How Felizia Fischer's 1926 court win reshaped gender equity in Austria
A new theatrical performance, Taxi Tales, will soon premiere in Vienna, retracing the remarkable story of Felizia Fischer. Her fight against gender discrimination in the 1920s changed Austrian law and paved the way for women in male-dominated professions. Nearly a century later, her battle for equity remains a landmark moment in the country's history.
Felizia Fischer, the daughter of a Viennese merchant, was a fierce advocate for women's rights. She firmly believed women could handle jobs traditionally reserved for men—including driving taxis. In 1925, she earned her driver's licence, eager to join Vienna's expanding automobile scene. But a 1913 regulation blocked her path, banning women from working as professional drivers.
Undeterred, Fischer took her case to the Constitutional Court. She argued that the law violated her constitutional rights. On October 12, 1926, the court ruled unanimously in her favour, declaring the restriction discriminatory. This decision marked the first gender equity ruling in the First Austrian Republic.
After the verdict, three women officially received licences to drive taxis. By the 1930s, their numbers grew to around 20–30, though the profession declined sharply during the Second World War. Recovery came slowly, with only a few dozen women returning to taxi driving by the 1970s. Meanwhile, newspapers at the time predicted a surge of female drivers, and Vienna's police even praised women for their careful driving and rule-following. Yet the night-work restriction for women taxi drivers remained in place for another 30 years.
Fischer's legal victory opened doors for women in Austria's transport sector. The court's ruling set a precedent for future equity cases. Today, her story is being revisited in Taxi Tales, a performance that maps her journey through Vienna's streets.
