Anti-Discrimination

Many individuals encounter discrimination every day in all areas of life: the employee who must put up with lewd remarks from her superior, the black youth who is refused entrance to a nightclub, a man in his fifties who does not get a job in spite of his above-average qualifications, a wheelchair user who cannot do his banking because there is no ramp to access the bank, or a homosexual or lesbian whose partner is excluded from benefiting from the insurance of his/her partner.

The team is currently focusing on the European and Austrian anti-discrimination and equal treatment policies. At the centre of our work are the two discrimination grounds, ethnic-belonging and religion. We study the legal and institutional frameworks, structural and individual discrimination, public discourse, and jurisdiction and monitoring systems. We also deal with different groups affected by discrimination, such as autochthonous, ethnic or religious minorities, but also with positive action, diversity strategies and good practice examples that contribute to the achievement of equal opportunities.

We are working on establishing further expertise in the areas of multiple discrimination and discrimination based on sexual orientation, disability and age.