Anniversaries of an Austrian Women’s History in 2021

The history of the Second Republic began 75 years ago with what seemed like the triumph of domesticity. While Nazi propaganda had promoted the image of women as workers—not least to aid the war effort—the mass return of prisoners of war in 1946/47 put political and social pressure on women to give up their employment. Compensation through recognition as ‘rubble women’ of the reconstruction was merely symbolic, while also a mockery: women's work—including their physical labour—was not the outcome of exceptional circumstances but continued to be a fundamental and decisive factor in a functioning economy. Despite this, women's work was permeated by the sense of being unjustifiable, or even ‘unnatural’.

At the same time, there began a history of the Second Republic shaped by women who refused to reconcile themselves to the long-lasting effects of domestic images of women and Nazi family propaganda:

75 years ago a woman laid the first building block in the creation of an Austrian patriotism: Paula von Preradović wrote the text for the national anthem (this year marks the 70th anniversary of her death). In the year the national anthem was written, 1946, Otto Hahn was the sole recipient of the Nobel Prize  for an experiment carried out together with his colleague Lise Meitner and for which she had produced the proof. 60 years ago a women ran for the highest office in the country for the first time - Ludovica Hainisch-Marchet wanted to become federal president of Austria. In other state offices, this was becoming  increasingly common around that time: a national government boasted two women ministers for the first time 50 years ago.

It was not until 25 years ago, however, that a woman became head of a provincial government (Waltraud Klasnic in Styria) and the future vice-president Susanne Ries-Passer became party leader of the Freedom Party. More often, women's opportunities and constraints were shaped by social changes and civil society. 40 years ago a protest against an advertising campaign saw the term sexism enter public debate (the campaign against the billboards by a well-known underwear manufacturer became known as the ‘Vienna Underwear War’).

Since that time, countless initiatives have made it clear that women are neither invisible nor mute but are people whose opinions and expert knowledge contribute to society's development—the many voices of women experts during the coronavirus pandemic have convincingly made this point. What was and is understood in Austria as typically ‘female’ is (therefore) constantly subject to change.