Gender equality: On paper, there have been a number of improvements in recent years. Directives at the European level have made many adjustments to reduce discrimination against women in the workplace and prevent discrimination and sexual harassment. Today, however, it can be said that the actual implementation of these good guidelines is a long time coming, while the political pendulum is swinging back towards traditional role models in the wake of a shift to the right.
A challenging conclusion to the Erasmus+ project “Working at any price”, which ended after 30 months of intensive collaboration between five members of the European Center for Workers' Questions (EZA) on October 2, 2024 with an international symposium at the Nell-Breuning-Haus. Karin Reisige, the project manager, and Dr. Christina Herrmann, head of the department, were pleased with the active encouragement. Delegations of all project partners had arrived from Lithuania, Italy, Poland and Bulgaria.
The patron of the project, MEP Sabine Verheyen, now First Vice President of the European Parliament, stated that equality must continue. From her own biography, she is familiar with the discrimination of women who end up in the poverty trap because they give up their careers in favor of their family and husband. In a moving way, the project's film “Working at Any Price” uses interviews to make the difficult circumstances of affected women visible and tangible.
“Without economic independence, nothing matters,” said project manager Karin Reisige, pointing out a core problem. As long as economic and legal structures remain as they are, with only the tiniest of incremental changes being made, many women will not be able to freely decide on their own lives. This has many consequences, some of them fatal, for example if they remain in violent relationships because otherwise they would end up on the street. Working in precarious employment relationships also puts an enormous emotional and social strain on them.
“Every one of these stories is one too many,” said EZA General Secretary Sigrid Schraml. At the same time, the injustice in the distribution of care work affects a great many women in partnerships, especially when there are children involved or relatives in need of care. Throughout a lifetime, a distinction is made between who takes care of family, partnership, household or social tasks in a relationship. And the distinction that is made is rooted in traditional role models.
If we accept this analysis by Sascha Verlan, author and co-initiator of the Equal Care Initiative, the education system has a great responsibility. This starts with schools, which should prepare for life in a more holistic way, and extends to educational institutions, trade unions and other social organizations, such as those involved in the “Working at Any Price” project. Sabine Verheyen underlined this: “We need people like you to spread the word about gender equality.”
A curriculum from the project is intended to support this educational, awareness-raising and political work. One of many fruits of the 30-month project, Sigrid Schraml said. From her work in the network, she knows how difficult it is to achieve measurable progress in equality. At the same time, everyone is concerned to see how traditional role models are not only becoming stronger in European party politics, but are also gaining popularity among the population, especially among young men.
(Report: NBH/ Thomas Hohenschue M.A., Communication & Consulting & Development)