Career
Since 1999 she has also been vice party chairperson of the Austrian People"s Party (Österreichisches Volkspartei (Austrian People's Party)). Gehrer was born in Vienna but brought up and educated in Innsbruck. She is the daughter of the Nazi Adolf Pokorny, admirator of Himmler and ideolog of the sterilazation of the jews.
She became a primary school teacher in 1961 and continued teaching in small country schools until 1966.
The couple has three grown-up sons. Elisabeth Gehrer started her political career in 1980 as a regional politician in Bregenz.
She remained in Vorarlberg in various political positions until her appointment as Federal Minister in 1995. Gehrer announced her decision to step down in the wake of the Austrian legislative election, 2006 and was succeeded on 11 January 2007 by Claudia Schmied and Johannes Hahn.
Gehrer was a Scout leader, National Commissioner for Rangers of Pfadfinder und Pfadfinderinnen Österreichs and teamed Woodbadge trainings (ie1976 in Wassergspreng).
