-out rates of women with disabilities at universities. This is partly because, under current legal provisions, disability status may not be collected systematically and is therefore not reflected in national higher education statistics.
79.The various forms of (gender-based) violence and aggressive behaviour at school are to be countered with empowerment, competence building and awareness-raising initiatives. The steps taken to protect children from violence are to be continued to contribute toward preventing and combating sexualised violence and to promote gender equality via positive gender images.
Employment
80.re a) To examine pay discrimination under the GlBG, it is often difficult in practice to determine whether work performed by comparable individuals is equal or of equal value. If pay discrimination is suspected in individual cases, the GAW and the GBK panels have a right to information from the competent social insurance institution regarding the income data of comparable persons. Articles 11 and 25 of GlBGstipulate that company classification regulations and collective bargaining standards must comply with the principle of equal pay for equal work or work of equal value when regulating pay criteria. Since 2011, the GlBGhas included further provisions aimed at improving income transparency, specifically on gender-neutral job advertisements, stating the minimum wage in job advertisements and the mandatory preparation of income reports (see also c) for further developments): The DG for Women and Equality provides comprehensive and regularly updated information on pay to employees and employers, including the online salary calculator, the toolbox for an informative income report and the TRAPEZ toolbox for companies to secure employees’ pension entitlements.
81.re b) As part of its labour market policy programme for women, the AMS supports women in their individual situations and offers advice, support and future oriented training to assist in labour market integration and to stress the importance of employment that enables financial independence for women. For data and details on AMS measures, see annex.
82.re c) The GlBG provides for mandatory income reports every two years for companies with more than 150 employees. However, the toolbox, which was last updated in 2021 to support companies in preparing and analysing income reports, can also be used voluntarily by smaller companies, as can the ESF-projects (see para. 21). The responsible ministries, social partners and other stakeholders are currently working on implementing EU-Directive 2023/970 for the private sector in the GlBG. There is a need for implementation inter alia in the development and provision of tools and methods for work evaluation, the creation of a monitoring body for coordinated monitoring, raising awareness, analysis and support, adapting pay reporting, creating a mandatory joint pay assessment in collaboration with employee representatives, creating an obligation for employers to provide information regarding the criteria for pay setting and pay progression, creating measures to facilitate legal enforcement, sanctions, and expanding the competences of the equality bodies. For developing and making available tools and methods for work evaluation, the Ministry for Women commissioned a project in 2025 that aims to provide practical handouts for companies by mid-2026.
83.re d) Since 2019, all parental leave taken is counted towards entitlements dependent on length of service. With the legal entitlement for all employed fathers in the private sector to a month of paternity leave (Papamonat) also created in 2019, fathers’ involvement in bringing up their children is supported. A cash benefit (Familienzeitbonus) is available during Papamonat, that meanwhilehas been raised to up to 1,700 euros. In 2020, a legal entitlement to up to four weeks of (part-time) care leave in companies with more than five employees was created. An agreement on (part-time) care leave remains necessary for employees in smaller companies. Employees are entitled to receive the care leave allowance during (part-time) care leave. In 2023, a right to leave of absence with loss of pay for employees who need to support children under the age of 14 during inpatient rehabilitation stays for a period of four weeks per calendar year was created and has been further extended in 2024. The accompanying person is entitled to care leave allowance as income replacement.
84.The EU Work-Life Balance Directive 2019/1158 was implemented in 2023. Two non-transferable months of parental leave per parent were defined. Also, measures for reconciling professional and private life were made more flexible (e.g. the option of agreed part-time parental leave until the child’s eighth birthday, extension of the group of persons for whom carers’ leave can be claimed, suspension of limitation and forfeiture periods). The obligation for employers to give reasons if they refuse certain reconciliation measures or dismiss employees for taking up these measures, was included. The GlBGprovides protection against discrimination for parents and carers (see para. 5). Similar provisions were also created for the federal civil service, and the flexitime regulation was extended so that a block period no longer has to be specified. Labour and social security regulations were also created in 2021 and 2024 respectively for working from home and for remote working outside the home.
85.The current government programme provides for further improvements of reconciliation. To provide sufficient and high-quality child education and care, 200 million euros annually are provided for kindergarten years 2022/23 to 2026/27, while the Future Fund will invest 500 million euros per year (annually valorised) from 2024 to 2028. Furthermore, the federal government has agreed to introduce a second compulsory year of kindergarten from 2027, with the government providing an additional 80 million euros per year. The BKA also promotes measures contributing towards reconciliation, such as the Companies for Families network, with currently 980 members. A focus was placed on paternal involvement in 2023/24 as part of the Companies for Fathers initiative. In 2025, the focus was on life phase-oriented work. The implemented structural measures are supplemented by informational measures on receipt of family benefits by fathers and the planned establishment of an inter-ministerial working group to strengthen partnership and paternal involvement.
86.re e) Since the early 1980s, the BMASGPK has been responsible for facilities comparable to the “Special Employment Centres”, in which people with disabilities are employed with full social insurance, receive wages and salaries and are subject to Austrian labour law. This involves eight “inclusive enterprises” (Integrative Betriebe) whose legal basis is Article 11 of the Disability Employment Act. In addition, the BMASGPK uses the “Inclusive Work” funding guideline to support projects in the Länder that offer people with (very) high support needs alternatives to employment in existing workshops. The aim is to give people with disabilities access to regular employment with fair remuneration based on full social and unemployment insurance. This aims to create modern standards of labour inclusion on a gradual basis, in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The government is providing up to 36 million euros for this purpose.
87.re f) According to the GlBG, sexual harassment or harassment based on gender, ethnicity, religion, belief, age or sexual orientation also fall under the concept of discrimination. The GlBGgrants harassed persons a claim for compensation for the material damage caused by the harassment and additionally a claim for compensation for the non-material damage caused by the harassment in the amount of at least 1,000 euros. The claim exists both against the person causing the harassment and (in the employment relationship) against employers if they fail to take appropriate remedial action and must be asserted in court.
88.The Labour Inspectorate closed a gap in 2023 by focusing on physical and psychological violence with training courses for labour inspectors and inspections at businesses focusing on violence. The inspections identified sectors with frequent cases of violence in the workplace: assaults on women working in physical services such as the care or hospitality sectors are common. In addition to physical injuries, particularly the psychological after-effects of physical or psychological violence can become a risk for employees. The risk of violence can and will be a working condition in some cases but must not represent a risk at the workplace. The results of the focus on violence are included as a new topic in occupational health and safety in the inspections and consultations of the Labour Inspectorate. The risk assessment is a helpful tool for identifying and assessing hazards and defining measures. The employees affected are informed about their rights and contact points.
89.re g) People with health impairments are supported by specially trained counsellors at the AMS. Key AMS measures for this group include the reintegration allowance, subsidies for apprenticeships and fit2work, which provides free advice to employees and companies to ensure their ability to work and promote healthy working conditions. Women with disabilities often face multiple barriers in the labour market due to their gender and disability. Therefore, Inclusion Promotion Plus (InklusionsförderungPlus) provides targeted incentives for companies to hire women with disabilities and employ them on a long-term basis (cf. paras. 109ff.). Also, existing promotion and support programmes are being continuously refined to specifically promote qualification, employment and career advancement of women with disabilities. One focus is on raising awareness among companies and boosting opportunities for participation in the general labour market.
90.The special directive ROMA EMPOWERMENT for the LABOUR MARKET2022–2030 aims to open better participation opportunities for Roma and Romnja as a recognised ethnic minority group and makes a total of 10 million euros available for this purpose. Ten projects will be implemented 2025–2026. Funding conditions include at least 50% Roma/Romnja in key positions in the projects and the proportion of women in project staff and target groups being at least 50%. The projects are intended to reduce the barriers to labour market access associated with the multiple experiences of discrimination faced by Romnja, implement low-threshold labour market policy measures to effectively combat (long-term) unemployment and to combat the entrenchment of unfavourable living conditions.
91.The ÖIF Women’s Centre offers in-depth integration services and advice on the labour market to reach as many women with a migrant background as possible and to support their integration into the labour market and their ability to support themselves. In ÖIF consultation hours, migrant women work with experts to develop their personal education plans for entering the labour market, if required, with interpretation and childcare. There are also regular seminars for women on educational opportunities, ability to support oneself and the labour market. “Career platforms” for making initial contact with potential employers facilitate direct networking with companies in need of staff, with a focus on migrant women. The BKA supports various projects to improve labour market integration for migrant women. In the ASOBEM project (2023–2025) funded by the BMASGPK, the Austrian Trade Union Federation offers employees with a migrant background multilingual native-language counselling on social or labour law claims. The focus lies on labour market integration, poverty prevention, equality and securing skilled workers. During the project’s implementation, it became clear that women need specific counselling and that more attention needs to be paid to combating poverty among women. The UNDOK project advises undocumented workers in their native language on social and labour law since 2013, with a particular focus on combating the exploitation of women.
92.Recognised refugees and displaced persons generally have free access to the labour market in Austria. The AMS implements various measures both internally and via active labour market policies to provide the best possible support for people with a migrant background. The training programmes for AMS’ employees and executives include training on diversity and intercultural skills. Some regional offices also have their own diversity officers. To overcome language barriers, additional interpreting services are purchased, multilingual brochures and informational materials are published and initial informational events are held regularly in other languages to give jobseekers with a migrant background an initial insight into the Austrian labour market. The AI self-service tool Berufsinfomat, launched in 2024,answers questions about career opportunities in 99 languages. In addition to the general AMS measures for this group, such as job-specific German courses, basic qualifications or the youth college, specific measures for women support female migrants in labour market integration (see also annex): Women’s vocational centres, particularly youngFBZ, which are often implemented with FMBS partner organisations, provide a framework for the migration and culture-specific experiences of young migrant women and for their support for both personal and professional challenges.
Health
93.re a) According to a representative survey in 2024 on contraception in Austria, 50% of women bear the costs of contraception alone, with only 27% sharing the costs. With free contraception, 36.6% would change their contraceptive behaviour, i.e. start using contraception or use contraception differently or more frequently. The results emphasise the importance of education and accessibility of information about contraceptive options. Low-threshold access to contraception is a measure of the Women’s Health Action Plan. The BMASGPK has been funding the pilot project Informed Contraception in Vorarlberg (INVVO ) since June 2024, in which around 3,500 women aged 14 and over in Vorarlberg as model region receive free long-term and short-term contraceptives and free medical and psychosocial contraceptive counselling until December 2026. A lower tax can make safe and effective contraceptives more affordable for all population groups and encourage the use of preventive health measures. Since reducing certain financial barriers to sexual and reproductive self-determination also contributes toward the promotion of gender equality, the Budget Accompanying Act 2025 provided to exempt contraceptives from VAT from 1 January 2026.
94.re b) Abortions can also be offered in Austria outside of hospitals. Specialists in gynaecology and obstetrics have been able to perform lower-threshold medical abortions in their surgeries since 2020. Since the end of 2023, abortions can be performed as a private service at Vorarlberg public hospital. In Vienna, access to safe abortions and care in the event of complications is guaranteed in the WIGEV clinics. The costs of an abortion are calculated so that women with low incomes are not placed at a disadvantage. Additionally, the costs are covered by social insurance if there is a medical indication. If this is not the case, costs may be covered in the event of material hardship. The proportion of abortions in the WIGEV that were financed by health insurance in 2023 was 55%.
95.re c) Women and children in Vorarlberg can complain about obstetric violence via the complaints centre in public hospitals or to the patient advocate. Preventive measures are implemented in Vienna’s public hospitals with training courses for healthcare staff. Comprehensive advice is provided on women’s health issues and awareness raising campaigns are initiated in close cooperation with the institutes of the Women’s Health Centre FEM. The Austrian Midwives Association organises events on the topic of violence in obstetrics.
96.re d) Hospital regulations, in accordance with KAKuG, may not contain any provisions that prohibit the performance of a non-punishable abortion or participation in such an abortion or that link the refusal with detrimental consequences. The responsibility for implementing legislation lies with the Länder. In Vienna clinics, abortions on high-risk patients, medically indicated abortions within and outside the time limit and abortions in case of unwanted pregnancies within the time limit are performed. This ensures that the failure of healthcare staff in the WIGEV to perform an abortion on grounds of conscience does not represent an obstacle for women who wish to have an abortion. There is an option for (multilingual) individual detailed counselling sessions to facilitate the decision-making process.
97.re e) Sex education is incorporated into all curricula as a teaching principle, as an educational area and as a content priority in certain compulsory subjects. The Sex Education Office, which was established in 2023, supports schools and school authorities in assessing the quality of external programmes. Since 2025, all external providers of sex education must be certified. This nationwide certification ensures that workshops have a sound subject-specific basis, are of high educational quality and are officially recognised. For exemplary measures of the Länder, see annex.
98.re f) According to KAKuG, hospital operators are to be obliged by Länder legislation to guarantee various patient rights such as the right to inspect medical records, to information about treatment options and risks, the option of consulting a person of trust, access to pastoral and psychological care and protecting privacy. In addition, hospitals must obtain patients’ consent to medical treatment and ensure that they are provided with information to the required extent. In Vorarlberg’s and Vienna’s hospitals, multilingual information and supportive decision-making is provided by court-certified or video interpreters, who are also available to answer any questions regarding medical treatment.
99.re g) The Ministry for Women funds services that also provide comprehensive advice and support on health issues. Projects on women’s health are also supported, including prevention, counselling and support with social, health or legal problems, offers of psychosocial support, as well as on specific topics such as sexual violence, preventive healthcare for migrant women or preventing FGM. Multilingual information materials facilitate access to healthcare across cultures, for details see annex.
100.re h) This type of care in Vienna is available for instance at the AmberMed socio-medical establishment, which offers medical care to people with no health insurance.
101.re i) Regarding treatment guidelines, the BMASGPK published recommendations on variants of sex development (Empfehlungen zu Varianten der Geschlechtsentwicklung) in 2019. The Vienna Guidelines on obtaining consent and ensure prior information also apply to intersex women and girls. The current government programme provides for “clear regulations to protect intersex minors from surgeries that are not necessary for health reasons, with the involvement of self-representation organisations (e.g. AGS and VIMÖ) and the expansion of awareness-raising measures for healthcare staff to provide better information about intersexuality”. The LGBTIQ+ Health Report was published in 2022, summarising data on the health situation of LGBTIQ+ people throughout Austria for the first time. It shows that particularly mental well-being of LGBTIQ+ people is affected by strain. The report provides an important basis for deriving measures such as an e-learning tool for healthcare staff to raise awareness of the realities of life and experiences of discrimination of LGBTIQ+ people. A train-the-trainer course, commissioned by the BMASGPK, was piloted in autumn 2025. Awareness of gender-sensitive aspects should be raised and prevention, health promotion, health care and care centred around the individual be improved. In addition, health professionals should be made aware that the diverse needs and requirements of LGBTIQ people, (young) women and men can be recognised and addressed appropriately.
Refugee, asylum-seeking and migrant women and girls
102.Austria has an internationally recognised asylum system based on the rule of law. Every decision taken under the asylum and immigration law is based on a comprehensive individual investigation procedure in compliance with relevant national, European and international regulations. This system of case-by-case assessment enables vulnerable groups to be identified and their needs to be given special consideration. To ensure the sensitivity required when identifying particularly vulnerable persons, and that gender-specific violence is taken into account as part of an assessment in each individual case, the BFA offers training and further education events in with internal and external experts. A gender-sensitive asylumprocedure is guaranteed by the possibility of being interviewed by a person of the same sex. If asylum seekers base their fear of persecution (Art. 1 section A No. 2 of the Geneva Refugee Convention) on interference with their sexual self-determination, they must be interviewed by an official of the same sex, unless they request otherwise. Asylum seekers must be demonstrably informed of this possibility. As victims of violence, women and girls are entitled to obtain a humanitarian residence permit “Right of residence for special protection” under certain conditions. Women’s specific vulnerabilities and experiences of violence are surveyed and documented when asylum seekers are (first) admitted to a BBE. Each BBE has a contact person for women and girls, medical staff at the federal care facilities are trained in recognising and dealing with torture and trauma. Women travelling alone (with children) are accommodated in separate areas of the BBE with exclusively female care staff. The BBE provide a women-specific day structure. Carers provide support in connecting with victim protection establishments, Gewaltschutzzentren and other relevant counselling centres. Specialist organisations are regularly on site at the Traiskirchen BBE to support asylum seekers (LEFÖ-IBF, UNDINE Migrantinnenberatung, FEM-Süd, Frühe Hilfen). Close cooperation also takes place in training and education for BBU employees with those specialised organisations and international organisations (UNHCR, EUAA etc.). Legal advisors at BBU are also required to assign proceedings involving women and girls to a female counsellor and female interpreters where possible. If a violation of sexual self-determination is raised or suspected, it must be pointed out that counselling and representation can be provided by a person of the same sex; if a violation of sexual self-determination has already been raised in the proceedings, same-sex counsellors and interpreters must be assigned. There is also a legal advisor trained in women’s specific issues in almost every office.
103.Special accommodation is provided as part of Vorarlberg’s basic welfare support for women (travelling alone) (dedicated house and quarters with their own access). Specific housing facilities for single women, senior women and single mothers are also available in Vienna’s basic welfare support programme. There are two shared apartments in unaccompanied minor refugee facilities for unaccompanied minor girls with 24-hour support by specialised educational staff. The FSW also boosts the role of women by allowing spouses/mothers to act as contacts for applications and counselling sessions and to receive payments of basic welfare support to refugees (if only one joint account is held). The FSW supports refugee and asylum-seeking women and girls with its own specialist language courses focusing on preparations for the labour market (FAVoritIN), educational programmes have accompanying childcare. With the projects FINI and PONTO, the integration-promoting housing service supports families entitled to asylum when they arrive in Vienna. In addition to general social counselling on the topics of material security, childcare and education, integration support also focuses on violence protection, prevention and (non-violent) parenting advice and organises special group offers for women. There are two shelters specifically for women in Upper Austria’s basic welfare support system. In general, women who receive basic welfare support cannot be accommodated in a women’s shelter in accordance with the Upper Austrian Social Welfare Act, although an accommodation solution is sought in individual cases as necessary.
104.The threshold for supplementary earnings of 110 euros applies to asylum seekers, a limit of 142 euros applies to displaced persons from Ukraine (an additional 80 euros per family member for both target groups if applicable). This is only meant to serve as an introduction or transition to individuals caring for themselves. Any restriction of basic welfare support to refugees in the event of gainful employment is always subject to a case-by-case assessment by the respective authority. Displaced persons from Ukraine have a temporary right of residence and, since April 2023, have permit-free access to the labour market in Austria. This right of residence was extended again at the European level until 4 March 2027. Displaced persons are entitled to basic welfare support, medical care, care allowance, family allowance and childcare allowance. Since 1 October 2024, displaced persons who have been employed for a total of at least 12 months within the last 24 months and are subject to full insurance contributions can receive a Red-White-Red Card Plus, thereby switching to regular permanent residence with unrestricted access to the labour market. The aim is to increase the labour market participation rate for displaced Ukrainians by securing their right of residence. Even displaced persons who do not meet the requirements of the Red-White-Red Card Plus continue to have full access to the labour market without additional authorisation. After a total of five years of legal residence with displaced person status and a Red-White-Red Card Plus, it is possible to switch to “EU long-term residence” if the other requirements are met. However, labour market integration for female displaced persons from Ukraine based on their qualifications continues to represent a major challenge. According to a study commissioned by the AMS and conducted by the University of Innsbruck in 2024, a lack of German language skills, a high proportion of women with caring responsibilities for underage children and/or elderly relatives and the lack of formal recognition of qualifications provided are major obstacles. Limited mobility due to a lack of public transport is an additional obstacle in rural regions. The transition from basic welfare support to employment is also seen as an obstacle to rapid labour market integration, as this is generally accompanied by the loss of accommodation funded by the state. AMS supports parents in financing childcare that is relevant to the labour market.
105.According to the relevant Qualification Directive (2011/95/EU), member states have the option of limiting the equal treatment of beneficiaries of subsidiary protection to core social assistance benefits. Austria has made use of this option in Article 4 of the Basic Act on Social Assistance. According to the established case law of the Austrian Constitutional Court, the level of core benefits must be set at the level of basic welfare support, which is also the upper limit for social assistance benefits for persons entitled to subsidiary protection. The Qualification Regulation, which will replace the Qualification Directive on 1 July 2026, also (continues to) provide for the possibility of a restriction to core benefits if this restriction is enshrined in national law.
106.The options for acquiring Austrian citizenship for stateless persons apply in addition to all general options for acquiring citizenship (e.g. persons born in Austria can acquire Austrian citizenship after six years of legal and uninterrupted residence in Austria). Furthermore, since 1 May 2022, stateless persons born in Austria can apply for citizenship to be granted after reaching the age of 18 and no later than three years (instead of the previous two) after reaching the age of majority under simplified conditions, provided that certain additional criteria are met (e.g. main residence in Austria for at least ten years, with at least five years of these without interruption immediately prior to the Austrian citizenship being granted). The corresponding Article 14 of the StbG is now in line with the Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness of 1961 (Art. 1(2)(a)). If it is unclear whether a person may have Austrian citizenship, the person concerned can apply for a determination procedure in accordance with StbG at any time if the person has a legal interest in the determination. To improve the protection of stateless persons, the current government programme stipulates that an accessible, fair and efficient procedure for determining statelessness must be examined.
Rural women
107.The 2023 and 2024 calls for funding from the DG for Women and Equality focused on supporting women and girls in rural regions. In 2023, 14 projects were funded with a total of 1.1 million euros to open better development opportunities for women on farms and increase their economic participation. This focus was expanded in 2024 to include current topics such as combating culturally motivated violence, in particular forced marriage. A total of 18 projects were selected in 2024 for a total funding amount of 2 million euros. Both calls also considered women with a migrant background and with disabilities. An amendment to standardise agricultural labour law in 2021 replaced the nine agricultural labour regulations of the Länder and now applies uniformly to employees in agricultural and forestry work throughout Austria. The measures on reconciliation and to encourage men to take (longer) paternity and parental leave (cf. paras. 83–84) were implemented in the Agricultural Labour Act.
108.Women in rural areas and in agriculture make a significant contribution toward social cohesion, food security and sustainable development in society, the economy and culture. In addition to their work on the farm, many women farmers make an important contribution to social life in the countryside with voluntary work. According to the current agricultural structure survey, the number of farms run by women has increased slightly, with more than one-third (36%) of farms being run by women in 2023 (2020: 35%). The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) 2023–2027 recognises the promotion of gender equality as a specific objective for the first time, thereby also including gender equality and the strengthening of women’s participation in agriculture among the objectives of the CAP strategic plans for the first time. Within the strategic plan, Austria pursues the approach that many existing measures can have a positive gender equality impact. To this end, the Gender Equality Working Group was set up in the Strategic Plan Monitoring Committee with the aim of defining room for manoeuvre in implementation so that women and men benefit equally from the measures on offer. The action plan drawn up by the working group has been implemented since June 2024. Austria integrates gender equality in rural areas through LEADER and ESF+ gender equality projects. A broad project landscape promotes women in rural areas, which includes the ZAMeducation project aiming to strengthen women in agriculture and encouraging them to use their scope for action and actively participate in the future of agriculture. The brochure Rights of Women provides all women in Austrian agriculture more certainty when handling important legal issues. A publicly accessible online self-learning course on “Financial security for women in rural areas” has been available since 2025. For exemplary Vorarlberg measures, see annex.
Women and girls with disabilities
109.The support services for women with disabilities on the labour market include needs-based training and career information as well as comprehensive individual counselling. The AMS’ labour market policy programme for women also supports women with disabilities in their integration into employment, e.g. by removing obstacles to employment. Generally, all AMS measures are open to women with disabilities and they are supported in returning to work through qualification and support measures for jobs in the primary labour market, transitional jobs or employment projects, as well as through employment subsidies such as the integration allowance (cf. para. 89). As part of wage subsidies, the BMASGPK introduced InklusionsförderungPlus in 2020 to promote the employment of women with disabilities. This initiative offers targeted support for jobs in the general labour market for women with beneficiary status through an additional supplement of 25% to the existing inclusion funding, which is granted for 12 months. Due to its success, the I nklusionsförderungPlus pilot project for women has now been transferred to the regular support programmes. To guarantee support focused on the clients, AMS cooperates with NEBA, fit2work and the vocational training and rehabilitation centre BBRZ in all Länder. With the entry into force of the legislative amendment on “Work capacity up to 25”, adolescents and young adults whose capacity to work is in doubt have also been able to register with and receive support from the AMS and make use of its services, according to health and personal suitability, since 1 January 2024. At the end of December 2025, 44% of people of the target group “Work capacity up to 25” were female. For education, see paras. 77–78.
110.In Vienna, the FSW has been prioritising deinstitutionalisation measures for many years to offer all people with disabilities an inclusive living environment adapted to their individual needs. Since 2015, partially assisted studio apartments have been expanded, which offer people with disabilities the opportunity to receive outpatient and individual support in their own home.
111.The funding conditions for the FMBS co-funded by the Ministry for Women stipulate that the structure of the counselling services must be accessible. The majority of subsidised FMBS already meet this requirement. Additional counselling services are specifically aimed at women with disabilities, e.g. for deaf women. Five projects to support women with disabilities were funded in 2024 with a total of around 234,000 euros. The plan is to continue the funding in the future. Empowering women with disabilities is considered as a cross-cutting issue, in the context of general structural support for counselling facilities, in calls for funding as well as other measures of the DG for Women and Equality. There are also specific counselling centres for women with disabilities affected by violence, such as the Ninlil association in Vienna, that women with learning difficulties or multiple disabilities can turn to in cases of sexual violence, which is co-funded by the FSW.
112.In July 2022, the federal government adopted the second NAP on Disability (2022–2030), which includes a separate subchapter on women with disabilities. The Länder were also involved in its preparation and implementation. People with disabilities generally have full access to all statutory health and accident insurance benefits in Austria. The NAP sets out measures to create improved data, as well as measures to expand inclusive outpatient clinics and establish disability management in all sectors of the healthcare system. In 2026, a report will be compiled on the health status of and provision of health care for people with disabilities, with particular attention to the situation of women and girls with disabilities. The Women’s Health Action Plan includes measures to raise awareness among institutions, in particular counselling centres, to aspects of disability specific to women, to establish equality officers in institutions for the disabled and improving counselling skills – particularly with respect to the life situation of women with disabilities.
113.The “kick mit INKLUSIV” project (2024–2027) gives girls and women with disabilities access to football, promotes health, empowerment and social skills and aims to break down barriers in sports clubs by gradually integrating the participants into existing teams.
Older women
114.Poverty in old age is much more pronounced among women; in 2024, 32% of female pensioners living alone, were at risk of poverty (16% of men living alone). This is particularly due to employment histories (characterised by childcare, care work and discrimination). To address this in the future, the government programme has committed to making full-time work more attractive and accessible, expanding childcare, and developing models by the end of 2026 to increase fathers’ participation (parental leave entitlements, childcare allowances etc.). To prevent poverty in old age among women in the future, social protection measures have already been taken in recent years and information services have been created. As part of the pension account, the pension forecast provides information on the benefits of working longer or limiting part-time phases. The existing information provided by the Ministry for Women on options for securing your own pension over the course of your life is also continuously updated and expanded. Measures for equality in the labour market therefore also make an important contribution to reducing the gender pension gap.
115.In addition, the ESF+ co-financed the demographic counselling service Demografieberatung Digi Plus, which is free of charge for companies, and aims to contribute to the creation of age-appropriate workplaces in Austria. Around 1,000 companies will be supported over the five-year term (2023–2027). The target is to maintain older employees’ ability to work and to strengthen their employment opportunities. With a defined women’s quota of 50% half of all persons directly involved in the implementation counselling must be female. Gender equality is also consistently included as a cross-cutting subject across all consultation content and measures. The fit2work programme offers people of all ages support in maintaining or regaining their ability to work, which also creates age-appropriate employment opportunities for older women and promotes longer working lives. In 2024, 56.7% of initial counselling sessions at fit2work were for women.
116.In 2022, the option of early retirement without deductions (Hacklerregelung) was replaced by the early starter bonus (Frühstarter:innenbonus). In the first half of 2023, around 29,000 direct pensions with an Frühstarter:innenbonus were awarded, of which 15,805, or 55%, to women. An attempt is also being made to ensure financial security for women who have already retired. In practice, there is no minimum pension in Austria. Women continue to make up the vast majority of recipients of the equalisation supplement, with their pensions increased to the standard rate of the equalisation supplement to ensure a minimum standard of living. These standard rates were always raised above the annual inflation rate during the years of high inflation, which had a positive effect on women particularly. The emoluments of 2.3 million pensioners and all social and family benefits, including the equalisation supplement, were increased by 4.6% as of 1 January 2025 to make up for inflation. The equalisation supplement and pension bonuses that have been in place since 2020 for at least 360 and 480 contribution months respectively also benefit particularly women.
Climate change and disaster risk reduction
117.To implement General Recommendation No. 37 (2018), Austria is pursuing an integrative approach to addressing gender-specific dimensions in climate change mitigation and adaptation policy. Basis are the Austrian Strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change and the associated Action Plan (both 2024), which comprehensively integrate gender mainstreaming and were developed with stakeholders. In the strategy, gender is included as part of the social aspects of climate change adaptation to be considered. A separate sub-chapter on the different ways in which people are affected by climate change impacts and the further effects of adaptation measures deals with gender differences. The action plan takes gender into account in all 14 fields of activity and over 120 recommendations for action. The heat protection plans of the federal government and almost all Länder are a key tool in climate-resilient health care. These plans identify vulnerable groups – including women – as needing particular protection and include corresponding measures, for example in Lower Austria for particularly vulnerable groups of people in care homes, hospitals and childcare establishments.
118.The BMLUK initiative Promoting female technicians in Torrent and Avalanche Control (WLV) takes a holistic approach to reducing existing structural disadvantages, incorporating equality in technical professional practice, human resources development, management culture and organisational structure, and improving long-term career opportunities for female technicians. The aims are to increase the proportion of women in technical positions, make female expertise visible and to promote equal opportunities in training, career entry and promotion. The Action programme for technicians in WLV includes awareness training for executives in cooperation with external gender equality experts to promote a common understanding of gender equality in technical areas and integration of this perspective into existing management structures. A gender-reflective mentoring programme is aimed at technical staff with less than five years of professional experience in WLV to promote networking, knowledge exchange and individual career planning. Further training measures for women in technical positions also receive specific support, such as completing the forestry state examination or an apprenticeship with a secondary school leaving examination. A complementary coaching programme for women with leadership ambitions includes training in communication, strategy and leadership skills. Measures aimed at strengthening media and communication are implemented in cooperation with the VAB. The pilot phase is running from spring 2024 to spring 2026, with structural incorporation planned from autumn 2026. The measures are monitored continuously for quality assurance and outcome monitoring purposes to determine the proportion of women in technical roles, obtain feedback from participants and integrate the results into WLV’s equality strategy.
119.International climate finance supports regions and communities that are most in need of assistance in overcoming the negative effects of climate change and developing. The projects funded aim among other things to strengthen the role of women in rural areas, facilitate access to (further) education or break down patriarchal structures to give women access to decision-making bodies.
120.The European network we4DRR – women exchange for Disaster Risk Reduction, founded in 2016, is committed to the empowerment and visibility of women in the field of disaster risk reduction and natural hazard management as well as the inclusion of gender perspectives in disaster prevention. More than 200 experts from research, administration and practice from more than 15 countries already belong to the network today. The network organises regular specialist events, online seminars, training courses and network meetings on natural hazard management and gender mainstreaming, most recently in Bolzano in 2025 on strategies for involving vulnerable groups in risk management. we4DRR makes a significant contribution to involving women in disaster risk reduction decision-making processes, making their expertise visible and integrating gender aspects into national and international strategies, and showcases an effective inclusive approach to disaster risk reduction in times of climate change. The Länder implement further measures on gender and climate change and promote women in decision-making.
Marriage and family relations
121.The current government programme provides for continued work on the modernisation of marriage, child custody and guardianship law, with particular reference to the exclusion of joint custody in cases of domestic violence. Furthermore, there is to be no right of contact for the father if the child was conceived because of a sexual offence. The current legal situation already provides that in the case of risk to the child’s welfare (e.g. violence), custody is to be withdrawn by the court from the parent from whom this originates. The training and further education events on violence against women aim to raise the awareness of family court judges for guardianship proceedings as much as possible (see para. 41). For measures of Vorarlberg, see annex.
122.Legal and administrative measures in Austria ensure the financial security of single-parent households. If one parent does not pay child maintenance, advance maintenance payments are granted upon application. This relieves the child of the burden and the risk of unsuccessful debt collection. Minors (and their enforcing parties) do not have to pay court fees in maintenance and advance maintenance proceedings, including any appeal proceedings. If the parent liable for maintenance does not pay maintenance, the legal representative of the minor child can appoint the child and youth welfare authority as representative, which takes all necessary steps to collect maintenance free of charge, advises, submits the necessary court applications, monitors the receipt of payments and, if necessary, represents in the enforcement of maintenance claims in Austria or abroad. Additionally, maintenance agreements may be concluded before the child and youth welfare authority, which have the effect of a court settlement and thus constitute enforceable titles. To ensure that minors receive maintenance payments quickly, it is possible to apply for provisional maintenance if proceedings to assess child maintenance against the parent are pending or are being brought at the same time. There are two different legal bases for this in the Enforcement Code. To ensure effective cross-border enforcement of maintenance and the implementation of international maintenance agreements, cooperation between the competent authorities is regulated in detail in the Foreign Maintenance Act 2014. Gross violation of the maintenance obligation is punishable by law if it results in the maintenance or upbringing of the person entitled to maintenance being endangered or would be endangered without help from a third party. In addition to advance maintenance payments, single parents have access to a comprehensive social security system with family and welfare benefits at the federal, Länder and municipal levels. In addition, the government programme provides for the introduction of a maintenance guarantee fund from 2026 with a volume of 35 million euros to protect women and children from poverty if no (regular) maintenance payments are made, and existing benefits are inadequate.
Additional information
123.Austria ratified the Convention on the Elimination of Violence and Harassment in the World of Work, 2019 (No. 190) on 11 September 2024, which entered into force for Austria on 11 September 2025.
124.October 2025 saw the launch of the She goes AI initiative, which aims to empower women in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). The targets include increasing AI skills, increasing the number of female AI experts, gender mainstreaming and a focus on women in current programmes as well as building a broad network. The initiative as alliance of politics, administration, science, business and civil society will bundle existing and new activities for women and AI.