Women's power in the community: Austria's record of 241 mayors

Women's power in the community: Austria's record of 241 mayors

On July 4, 2025, a new record was set up in Austrian local politics: 241 women are now active throughout Austria. This corresponds to a proportion of women of 11.5 percent among a total of 2,092 municipalities in the country. Compared to the previous year, 11 women are new to mayor offices, which continues the slow but steady increase in female managers in local politics. As early as 2021, the number of mayors rose to over 200, which paved the way for this new record. OTS reported that most of the 241 mayors in Lower Austria can be found with 95 women in 573 municipalities, followed by Upper Austria with 50 mayors.

But not only the numbers are remarkable. Since its foundation in 1947, the Austrian Association has always campaigned for the interests of the municipalities and cities at the federal level and actively promotes the strengthening of women in politics. Community Association President Johannes Pressl emphasizes how crucial communities are for this process. Around 500 municipalities also have a mayor, while around 10,000 municipal councilors are active. This shows that women play a growing role in local politics, which is also reflected in the upcoming elections in which numerous new candidates will compete. congregation emphasized that the shades of color of the political landscape differ in the increasing female participation.

growing influence of women in politics

In recent years, a clear increase in women in management positions has been recorded. Ten years ago, the number of mayors was still 119, which was only 5 percent of the municipalities. Five years later, there were 146 mayors (7 percent). The trend continues at the regional level: there are 25 mayors in Styria, while in Tirol 21 women act as mayors. In Burgenland, too, 17 women position the municipalities, which corresponds to 9.9 percent of the communities there. Kommunal shows that women are increasingly profiling themselves in regional management positions.

A highlight a year is the upcoming annual mayor's meeting, which will take place in Anif near Salzburg from July 6th to 8th, 2025. The mayor Gabriella Gabriella there acts as a host. At this meeting there will be a reception at the Landtag President as well as lectures and discussions with various political representatives who promote the exchange and support of women in local politics.

With the project "Girls in Politics", which aims to motivate young women to participate in local politics, the community of the municipality also relies on sustainable promotion of young talent. The signs are therefore on growth, and developments in the next few years could bring more positive changes in gender distribution in local politics.