"Seen. Heard. Elected." – Women in local politics in NRW

Visibility creates participation – and participation changes politics.

Following the 2025 local elections, it is time to take stock: How visible are women really in the local political landscape of North Rhine-Westphalia?

The project Be the Change. Women for Democracy invites you to the event "Seen. Heard. Elected." – an afternoon full of inspiration, exchange, and a look ahead at the gender equality challenges of the coming years.

Together, we will take a critical look at the 2025 election results and discuss how we can bring more women – in all their diversity – into political leadership and ensure their lasting visibility. We are thinking ahead: How do we prepare for the 2027 state election? What structures are needed for true equal opportunity in local politics?

Program

• Inspiring keynotes by Prof. Dr. Barbara Thiessen (Bielefeld University) and Maria Pernegger (MediaAffairs, Vienna)
• Three engaging panel discussions including representatives from ministries, gender equality organizations, media, academia, and politics, as well as spoken word artist Jessy James LaFleur
• Presentation and analysis of the results of the 2025 local elections by the team led by Dr. David H. Gehne (ZEFIR)
• Opportunities for networking and conversation - during lunch (from 1:00 PM) and at the open reception with a buffet (from 6:15 PM)
• Exhibition of the project FrauenOrte NRW

Target audience

Municipal gender equality officers, women's associations, active local and state politicians, representatives from ministries, foundations, and municipal umbrella organizations, as well as interested women from across North Rhine-Westphalia.

Registration details will follow shortly.

More about the project

The project "Be the Change. Women for Democracy" is being carried out by the Marie Jahoda Center for International Gender Studies (MaJaC) at Ruhr University Bochum in cooperation with EAF Berlin and is funded by the Ministry for Children, Youth, Family, Equality, Refugees and Integration of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Registration

You can register via this link.