Austria's quota for women: now 50% in state businesses until 2029!

Austria's quota for women: now 50% in state businesses until 2029!

Austria's government announced today, on April 16, 2025, to significantly increase the quota of women in state -related companies from 40 to at least 50 percent. This ambitious project aims to integrate more women into decision -making positions and is to be fully implemented in 2029. The regulation affects companies in which the federal government is at least 50 percent involved and refers to the members of the supervisory board, which are sent directly by the federal government. Women's Minister Eva-Maria Holzleitner emphasizes the need for this measure to promote gender equality in management positions.

Last year, the average proportion of women in the supervisory boards was already 53 percent. Of the 53 companies affected, 43 met the previous quota of 40 percent. However, the proportion of women in four companies is still below 25 percent, which indicates existing challenges. The NEOS welcomed the decided step, but warn that a high part -time rate of 77 percent in women in the federal government indicates that social changes are necessary to achieve equality. The Greens call for an expansion of the measure to all stock market -oriented companies.

reactions to the women's quota

The reactions to the new regulation are different. While the NEOS and the Greens clearly take the measures, the FPÖ rejects the quota for women. This argues that women should prevail through performance and competence without quotas. This reflects the debate about gender quotas that is managed not only in Austria, but also internationally.

A look at the national borders shows that in Germany there has also been a binding gender rate of 30 percent in Germany for the supervisory boards of listed and equally co -determined companies. There, free items must be awarded to women until the quota is reached; Otherwise, the space remains vacant, which is referred to as the "empty chair". In Norway, a pioneer in this area, a quota of 40 percent for supervisory boards of state and listed companies was introduced in 2003, which is supplemented by strict sanctions in the event of non -fulfillment.

international context

A total of ten countries have implemented legal gender quotas in Europe, while eleven countries have recorded recommendations for gender diversity in their corporate governance codes. For example, Sweden, Finland and Denmark demand an increased gender equality, but without making strict legal requirements. In 21 European countries there is a sentence for gender equality in corporate governance code, while other countries such as Malta and Cyprus have no quota regulations or gender -specific notes in the CGC.

The development of the women's quota in Austria could not only put national but also international impulses for equality for gender on management. The government faces the challenge of promoting this change and at the same time to consider the various points of view within the political landscape.