Democracy and local politics

With our offerings, we help make politics more diverse.

Women are underrepresented at all levels of politics. The underrepresentation in local politics is particularly strong. The proportion of women here is only 27 percent on average. Only around 10 percent of cities are currently led by a female mayor. Municipal representatives also remain somewhat diverse in terms of family constellations, age, social background, migration experiences or visible disability.

Frau hält Mikrofon und Papiere und spricht vor einem Publikum in einem Veranstaltungsraum.

Democracy: It doesn't work without diversity

As a result, the different perspectives of all people who live in a municipality are not adequately represented. This is jeopardizing our democracy. After all, democracy depends on the participation of all citizens and their ability to influence political decision-making processes. Local and party political entry and advancement must continue to be made more accessible to women in their diversity. This is where we start with projects, programs and studies. We build our work on research and many years of practical experience.

Diversity in tech industry & software development: a business case

Promoting diversity offers companies the opportunity to respond innovatively to many of the challenges mentioned above. By reflecting on their own thinking patterns and integrating diverse perspectives, IT teams can better respond to the needs of their users. The targeted promotion of diversity is therefore not a “nice-to-have”, but a clear business case and competitive advantage in the dynamic IT landscape. But how can this be achieved in practice?

Become more diverse — diversity-sensitive recruiting and onboarding as a success factor

The IT sector is traditionally more masculine and is not yet fully exploiting the potential of diverse perspectives. Women and other marginalized groups are underrepresented in many teams, which is often due to deep-rooted stereotypes. However, studies show that diverse teams think more innovatively and understand the needs of their users better. Teams benefit from different perspectives, particularly in agile software development, which focuses on flexibility and rapid adjustments. Teams that actively promote diversity also create a working environment that reacts better to change and can respond more flexibly to new requirements.

Lächelnde Frau mit schulterlangen braunen Haaren, trägt ein blaues Sakko und ein rotes Oberteil vor grauem Hintergrund.

“Increasing diversity in politics is a mammoth task. Our approach is therefore based on three levels: individual empowerment, cultural change in parties and committees, and changes in structural framework conditions. ”

_{Cecile Weidhofer}_(Director)

Frau hält eine Präsentation vor einem Publikum in einem hellen Raum mit grünen Pflanzen und großen Fenstern.

Our approach is based on research and practical experience

The promotion of women's political participation must start at various levels:

Motivating and supporting women: For example, through networking and appropriate “empowerment” offers and opportunities to obtain information and overview
The development of party political cultures and structures: such as time spent on meetings/committees, better compatibility between family and politics, welcoming culture for new and other groups, reducing everyday sexism
The structural level: We are committed to new legal frameworks, such as requirements for parties in the direction of equality/parity, quotas

Übersicht des Kompetenzzentrums für Geschlechtergerechtigkeit in der Politik mit sechs Bereichen: Studien und Analysen, Beratung und Best Practices, Stärkung und Begleitung, Kommunikation und politische Einflussnahme, Netzwerkaufbau und Begleitung sowie Schutz vor Hass und Gewalt.

Our offer

Empowerment and networking offers in the form of trainings, workshops and seminars as well as internal and external mentoring programs. The formats can be carried out analogously and/or digitally.

Studies and surveys at federal, state or local level, including on the reconciliation, party cultures and representation of women in politics or diversity in parties

Advice to parties and municipalities, including on the development of strategies to attract more women to politics, the fight against sexism, family-friendly framework conditions and much more.

Presentations and organization and/or moderation of specialist events to disseminate empirical and scientific findings and good practices.

Trainings and workshops on unconscious thought patterns in a political context