Mayors in Austria: Only 12 percent women

Q: How high is the share of female mayors in Austria?

In the more than 2,000 Austrian municipalities, there are 247 female mayors, corresponding to around twelve percent – a new record.

Q: Who is Katharina Wöss-Krall?

Katharina Wöss-Krall is the ÖVP mayor of the Vorarlberg municipality of Rankweil and was the first woman at the head of the municipality there in 2019.

Q: According to Armin Wolf, by when would gender parity among female mayors be achieved?

Armin Wolf calculates that, at the current pace, a balanced gender ratio would not be achieved until the year 2099.

Vienna, July 14, 2026 Despite a new record of 247 female mayors in Austria, the share of women in the more than 2,000 municipalities remains at only around twelve percent, as ÖVP politician Katharina Wöss-Krall emphasized on Monday on ZiB2 with Armin Wolf. There have never been as many female mayors in Austria as there are now, yet 88 percent of the country's municipalities continue to be led by men. "Auch von einer Frau sehr gut machbar" – with this attitude, Wöss-Krall points to a key insight from Rankweil. The Vorarlberg municipality has been led by her since 2019; she was the first mayor there ever. "Wir schaffen das nur, wenn wir positiv über unsere Arbeit sprechen, dass wir eben als gute Vorbilder vorangehen", said she. The current statistics remain sobering: in the more than 2,000 Austrian municipalities, there are only 247 female mayors – a share of just under twelve percent. "Man sieht an den Zahlen, dass es auch in den letzten Jahren zum Glück schon gestiegen ist", so the politician. However, the pace is far from sufficient in the view of ZiB2 anchor Armin Wolf. ## Status of the numbers Wolf calculates: "Wenn es in dem Tempo weitergeht wie in den letzten Jahren, würde bis 2099 dauern, bis es in den Rathäusern halbe-halbe steht". Only then would gender parity among city hall chiefs be reached arithmetically. Wöss-Krall of course hopes that the pace will quicken. The mayor herself sees the reasons for the sluggish development mainly in structural hurdles. "Vielleicht ist da die Männerstruktur noch zu stark im Hintergrund. Ich höre schon manchmal, dass sich das Frauen einfach noch nicht zutrauen". Often the chance to run at the very front is simply lacking: "Sie bekommen vielleicht auch manchmal gar nicht die Chance, dass sie ganz vorne dabei sein können". ## Structural hurdles from the mayor's perspective Instead of quotas or financial incentives, Wöss-Krall relies on changed framework conditions and more support from the parties. "Also ich persönlich bin kein Fan von irgendwelchen zusätzlichen Zuckerl". Wöss-Krall is no fan of such additional goodies, "das müssen wir anders schaffen als mit Geldanreizen oder so". She also rejects fixed lists into which women would have to be placed. Instead, she points to programs like "Girls in Politics", which are meant to spark young women's interest in politics at an early stage. "Bürgermeisterinnen müssten hier als gute Vorbilder vorangehen und als Role Models zeigen, wie toll und interessant dieser Job sein könne". Another task is to show that the compatibility of family and career is very much possible. ## Balancing family and office Wöss-Krall herself has three children; her youngest daughter was one year old when she was elected mayor in 2019. In the beginning it had been "eine herausfordernde Zeit". Nevertheless, she had received "sehr viele positive Rückmeldungen", also from the public. She says she still hears a lot of encouragement to this day. The political culture in Rankweil has also changed since she took office, the mayor reports. "Die Gesprächskultur hat sich verändert, hier habe ich sehr positive Rückmeldungen bekommen". She tries to find a solution together with everyone. "Ich glaube, wir sind vielleicht ein bisschen konfliktscheu und bemühen uns mehr, dass wir da eine gemeinsame gute Lösung dann zusammenbringen." In Rankweil, this is why municipal council decisions are often unanimous. Women are often also not "auf Konflikte aus" and would try to find a solution together, the mayor says. "Männer würden es probieren, Frauen seien da eher zurückhaltender." Those who work politically in the second row can also make a difference: "Frauen würden sich in den zweiten Reihen vielleicht wohler fühlen, könnten da auch mitsprechen, mitgestalten." ## Role models instead of quotas Wöss-Krall does not necessarily see discrimination solely on the basis of gender in everyday political life. "Ich persönlich würde das jetzt nicht sehen, dass ich als Frau anders behandelt werde". Wöss-Krall does not see it that way; both men and women struggle here with the usual issues and comments. Nevertheless, more women at the top are needed – and the parties must actively open the path to get there. Wöss-Krall and other female mayors want to be a "Role Model" for other young girls and women. Wöss-Krall says female mayors should serve as good role models and show how great and interesting the job is. "Man brauche auch von der Partei die Chance, das zu ermöglichen", she emphasizes with a view to party structures. Monday evening's ZiB2 broadcast once again made the structural finding public: only in the year 2099 would city halls be at a fifty-fifty split, should the pace not increase significantly. Until then, the list of city hall chiefs in Austria remains clearly male-dominated at 88 percent. (Astrid Ebenführer, 14.7.2026)

Share of women among mayors in Austria stagnates at twelve percent

Status of the numbers

Structural hurdles from the mayor's perspective

Balancing family and office

Role models instead of quotas

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