One of the earliest promotors of female enrolment was Marianne Hainisch, who, as the founder of the women's movement in Austria, had demanded access for women to the universities since the 1870s. However, it took more than two decades until the first steps into the institutional university. Austria apart from Prussia was finally the last European country to admit women to universities:
In fall 1897 the Philosophical Faculty was the first institution of the University of Vienna to open itself to the enrolment of women. Only three years later, women were also admitted to the Medical Faculty. In 1918/19, the ban on women’s enrolment fell at the Faculty of Law, in 1928 at the Faculty of Protestant Theology, with the Faculty of Catholic Theology following suit in 1945.
The number of women among students rose during the 20th century to more than a half of all students. However, structures still make it difficult for women to reach the highest levels of the academic career ladder.
