Elections 2022 in the Chamber of Architects and Chartered Engineering Consultants in Austria:
A step towards gender equality in professional representation

Though the YesWePlan! Project has now officially come to an end, the many outcomes that resulted from the project are now finding their way into practice by professionals in education, profession and work places. The YWP! Recommendations provides tools and suggestions for changes in the different environments in order to achieve a more inclusive environment for women architects and engineers.

A basic Recommendation for representative organisations is to promote gender equality in leading positions in organisations and to commit to diversity and equity in the decision making. The 2022 elections in the Chambers of Architects and Chartered Engineering Consultants in Austria show some great results as regards this aim:

Cora Stöger;
(c) Phillip Resch

The election of the regional Chamber of Architect and Chartered Engineering Consultants of Upper Austria and Salzburg brought about its first female Chamber President, Chartered Engineering Consultant Cora Stöger. As the Professional Section of Architects is vice-chaired by Architect Susanne Seyfert, this means that the Presidium is composed of two female and four male professionals.

For the Section of Architects in the regional Chamber of Architects and Chartered Engineering Consultants of Tyrol and Vorarlberg the elections also led to very remarkable results: The Section of Architect is chaired and vice-chaired by women Architects, Architect Carmen Schrötter-Lenzi and Architect Veronika König. Additionally, the Section of Chartered Engineering Consultants is vice-chaired by Chartered Engineering Consultant Regina Mayer, which means that the composition of the Presidium is fully gender equal with 50% women.

left to right: König, Schrötter-Lenzi, Gasser, Vogl-Fernheim, Kofler, Mayer; (c) Steinlechner

In the regional Chamber of Architects and Chartered Engineering Consultants of Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland both Professional Sections are now chaired by women, Architect Evelyn Rudnicki and Chartered Engineering Consultant Michaela Ragossnig-Angst. This means that also here two of six members of the Presidium are female.

The regional Chamber of Architects and Chartered Engineering Consultants of Carinthia and Styria confirmed Architect Barbara Frediani-Gasser in her role as Vice President, while the rest of the Presidium is male.

The Committee of women Architects and Chartered Engineering Consultants that has initiated and conducted the “YesWePlan!” Erasmus+ Project is happy about this important sign towards gender equality in professional representation. “Regarding the fact, that the share of women in architecture and in the engineering professions overall is still very low, this is a great result and a very good initial position for finally changing structural discrimination problems within the professional bodies. It also  gives motivation and impetus to our work in the Committee”, confirms Chairwoman Architect Bettina Dreier.