Since the beginning of anti-discrimination measures in the early 1990s, these have been accompanied by flanking or prophylactic measures. Initially, these were almost exclusively measures to promote women, i.e. measures to compensate for disadvantages for individual female scientists, but increasingly structural measures in the sense of gender mainstreaming have been developed and implemented. In recent years, activities have been extended to the area of diversity. Measures have been and are being implemented both centrally and throughout Austria (by the Federal Ministry of Women, Science and Research, partly in cooperation with the major research funding institutions) and by the universities themselves.
The spectrum of interventions in Austria has been and is deliberately kept very broad, as unequal treatment has a variety of causes and a policy mix is therefore the solution that promises the most success.
The University of Graz implements interventions at all levels of the organizational structure and for all groups working at the university:
- Institutionalization of the topic of equal opportunities at Rectorate level (Vice-Rector for Internationalization and Equal Opportunities Univ.-Prof.in Mireille van Poppel, PhD)
- Declared objective of gender-equitable appointment policy
- Elimination of the gender pay gap for new appointments