Vienna's Feminist Legacy: A Historical Perspective

Vienna, Austria's capital, has long been a hub of feminist activism and has pioneered 'gender mainstreaming' for nearly 30 years. The city has a history of Social Democratic governments that have invested in creating social equality, with the first attempts to improve political participation by women taking place during the Revolution of 1848. The Austrian capital has grand ambitions to be an inclusive and gender-neutral destination, with all aspects of public life, from transportation to language, being influenced by these aims. One notable example of this is the Mädchenbühne (girls' stage) in Reumannplatz, a prominent outdoor platform that serves as a performance space for girls from the nearby school. The city has also implemented changes to its infrastructure, such as widening sidewalks and adding pedestrian overpasses, to accommodate the needs of women and improve their safety. Additionally, Vienna has developed housing complexes designed by female architects that specifically address women's needs, such as easy access to public transportation and on-site kindergartens and pharmacies.

The city's commitment to gender mainstreaming

Vienna's commitment to "gender mainstreaming" is a strategy that the city uses to achieve its aim of being an inclusive and gender-neutral destination. The Department for Gender Mainstreaming, headed by Ursula Bauer, describes it as a tool to achieve gender equality in society based on equal structures, settings, and conditions for both women and men. The department ensures that regulations and procedures take into account the structural differences between women and men, which mainly stem from traditional gender roles.

In practice, this takes many forms. For example, Vienna ensures that government bodies use gender-sensitive language in their communication and that public transportation includes illustrations of men with children to signal seats reserved for parents. The city has also made its public transportation network wheelchair accessible.

Another key area of gender mainstreaming is urban planning. Vienna was one of the first cities to consider gender when shaping its public spaces. Inspired by feminist planning literature, gender planning expert Eva Kail began collecting data on how and by whom Vienna's public spaces were being used. She discovered that the female perspective was often missing from the designs, as they were created by predominantly male urban planners. To address this, Kail and her team worked to make urban spaces more appealing to women and girls. They divided large areas dedicated to soccer into smaller spaces so that multiple groups could play and created additional seating areas such as hammocks. They also addressed safety fears by ensuring that paths were well-lit and straight and that bushes were not too close.

Vienna has also taken steps to make females more visible in public spaces. For example, in the Seestadt Aspern urban development project, the majority of streets, squares, and parks have been named after women. The city has also unveiled its first transgender crosswalk, located near the Vienna General Hospital, which is home to the nation's only transgender healthcare centre.

The work of pioneering Austrian feminist, Auguste Fickert

Fickert's first public political act was a petition against the disenfranchisement of women voters in government elections in Lower Austria. Despite gathering over 1000 signatures, the measure went ahead, but this marked the start of her career as a campaigner for universal women's suffrage. She was also active in campaigns for the unionisation of women civil servants and for better treatment of prostitutes.

In 1893, Fickert co-founded the Allgemeiner Österreichischer Frauenverein (General Austrian Women's Association), the most radical feminist organisation in Austria at the time. The association campaigned for the improvement of proletarian women's lives, with a focus on education and legal protection. Fickert was editor of its publications, including "Dokumente der Frauen" ("Documents of Women") and "Neues Frauenleben" ("New Woman's Life"). In 1897, she became the organisation's director.

Fickert's commitment to her cause saw her endure vitriolic attacks by the clerical Christian Social Party, particularly after she left the Catholic Church and publicly criticised the religious basis of school instruction in Austria. She also worked closely with other prominent feminists of her time, including Marie Lang and Rosa Mayreder, with whom she founded the "Dokumente der Frauen". However, her intransigent nature also led to fallings-out with her collaborators, and she was known for her uncompromising and confrontational approach.

Fickert's other achievements include her work in establishing female professional associations, her advocacy for school reforms, and her efforts to secure access to higher education for women. She also initiated the creation of the Heimhof, a housing cooperative for single, working women, which opened a year after her death in 1910.

Today, Fickert is remembered as a pioneer and representative of the radical wing of the Austrian women's movement. Her memorial statue in Vienna's Türkenschanzpark bears the inscription: "Full of courage and energy she sacrificed her life to high ideals."

The emergence of a feminist discourse in Austria

The struggle for women's suffrage was a key focus of Austrian feminism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Allgemeiner Österreichischer Frauenverein, co-founded by pioneering feminist Auguste Fickert in 1893, was the most radical feminist organisation in Austria at the time, campaigning for the improvement of proletarian women's lives, including their education and legal protection. Fickert was also active in campaigns to unionise women civil servants and for better treatment of prostitutes.

The Austrian Association of Women Artists (VBKÖ), founded in 1910, made an explicit feminist statement, holding regular exhibitions featuring up to 400 works by female artists. The group had a profound impact on Vienna's exhibition landscape, providing a platform for women artists to showcase their work and challenging the narrative of an artistic avant-garde pioneered solely by men.

Vienna has also been at the forefront of urban planning with a gender perspective. Inspired by feminist planning literature, gender planning expert Eva Kail initiated a shift in the city's approach to public spaces in the 1990s. Kail's work highlighted the absence of the female perspective in urban planning and led to changes such as widening sidewalks, adding pedestrian overpasses, and creating dedicated spaces for girls and women.

Today, Vienna continues to strive for gender equality and inclusivity, with initiatives like "gender mainstreaming" aiming to achieve equal structures, settings, and conditions for both women and men in all aspects of public life. The city's efforts have resulted in its high ranking in quality-of-life indices, with accessible public transportation, gender-sensitive language, and urban design that considers the safety and needs of all its residents.

The impact of feminist planning literature on Vienna's public spaces

Vienna, Austria's capital, has made significant strides towards becoming an inclusive and gender-neutral city, with all aspects of public life, from transportation to language, reflecting this aim. Inspired by feminist planning literature, gender planning expert Eva Kail initiated a shift in the city's approach to urban planning three decades ago, prioritising the female perspective in the design of public spaces. This movement has had a profound impact on Vienna's public spaces, making them more inclusive and accessible for all.

One of the key impacts of feminist planning literature on Vienna's public spaces is the consideration of varied destinations and safety measures for women. Kail's research revealed that women's mobility patterns differed from those of men, and they required additional safety measures. This led to infrastructure changes such as widening sidewalks and adding pedestrian overpasses in certain areas. The Frauen-Werk-Stadt project is another example of feminist influence, with housing complexes designed by female architects to cater to women's needs, including easy access to public transportation and on-site facilities like kindergartens and pharmacies. These changes not only improved women's mobility but also enhanced safety for all by increasing pedestrian traffic and reducing minor crimes in public spaces.

Vienna's public spaces have also been intentionally designed to make females more visible and empower them. For instance, the Mädchenbühne (girls' stage) in Reumannplatz, a prominent outdoor platform for performances, was requested by local schoolgirls. Additionally, the urban development project Seestadt Aspern named the majority of streets, squares, and parks after influential women, such as Janis Joplin, to counter the historical predominance of male naming.

The impact of feminist planning literature is also evident in Vienna's parks. Kail and her team worked with teenage girls to understand their preferences and make these spaces more appealing. As a result, larger areas dedicated to soccer were divided into smaller sections to accommodate multiple groups, and additional seating areas, such as hammocks, were introduced. The safety concerns of females were also addressed by ensuring well-lit and clear paths, with bushes kept at a distance. These changes led to a notable increase in the number of girls using and occupying the parks.

Furthermore, Vienna's public spaces have undergone a transformation to promote gender equality and inclusivity. For example, public transportation includes illustrations of men with children to signal seats reserved for parents, and wide pavements accommodate mothers navigating the city with prams or children. The city also boasts a transgender crosswalk near the Vienna General Hospital, home to the nation's only transgender healthcare centre, symbolising solidarity and helping to open up conversations around gender diversity.

In conclusion, Vienna's public spaces have been significantly influenced by feminist planning literature, resulting in a more inclusive and gender-neutral city. The impact is evident in the consideration of women's mobility and safety needs, the visibility and empowerment of females, and the promotion of gender equality in various aspects of public life. These changes have made Vienna a leader in gender-sensitive urban planning, creating a more welcoming and accessible environment for all residents and visitors.

The Austrian Association of Women Artists (VBKÖ)

VBKÖ's first president, Baronin Olga Brand-Krieghammer, oversaw the association's first six years. The association has been a pioneer in lobbying for women artists and increasing their representation through international collaborations. It has also played a crucial role in the development of feminist discourse, with a program of exhibitions that began from its inception. These exhibitions provided a platform for female artists to showcase their work and laid the foundation for future feminist conversations.

Käthe Kollwitz, Tina Blau, Marie Egner, Helene Funke, and Olga Wisinger-Florian were all associated with the VBKÖ, some as active members and others as invited exhibitors. The association rented its own studio and exhibition space, providing artists with the freedom to work outside the established art world. VBKÖ is one of many Euro-American organizations that support women artists. Similar organizations include the Society of Female Artists in London, founded in 1855, and the Société de l’Union des Femmes Peintres et Sculpteurs in Paris, founded in 1881.

Today, the VBKÖ continues to be a vital space for fostering contemporary feminist artistic agendas. It offers a platform for experiments and promotes political and activist work, aiming to establish a strong connection between historical debates and contemporary queer, feminist art production, and activism.

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