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Pressemitteilung

Parity State Forum:

10.12.2019

Over a year ago, Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) declared at the "100 Years of Women's Suffrage" commemorative event: "The goal must be parity, parity everywhere." A few months later, the parliaments in Brandenburg (governed by SPD/The Left) and Thuringia (governed by The Left/SPD/Greens) passed Germany's first parity laws. In the next state elections there, all parties will be required to field lists with equal gender representation. This is a major success for the many civil society organizations and political actors who have been advocating for parity laws in Germany for over a decade.

Today, members of state parliaments and the Bundestag, along with representatives from civil society organizations, met at the invitation of EAF Berlin and the German Women's Council to discuss how to advance the issue of parity laws. Time is of the essence: with every state and federal election (with the exception of Hesse), the proportion of women in parliament has recently decreased. At the same time, the upcoming electoral reform opens a window of opportunity to pass a parity law for the Bundestag.

"Women make up half the population. Their absence from parliaments is a deficit in our democracy, which was founded on the historical exclusion of women. It is time to end this injustice. That is why the goal must be parity at all levels of politics: the Bundestag, state parliaments, and local government," said EAF Berlin Chair Helga Lukoschat in her introduction.

In the subsequent panel discussion, Dirk Adams (Member of the State Parliament, Alliance 90/The Greens Thuringia) and Klara Geywitz (former Member of the State Parliament, SPD Brandenburg) reported on the factors that were decisive for the introduction of parity laws in their respective states.

Elke Ferner, former Parliamentary State Secretary and board member of the German Women's Council, presented various parity models, emphasizing: "Parity is above all a question of political will. Parity-based electoral lists alone will not achieve the goal. We must therefore urgently find a solution for direct mandates in the constituencies as well."

Dr. Christine Hohmann-Dennhardt, former Justice of the Federal Constitutional Court, commented on the constitutional debate surrounding parity. She made it clear that the introduction of parity laws can be justified by the mandate for equality set out in Article 3(2) of the Basic Law.

Finally, Members of Parliament Nicole Bauer (FDP), Yvonne Magwas (CDU/CSU), Josephine Ortleb (SPD), Cornelia Möhring (The Left), and Ulle Schauws (Alliance 90/The Greens) provided an overview of the state of the debate in the Bundestag. They agree that parity must be discussed as part of the electoral reform. "We will continue our cross-party dialogue."

The State Forum showed that the first steps on the long road to true political parity have been taken. However, in addition to legislation, political culture must also change. This is especially true for the local level, which has the lowest proportion of women in offices and mandates.

With the Helene Weber Kolleg, the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ) has created an institution that supports women in politics across party lines by fostering visibility, networking, and mentoring programs. The Parity State Forum was funded by the BMFSFJ as part of the Helene Weber Kolleg.

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