By: Ashley Moreno

VIENNA, Austria – Vienna is on a mission to achieve gender equality through city-wide initiatives that showcase and celebrate feminism.

In Vienna, feminism encompasses diverse expressions and practices. Feminists engage in advocacy and self-expression especially through visual presentation like fashion. In recent years, feminism has been growing in Vienna, according to University of Vienna student Ava Zack. Freelance journalist Jen Adams says younger generations are seizing more opportunities compared to older generations seen by an increase of women attending university. In the United States, feminism is a highly contested term used by both advocates for women’s rights and as a pejorative by those wanting to roll back those rights and this is true also for the broader county of Austria.

Austria’s suffrage movement, mirroring the United States, was organized in the late-nineteenth and early twentieth century. Since the late-nineteenth century, Austrian women have been advocating for equal rights and status through organized feminist activism as seen during the first feminist wave in Europe. During the post-World War II era, an emerging second wave of feminism gained momentum and lasted from the 1970s to the 1990s. Through combined feminist efforts during the first and second waves of feminism, several social changes in Austria took place, including gaining the right to vote in 1918, equal participation in democratic processes in 1919 and reproductive rights in 1975.

Feminism has evolved beyond these earlier fights for basic, universal rights, such as gaining the right to vote, to now remembering the women who influence the culture of modern feminism today. Several women who live in Vienna and are involved in feminist advocacy were interviewed for this article. When asked the same question, “How do you define feminism?,” each response painted a distinct and personal image of their interpretation of feminism in the city. Some spoke of feminism as a fight for gender equity while others describe feminism as a way of self-expression.

Jenny Ungr, the co-owner of the Viennese feminist bookstore ChickLit, calls feminism, “a human rights movement and social movement.” She explains how all feminists had to fight and learn the hard way, whereas, the younger generations can use common knowledge from these feminist activists and apply it to society today. Saskia Stachowitsch, Center Director of Illuminating Engineering Society (IES), gives a description of feminism as, “an emancipatory political project.” She expands on this by saying that feminism among younger generations has become a widely accepted mainstream approach. Feminists involved in this movement advocate for more female representation in society and are very politically active in controversial topics. Adams, says, “feminism is intersectional feminism so the recognition of structural inequality in communities.” By applying intersectional feminism, she believes society can focus on healing past wrongs and restoring a gender-equity balance to society. Zack characterizes feminism in Vienna as, “a way women are trying to be more equal to men and more trying to stand up for themselves in different aspects of life.” She also notes that feminism is important because it empowers women to feel entitled to the same rights as men, but in addition it brings attention to the necessity for more equal opportunities for women in society.

Modern feminism has a wide range of interpretation and practice, partially linked to individual personal experience. These contemporary viewpoints have been shaped from the past efforts of first and second wave feminists, with a common focus on bridging the gender equity gap. Feminism has grown in attention and awareness in the twenty-first century and the city of Vienna has been making conscious efforts to highlight and celebrate women’s accomplishments today.

Promoting Feminist History

While feminism has changed and evolved since the first and second waves, past movements continue to play an influential role in Viennese culture, especially amongst younger generations. Jen Adams, who identifies as a feminist, refers to a new concept called “healing justice.” She describes this term as, “how we can look at things in holistic and broad ways as possible, remedy past wrongs, and kind of restore a balance into our media diets and into our information diets, perspectives and narratives and contributions and history that hasn’t been there.” Adams says feminism has a transformative potential to reshape society if utilized in the right way. She emphasized that feminism is just as relevant today as it was in past waves and advocates for its integration into society’s framework.

In recent years, the city of Vienna has been making efforts to showcase feminist history and create gender equity through public recognition of women throughout the city. These efforts to honor women’s contributions can be seen in the cityscape of Vienna. More statues, exhibits in museums, and street names have been added to public spaces to acknowledge women’s impact on society.

Feminist Monuments

In the past, Vienna generally did not publicly honor women. The exception is the massive Maria Theresa Monument. This staggering piece of architecture, unveiled in 1888, stands at 19.36 m high and is located in the largest public square in Vienna called Maria-Theresien-Platz. Her legacy continues to be remembered as the only female ruler of the Austrian Empire, reigning from 1717 to 1780. Her statue serves as an example of strong female leadership and representation in Austrian history. While Maria Theresa is literally placed on high, countless other women are on the brink of being forgotten in Vienna, without public acknowledgement.

In the twenty-first century, the city of Vienna has placed new importance on recognizing the contributions of women to Viennese society. For example, in early 2009 students, scientists and academics decided to raise awareness about the lack of acknowledgement of women in science and their accomplishments. At the University of Vienna, in its Arkadenhof (arcaded courtyard) there are 154 monuments of famous male figures, however only one woman is included: Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach, who was the first female honorary doctor of the University of Vienna. She was not even given a statue, but rather a small plaque in her remembrance.

Artist Iris Andraschek tasked herself with creating a symbolic piece of work to commemorate and enshrine women’s scientific contributions, making sure they are never forgotten. In the center of Arkadenhof, where Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach’s plaque is, Andraschek decided to transform the male-dominated space.  She erected a dramatic, flat sculpture of a woman that lies diagonal to the courtyard at 28 meters long and 9 meters wide, creating a large shadow across the space for much of the day. She stands with her legs apart in a combative stance and thrusts her fist in the air. This piece isn’t made in honor of a specific woman but serves as public recognition for the accomplishments of all female scientists. It is commonly referred to as “The Muse has had it.” Andraschek hopes to inspire younger generations and to encourage the use of more spaces to remember women through her work.

Feminist Artwork & Design

The effort to increase female representation in traditionally male-dominated spaces can also be seen in museums popular with the public. The Kunsthistorisches Museum displays early female artwork dated back around the mid-fifteenth century, such as a 1668 work from Maria van Oosterwijck. Out of the 4000 pieces of art in the museum twenty paintings are from fourteen different female artists. This was due to the fact that women were not allowed to go to art school to learn until 1920, so they painted from home, primarily still objects. Despite this, the museum continues to highlight and preserve women’s contributions to society by honoring female achievements in the art world. The museum is committed to showcasing female artists in Austrian history and furthering the advancement of gender equity by ensuring female artists receive the recognition they deserve.

Another example of female work showcased in Vienna is at the Vienna Furniture Museum which highlights women’s contributions in the field of design, ranging from furniture, fashion, industrial products, and interior design. The museum is currently holding a special exhibit until September 1st, 2024 titled Here We Are! Women In Design 1900 – Today. This exhibit features over 80 different designers to showcase their contributions to society. According to the museum’s pamphlet, the exhibition “seeks to redress the balance by giving women designers the visibility their muti-faceted work has long deserved.”

A unique part of the exhibit is the display of protest posters made by women advocating for universal suffrage. These posters vividly illustrate the determination and efforts of women in the early 1900s, who fought relentlessly for the rights of Austrian women and future generations today.

Feminist Recognition in the Streets

Beyond female monuments and artwork initiatives, a citywide development project is in the works in Vienna located in Seestadt, which is a new urban district under construction. This district seeks to accomplish gender equity with the intention to take on a “female face” according to their brochure. One example is how Seestadt adopted a policy to name city streets after women. Some streets in Seestadt have already been named after Janis Joplin, Hannah Arendt and Agnes Primocic. The women recognized come from different generations and periods of times, commemorating historic and modern women.

By contrast, if you were seeking out a particular memorial in Vienna’s 19th district, you would walk on the street Fickertgasse until you found yourself in a narrow, dirty alleyway. To the left is a graffitied apartment complex and to the right a small parking lot. The hidden location is easily overlooked amidst the rest of the city, yet this street is made to honor Auguste Fickert, who was a women’s rights activist during the 1870s. Fickert was a part of the second feminist wave and served a crucial role in campaigning for universal suffrage and for political activism. Despite her significant contributions to feminism and gender equity, her official memory is now simply captured by a street name in a filthy alleyway.

Pro-feminist initiatives in Vienna, like Seestadt’s street-naming policy, increasing the visibility of women by museums, and the city’s commitment to adding monuments to honor women’s contributions are vital for commemorating the city’s feminist history and achievements. Female recognition continues to be implemented in city-wide efforts; however, to ensure female accomplishments are not forgotten, there are also organizations that have educational resources on feminist history.

Preserving and Educating the Public on Feminism

Archival organizations such as Stitchwort play a pivotal role in preserving and maintaining Austria’s feminist history. Stitchwort was founded in 1983 and “aims to document and to illuminate the diversity of feminist concepts and actions,” according to their mission statement. Stitchwort, in the words of its owner, Margit Hauser, is “a library with feminist literature, mainly in the humanities and social sciences.” Stitchwort has been collecting content from the women’s and lesbian’s movements in Austria since 1972. Stitchwort’s rich and diverse archives range from physical mementos of feminist history to books, magazines, posters, multimedia documents, photographs, academic works, videos, research service internet, events and newsletters. They have moved from gathering print archives to digitizing all their content to make it a resource for researchers online or for individuals in person to learn about any aspect of feminist history.

Like Stitchwort, other organizations and businesses in Vienna also provide educational resources on feminist history. ChickLit is the first feminist bookstore in Vienna, opened in 2011. The store predominantly focuses on female literature and nonfiction, but also covers a wide range of different feminist topics such as feminist theory and feminist autobiographies. ChickLit provides female authors a platform to share their stories while also serving as a connecting place for members of the LGBTQ+ community, students, children, and adults to come together to learn about feminist culture. The bookstore has grown into a place for feminist discussion and education. ChickLit contains thousands of books addressing a multitude of female topics which range from sexuality, gender, literature, and nonfiction works. Ungr, ChickLit’s co-owner, says the store helps to inform the public on different specialized female topics. The bookstore also collaborates with other events in the community such as university lectures, local book lectures, and feminist groups to support feminist causes. ChickLit continues to be a place for female activism and a hub for learning about feminist culture.

Education is crucial in sustaining and continuing the feminist movement. Both Stitchwort and ChickLit dedicate themselves to informing the public about Vienna’s feminist history and providing learning resources on contemporary feminist culture for the community and younger generations in Vienna’s today.

Continuing Feminist Culture

Feminism is expressed and celebrated by women of Vienna in many ways. From Stachowitsch’s perspective, she sees “rallies and political activism around all different social causes that have a feminist approach.” However, beyond more active outlets, she says feminism is reflected in “rather conservative things like joining a women’s professional association.” Adams describes seeing feminism in expressive, visual presentations by advocates, such as “shirts that sa[y] things about it, or, the feminine symbol and their earrings or stickers on the back of their phones or their laptops.” From Zack’s perspective, feminism can be shown “through clothing and from how a person holds themselves.”

Feminist culture seems to be especially on the rise with younger generations such as Gen Z which has been more outspoken and expressive in terms of displaying their feminism according to Zack and Adams. Feminists in Vienna tend to participate in rallies, protests, and events to promote gender equality, challenge gender norms and display feminism. Additionally, feminism is reflected in the opportunities available to women today that previous generations did not have, such as the privilege to go to university. Feminist activism today has brought more awareness to unfair treatment of women, whether that be gender equity or under-representation in Vienna’s cityscape.

If you are interested in learning more about feminism in Vienna, there are several ways to get involved in Viennese feminist culture and there are several outlets available to do so. You can check out the feminist archival building, Stitchwort or the feminist bookstore, ChickLit. In addition, there are feminist walking tours, tours of female artist exhibits, special exhibits showcasing women’s design achievements, and different feminist groups that host meetings like AWA The International Women’s Club of Vienna.

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