Equal Opportunities Policies at Austrian Universities and their Evaluation: Development, Results and Limitations

Since the 1980s several measures have been introduced to promote women and gender equality in science and research in Austria. This article focuses on the development of this policy mix and the role played by evaluation in its ongoing development. First we describe the policy mix and its underlying design principles. By referring to three examples we illustrate the challenges and opportunities facing evaluation in the ongoing development of gender equality measures. In the conclusions the requirements evaluation must meet if it is to support the ongoing development of the policy mix are discussed. (author's abstract)