Barcelona 2005 Eva Cendon / Barbara Hey

DIVANOVA, 2005.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES POLICIES IN AUSTRIA

Barcelona 2005 Eva Cendon / Barbara Hey

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES POLICIES IN AUSTRIA

• Federal Ministry of Health and Women‘s Issues

• IMAG Gender Mainstreaming (inter-ministerial working group)

• Since 1990s: women’s offices and programs for the promotion of women institutionalized on regional and local level

• Equal Opportunities Act• Equal Opportunities Commission

Barcelona 2005 Eva Cendon / Barbara Hey

STRENGTHS

• Quota in federal area & universities• Progress on legal level (esp. criminal law)• Women‘s Health-activities• Equality perceived as important topic• Univ. Graduates: females > males

Barcelona 2005 Eva Cendon / Barbara Hey

WEAKNESSES

• Education: Segregation• Labour market: Segregation & Glass ceiling• Unemployment Rate: females affected

harder• Child care: 10.000s of places missing• Tax-system discriminates women

Barcelona 2005 Eva Cendon / Barbara Hey

OPPORTUNITIES

• Re-establishment of Ministry of women‘s Issues

• Education: Efforts on De-segregation -> esp. Women in Technology

• Labour market: presence of women in work force rising heavily

-> Efforts for part timers• Several programs on advancement of women• Pension funds: child raising years credited

Barcelona 2005 Eva Cendon / Barbara Hey

THREATS

• EO-Policies are Family policies• Employment policies: still within framework of

`man as the family-supporter‘ -> focussing on women only in terms of part time (if)

• Maternity laws push women out of jobs • Huge income Gap

-> poverty of elder women and single mothers• Funding NGOs not sufficient – no Shadow

report!!!

Barcelona 2005 Eva Cendon / Barbara Hey

OBSERVATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

• Reporting for international organizations very helpful

• Sanctions are extremely important• Activities mostly (pilot)projects

->just short-term achievements• Initiatives and efforts focused on

improvement of higher education and high-quality jobs

• Activities structured by Norms on Women‘s roles and familiy responsibilities -> useful only for certain groups of women