Legal Basis
EU Directives on Equitable Treatment and Anti Discrimination
The EU directives on equal treatment and anti-discrimination (available in German) provide a legal framework for ensuring equitable treatment and opportunities and prohibit discrimination on the grounds of gender, ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, and sexual orientation.
Federal Equal Treatment Act
The Equal Treatment Act (B-GlBG) (available in German) regulates equal opportunities for women and men, the advancement of women, and equal treatment at the federal level. It prohibits discrimination on the grounds of gender, ethnic origin, religion or belief, age, and sexual orientation in both employment and education contexts. The B-GlBG applies to universities and higher education institutions in Austria. It protects applicants, employees, and students from discrimination during admission procedures, in teaching, examinations, and academic assessment.
Federal Disability Equality Act
The Federal Disability Equality Act (BGStG) prohibits discrimination and ensures the equal treatment of people with dis/abilities in various areas of life, including higher education. It safeguards people with dis/abilities against disadvantage in employment or study at universities. Universities are legally obliged to remove barriers and prevent discrimination against people with dis/abilities.
Universities Act
The Universities Act states that gender equality, equality of social opportunity, special consideration of the needs of people with disabilities, and the compatibility of studies or professional careers with responsibilities for the care of children and dependent family members are guiding principles that universities must observe in pursuing their objectives.
Accordingly, the Universities Act stipulates that every Austrian University is required to establish an organizational unit for coordinating activities related to equal opportunities, the advancement of women, and gender research (Section 19, Subsection 2, Item 7). The organizational unit Equity, Gender and Diversity at mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts is established pursuant to this provision. The act also requires the incorporation of a Women’s Advancement Plan and an Equal Opportunities Plan into the universities’ statutes (Section 20b).
In addition, the Universities Act mandates that each university establish a Working Group on Equal Opportunities and regulates its composition, rights, and obligations.
Relevant Sections of the mdw Statutes and Documents
Women’s Advancement Plan
The Women’s Advancement Plan seeks to eliminate the existing underrepresentation of women across all organizational units and at all hierarchical levels at mdw. This includes promoting women in all functions and roles and implementing gender equality and equitable treatment in human resources policy, resource allocation, research, the advancement and appreciation of the arts, and teaching. In addition, the Women’s Advancement Plan includes provisions on gender-equitable language, gender mainstreaming, and the establishment and further development of gender studies at mdw.
Equal Opportunities Plan
Complementing the Women’s Advancement Plan, the Equal Opportunities Plan serves to implement legally mandated requirements regarding equality, equal treatment, and anti-discrimination. Its purpose is to ensure equal opportunities for all university members and for all applicants to mdw. The Equal Opportunities Plan addresses the following dimensions of diversity: gender, ethnic origin, religion or belief, age, sexual orientation, and disability. Beyond these dimensions, mdw also recognizes multiple discrimination and is committed to providing specific protection against this form of discrimination within its anti-discrimination measures.
Gender Equality Plan
In the Gender Equality Plan consolidates the provisions already set out in mdw’s Women’s Advancement Plan and Equal Opportunities Plan. It also incorporates considerations, objectives, and measures from mdw’s Diversity Strategy and research strategy, as well as from the Human Resources Strategy for Researchers« (HRS4R). A key objective of the Gender Equality Plan is to further strengthen universities’ efforts, including mdw’s, to promote a gender-equitable society.
mdw-Diversity Strategy
At mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, a culture of diversity and mutual respect across all areas of activity is fostered, ranging from diverse artistic and cultural forms of expression to equal opportunities and anti-discrimination.
»We are committed to democratic values, equal treatment and diversity. In this spirit, we value open communication, transparency, and participation as key to the university’s ongoing development. We stand for gender equality and inclusion. Transculturality is addressed through a critical examination of concepts of art and culture, as well as their impact on university practice in art, teaching and research.« (mdw-Mission Statement)
The mdw-Diversity Strategy [links to a document in German] was conceived as a strategic change process. Through this strategy, the University of Music and Performing Arts pursues a holistic and systematic approach to diversity management, with the goal of creating study and work environments free from discrimination and enabling equal participation for all.
The areas of activity, objectives and related measures defined by the Diversity Strategy are detailed in the mdw Diversity Strategy Paper and the mdw Diversity Scorecard, both of which have been adopted by the rectorate. These documents guide mdw’s university-wide, diversity-oriented development in teaching, research, and administration.
The following measures have been successfully implemented as part of the mdw-Diversity Strategy:
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A mission statement aligned with the mdw-Diversity Strategy has been developed
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A checkbox for alternative examination methods has been introduced
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Gender- and Diversity competencies have been formally embedded in curricula
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The Tricky Moments webtool has been launched
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A buddy program for international first-semester students has been implemented
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The career advancement program “reach higher, reach beyond“ has been initiated
A comprehensive discussion of the contents and development phases of mdw’s Diversity Strategy can be found in the article »Qualitätskriterien diversitätsorientierter Organisationsentwicklung. Die mdw-Diversitätsstrategie als Beispiel« (Quality Criteria for Diversity-Oriented Organizational Development: The mdw-Diversity Strategy as an Example.) by Ulli Mayer and Vice-Rector Gerda Müller (available in German). It appears in the volume Üben und Ver_Üben (transcript, 2025).
mdw’s understanding of diversity is critical and politicized. It builds on approaches that actively address discrimination and seeks to ensure broad access to, and participation in, all university resources for the greatest number of people possible.
Following the work of Maisha-Maureen Auma, diversity functions here as both an analytical category and as a tool for examining and disrupting structures and processes with regard to their inherent power relations, their mechanisms of inclusion and exclusion, and their principles of social construction. Critically engaging with diversity therefore means recognizing structures of attribution, mechanisms and forms of discrimination, systems of evaluation and (social) exclusion; situating them within socio-political contexts; and taking active steps to counter and reduce them.
By continually working on and with the Diversity Strategy, mdw aims to advance the vision of a university free from violence, discrimination, and barriers at all levels. The sustainable implementation and future development of mdw’s Diversity Strategy will focus on the targets of »reducing mechanisms of exclusion«, »embedding and integrating gender and diversity competencies«, and »acquiring and adopting gender and diversity knowledge«
mdw-Guidelines
Code of Conduct
The mdw Code of Conduct articulates the essential principles and values intended to guide the behavior of all mdw employees. It thus serves as a benchmark for professional and respectful cooperation, both within the university and in interactions with external partners and the public.
Rectorate Guideline on Addressing Sexual Discrimination and Violence
Discrimination and the abuse of power – including sexual harassment, gender-based harassment, harassment based on sexual orientation, as well as forms of sexualized violence – contravene the core principles and values of mdw. The guideline is intended to prevent all forms of sexualized discrimination and violence and provides orientation on how to address and respond to related incidents.