Worldwide Guide to Women in Leadership
Female Ministes of the Republic of Austria/Republik Österreich
(Female Suffrage 1918) The Republic of Austria comprising of 9 provinces was established 1918 in the break-up of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It was part of The Third Rich (Ostmark) 1938-45, 1945-55 Occupied by the allied forces and gained full sovereignty 1955

See also Parliament and Heads of State

1945 Understate secretary for Food Helene Postranecky 
In 1946 she became Vice-Chairperson of the Kommunistische Partei Österreichs KPÖ. Her full name was Helene Postranecky, verehelichte Altmann, and lived (1903-95)

1966-70 Federal Minister of Social Affairs Grete Rehor
MP for ÖVP 1949-70. She was born as
Margarethe Daurer, and lived (1910-72)

1969 Federal Minister without Portfolio in the Chancellery Dr.phil Herta Firnberg
1970-84 Federal Minister for Science and Research
1979 Acting Minister of Health and Environment
Deputy Chairperson of SPÖ, The Social Democratic Party 1966-83. She lived (1909-94)

1970-71 (†) State Secretary for Social Affairs Gertrude Mondrack
Former Member of the Bundesrat and Nationalrat and died in a car crash, and lived (1920-71).

1971-72 Federal Minister in the Chancellery Dr.med. Ingrid Leodolfer
1972-79 Federal Minister of Health and Environment

1971-79 State Secretary in the Federal Chancellery Elfride Karl
1979-83 State Secretary of Finance
1983-84 Federal Minister of Family, Youth and Consumers Protection
Secretary of the Nationalrat (Lower House) 1984-90. (b. 1933- )

1979-87 State Secretary of Construction and Technique for Housing Policy Dr.iur. Beatrix Eypltauer
(b.1929)

1979-83 State Secretary for Trade and Industry Anneliese Albrecht
Deputy Leader of the Parliamentary Group of SPÖ 1979. (1933- )

1979-83 State Secretary for Social Affairs Franziska Fast
1982 State Secretary for Working Women in the Federal Chancellery
(b. 1925- )

1982-90 State Secretary in the Federal Chancellery Johanna Dohnal
1990-91 Federal Minister without Portfolio in the Federal Chancellery
1991-95 Federal Minister for Women's Affairs (Third in the cabinet)
(b. 1939-).

1984-87 Federal Minister of Family, Youth and Consumers' Protection Gertrude Frölich-Sander
Deputy Landeshaubtmann (Premier) and Deputy Mayor in charge of Education and Family of Wien/Vienna 1969-84.

1987 Federal Minister of Family, Youth and Consumers' Protection, Health and Environment
1987-90 Federal Minister of Environment, Family and Youth Dr.iur. Marilies Flemming
(b. 1933- ).

1987-90 Federal Minister of Education and Sport Dr.phil Hilde Hawlick
Parlementsrätin 1994-95, Vice-President of the Socialist Group and Leader of SPÖ in the of the European Parliament 1995-99.

1990-92 Federal Minister of Environment, Family and Youth Ruth Feldgrill-Zankel
Deputy Chairperson of ÖVP, Austrian People's Party 1989-93. (b. 1942-).

1990-95 Secretary of State of Economy for Construction and Tourism Dr.iur. Maria Theresia Fekter
Chairperson of the Parliamentary Klub of ÖVP 1995-99,
Secretary of the Nationalrat from 2004-07 and  In 2006 she was narrowly defeated by a man within the ÖVP Klub for the post of 2. President of the Nationalrat (1. Vice-President). One of the three Ombudsmen from 2007. (b. 1956-).

1992-95 Federal Minister of Environment Maria Rauch-Kallat
1992-94 Federal Minister of Family and Youth
2003-07 Federal Minister of Health and Women
General Secretary of ÖVP 1995-2003. (b. 1949-).

1992-94 State Secretary for European Affairs in the Federal Chancellery Mag. Brigitte Erderer
1994-96 Minister of State for European Affairs, Integration and Development Co-operation in the Federal Chancellery
Deputy Parliamentary Leader 1991-92, Secretary General of SPÖ 1996-97, Stadträtin/Councillor of Finance, Economy, City Properties and Transport of Wien 1997-2000. (b. 1956- )

1994 Federal Minister of Health and Public Service Dr. Christa Krammer
1994-96 Federal Minister of Consumers' Protection, Health and Sport
1996-97 Federal Minister of Health
Landesrätin/Councillor of Culture, Health and Social Policy of Burgenland 1987-94. (b. 1944-).

1994 Federal Minister without Portfolio Dr. Sonja Moser-Starrach
1994-96 Federal Minister of Youth and Family Affairs
(b. 1946-).

1995-97 Federal Minister of Women's Affairs in the Chancellery Dr.phil. Helga Konrad
Secretary General of Landespartei SPÖ 1990-91. (b. 1948-).

1995-2007 Federal Minister of Education and Culture Elisabeth Gehrer
1996 Acting Chancellor and President (A few hours on 23. September)
2000-07 Federal Minister of Research

In 1996 she was Acting Chief of Government and therefore also Acting Head of State until Chancellor Vranitsky returned to the country and became Acting President during the ilness of the Federal President. Privously she was She was Vice-President of the Landtag 1989-90, Landesrätin of Schools, Science, Youth and Family of Voralberg 1990-91, and has been Vice-Chairperson of ÖVP since 1999 and in 2002-03 she was Deputy Parliamentary Leader of ÖVP even though she was still Acting Minister. (b. 1942-).

1995-2000 Minister of State of Foreign Affairs Dr.juris. Benita Maria Ferrero-Waldner
2000-04 Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs
2000 Chairperson of the Ministerial Council of OSCE
2004- European Commissioner of the European Union for External Relations
Career diplomat, 1993 Minister and Assistant Chief of Protocol of the Foreign Ministry, 1994-1995 Assistant Secretary General of the United Nation and Chief of Protocol. 2004 Unsuccessful Presidential candidate. (b. 1948-).

1997-2000 Federal Minister of Health, Labour and Social Affairs Eleonore (Lore) Hostasch
Vice-Chairperson of the Central Association of Austrian Labourers 1991- 95. (b. 1944-).

1997-200 Federal Minister of Consumers’ and Women’s Affairs Mag. Barbara Prammer
2004 Joint Acting President (06.07-08.07.2004)
Second President (1. Vice-President) of the Landtag 1991-95, Landesrätin of Housing and Construction, Environment and Administrative Control of Oberösterreich 1995-97. Since 1995 Deputy Federal Chairperson of SPÖ, 2000-04 Deputy Leader of the SPÖ-Klub in the Nationalrat
From 1991 Deputy Chairperson of SPÖ in Oberösterreich, 1. Vice-President of the National Assembly 2004-06 and President from 2006. When the outgoing President died two days before his successor was to take office in July 2004, she assumed the Presidential duties together with the two other members of the
Presidium of the Assembly (b. 1954-).

2000-03 Vice Federal Chancellor and Federal Minister of Sport and Administrative Reform Dr. Susanne Reiss-Passer
She was Chairperson of the Group of the Bundesrat 1992-95 and 1997-98, Party Vice-Chairperson and  1996-2000 Caretaking Chairperson and 2000-02 Leader (Bundesparteiobfrau)  Freiheitliche Partei Östereichs (FPÖ) after Jörg Haiders resignation. On 09.09.02 she resigned from her party positions and the and announced that she would she down from the government because of disagreement with Haider, but agreed to stay on until after new elections and a new government had been appointed. (b. 1961-).

2000 Federal Minister of Social Affairs, Health and Generations Elisabeth Sickl
She was Landrätin (Minister) of Environment, Technique, Water-Economy 1994-99 and 1999-2000 3rd President (2. Vice-President) of Landtag of Kärnten.  (b. 1940-)

2000 Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Innovation and Technology Dr. Monika Forstinger
Member of a local parliament for FPÖ. (b. 1963-)

2000-03 State Secretary for Tourism in Ministry of Industry Mares Rossmann
Former municipal Councillor for FPÖ. (b.1953-). 
 
2003-05 State Secretary of Social Affairs, Generations and Consumer's Protection Ursula Haubner
2005-07 Federal Minister of Social Affairs, Generations and Consumer's Protection
She was Member of the government in Oberösterreich when she was nominated deputy to one of the leader candidates in the chaos that followed after her brother - the former party leader and Jörg Haider - had staged a coup against the leader, Susanne Riess-Passer. Haubner afterwards became Co-Leader and Chief of Management until she was elected Party Leader in July 2004. In April 2005 her brother founded a new party, Vice-Chairperson of the Bündnis für die Zukunft Österreichs (BZÖ), which she joined, and from 2006 she has been Deputy Chairperson of the Parliamentary Club of the party. (b. 1945-).

2004- Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Ursula Plassnik
Chief of Cabinet of Federal Chancellor Wolfang Schüssel 1997-2004 and Ambassador to Swizerland. Chairperson of the Concil for General Affairs and External Relations (Council of Ministers) in the European Union as Austria held the EU Presidency 01.01-30.06.2006. (b. 1956-).

2004-06 (†) Federal Minister of the Interior Liese Prokop
Member of the Landtag of Niederösterreich from 1969, Councillor in the Provincial government 1981 and Vice-Premier 1992-2004 and President of the European Union Assembly for Local Authorities 2000-04. She died of a hard attack on new years eve and lived (1941-2006).

2004-07 Federal Minister of Justice Karin Gastinger
Took office under the name of Miklautsch, but when she married in 2005, she changed her surname. Former civil servant in the government of Kärnten. Member of the government for FPÖ until she joined the newly formed BZÖ and became one of it's Vice-Chairpersons in 2005. She left the party in 2006 a few days before the elections. Mother of her first child in July 2006. (b. 1964-).
 

2007- Federal Minister of Justice Maria Berger
SPÖ Member of the European Parliament from 1996. (b. 1956-).

2007- Federal Minister of Health, Family and Youth Dr. Andrea Kdolsky
Medicial Doctor and business executive. (b. 1963-).

2007- Federal Minister of Education, Culture and Arts Claudia Schmied
Banking executive and former Advisor of a SPÖ Minister of Finance.

2007- Federal Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Federal Chancellor in charge of Women's Affairs Doris Bures
SPÖ Member of Parliament from 1990 and Party Secretary General 2000-07. (b. 1962-).

2007- Secretary of State in the Office of the Federal Chancellor Heidrun Silhavy
SPÖ Member of Parliament since 1994 and Deputy Chairperson of the Social Democratic Parliamentary Faction and the Club of Social Democrats Members of the National Assembly, Federal Assembly and European Parliament 2000-07. (b. 1956-).

2007- Secretary of State of Trafic, Innovation and Technology (Infrastructure) Christa Kranzl
SPÖ Councillor of Social Affairs of Niederösterreich 1999-2007. (b. 1960-)

2007- Secretary of State of Economics and Labour in charge of Labour Christine Marek
ÖVP Member of Parliament since 2002. (b. 1969-).

 
 

Last update 21.05.07