Gender comparison

SORA data: Women tend to vote for left-wing parties

Women are more likely to vote for left-wing parties than men (symbolic image).

(Bild: Rojsek-Wiedergut Uta)

Women tend to vote for more left-wing parties, men for more conservative ones. This is according to political scientists Jessica Fortin-Rittberger from the University of Salzburg and Sylvia Kritzinger from the University of Vienna. Among other things, they referred to data from SORA (now the Foresight Institute).

In the last National Council election in 2019, more women voted for the Greens (17 vs. 10 percent) and fewer for the FPÖ (11 vs. 21 percent) compared to men. The NEOS were also more popular with them (eleven vs. five percent). However, this gender difference did not apply to all parties in 2019. There was a slight difference for the ÖVP and none at all for the SPÖ.

Women are less likely to vote for Trump or AfD
Overall, women are less likely to vote for populist, radical right-wing parties than men, said political scientist Jessica Fortin-Rittberger. This can also be seen internationally, for example among voters for Donald Trump in the USA or the Alternative for Germany (AfD).

Protest against the AfD in Berlin (archive photo)

(Bild: AFP)

Women would reward those parties that take up issues that are important to them, such as childcare or measures against violence against women. Some explanations for the difference in voting behaviour are that female employees are less likely to work in jobs affected by globalization and that women pay less attention to economic positions when voting than men.

Radicals are already courting women more
Some radical right-wing parties have now realized that they are not appealing to women and are strategically courting them. One example is the prominent placement of their female counterparts on electoral lists. According to political scientist Sylvia Kritizinger, the FPÖ is now increasingly scoring points with women, for example through its issues.

There will probably be a small gap in the upcoming National Council elections, but this is probably less important in explaining voting behavior than other issues.

Politikwissenschaftlerin Sylvia Kritzinger

Overall, she believes that socio-demographic factors such as gender and age hardly explain the voting behavior of the population anymore. The attitude towards certain topics and the emotionality with which they are treated, as well as the ideological position of the voters, play a more important role. In the upcoming National Council elections, there will probably be "a small gap, but this is probably less important in explaining voting behavior than other issues."