Hedwig Toth-Schmitz, board member of the Humanist Association of Germany, commented on today’s International Women’s Day, March 8, 2020:
“There is still a long way to go to achieve real equality between men and women. Unfortunately, this can be seen year after year with the same issues: the pay gap between men and women, the unequal distribution of care work or the predominantly male occupation of board and management positions in business and politics. However, gender inequality is also evident on a smaller scale: As studies show, girls receive even less pocket money than boys.”
“At the same time, awareness and solidarity are growing in our society. Campaigns such as #metoo, #aufschrei and most recently #unhatewomen are increasingly addressing verbal and physical violence or everyday sexism against women. That’s a good thing, because gender injustice starts in our heads.”
“However, it has now become clear that public debates or voluntary commitments alone are not enough to set the course for actual equality. To achieve this, politicians must focus more on social security and the self-determination of women and further strengthen the representation and rights of women. A good start would be to finally remove paragraph 219a from the Criminal Code, which disempowers half of the population by declaring women incapable of making responsible decisions. After all, sexual self-determination and reproductive rights are the prerequisite for a whole range of life choices that are either open to women or denied to them as a result. Further steps must follow swiftly.”
Bild: Markus Schöllhorn
