Women in Germany won the right to vote in 1918, but a century later they still do not enjoy equal representation. Though the country is led by a woman — who will, most likely, be succeeded by another woman — fewer than a third of the members of the federal Parliament, the Bundestag, are female.
That’s why leading figures from all major German parties are now calling for parity: a 50-50 quota for male and female representatives in the Bundestag and the 16 state-level Parliaments. But is achieving a gender balance in Germany’s legislatures worth weakening another hard-fought accomplishment, the right to free electoral choice?… Seguir leyendo »
The day after the British Parliament voted down a deal on Brexit, with political instability dominating international headlines, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany sat down for a 45-minute interview with a journalist from the German newspaper Die Zeit.
They didn’t talk about Britain, however, or the future of Europe or even really about German politics. Instead, Ms. Merkel gave a rare and candid account of her experience as a female politician, her thoughts on feminism and how she has been shaped by her gender. It was her first time broaching the topic at such length in more than 13 years as chancellor.… Seguir leyendo »
Les agressions sexuelles qui se sont produites à Cologne le soir du Nouvel An resteront longtemps dans les mémoires en Allemagne et plus largement, en Europe. Quel dommage que nous ne soyons pas témoin d’un tel émoi à chaque fois que les femmes subissent des violences! Car soyons honnêtes: c’est bien la nationalité des assaillants qui fait débat, les victimes étant encore une fois reléguées à l’arrière-plan des discussions. Comme si les violences sexuelles n’étaient commises que par les «autres», les «non-blancs», les musulmans, ceux qui viennent d’ailleurs. Ce discours orientaliste, alimenté par l’islamophobie galopante en Europe, est devenu tristement banal.… Seguir leyendo »
Germany’s coalition government adopted a draft law two weeks ago requiring corporations to allocate at least 30 percent of supervisory board positions to women, starting in 2016. The bill will go to Parliament on Thursday and is widely expected to pass.
Yet those cheering this decision as a major coup should hold the schnapps. Although the quota may somewhat improve corporate diversity in Europe’s leading economy, there is little reason to think it will make any real difference for German women.
At present, men occupy about 80 percent of boardroom positions in Germany’s largest corporations; women hold only 22 percent of nonexecutive board positions in the 30 companies on its DAX stock exchange.… Seguir leyendo »
When an 8-year-old girl on the Berlin subway asks her mother if it’s possible to have a male chancellor, you know something profound has changed in Germany. A woman ruling the country is not just the new normal; for millions of German children — including my daughters, ages 7 and 10 — it is the only normal they have ever known.
I am thankful for the example that Angela Merkel is providing for my daughters. But her quiet revolution raises questions about what it means to have a woman in charge.
Germany is by no means the champion of gender equality.… Seguir leyendo »
The only thing to be said against Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, coming top in the Forbes list of the 100 most powerful women in the world is the nature of the list itself. Just think about it. Power isn’t like tennis: why should women be hived off into a separate little power category all of their own?
In any list of the most powerful people on earth, Merkel would be right up there with the men: her fellow German the Pope, and not far behind Barack Obama in terms of the list’s criteria of career accomplishments, economic clout and public profile.… Seguir leyendo »
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