Additional information about gender quotas

Gender quotas are not manifested in Austrian law, however a number of political parties have internal policies on gender quotas. The Socialist Party (SPÖ) were the first ones to adopt a 25 per cent women’s quota for national elections candidacies in 1985, which in 1993 rose to 40 %.

The Greens adopted a 50-50 % split between women and men in 1990, and in 1995 the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) adopted a quota where women are to make up at least a third, 33,3 %. There are also parties who are ideologically opposed to gender quotas, there among The Freedom Party (FPÖ).

The 2017 parliamentary elections saw a slight increase of the previous number of women, increasing with 1,1%.