The 1990s were unprecedented times: The Wall had just come down and Berlin was set to regain its status as a capital city and seat of government. Berlin had its first centers of women’s and gender studies at its universities, a diverse project scene, and a network for women in Berlin’s city administration. But there was still no institution that worked independently and across party lines to promote more women in leadership positions in politics and business.
While numerous independent networks, feminist think tanks and organizations for the advancement of women had already been established in the US, there was a lack of comparable approaches in Germany. Inspired by her experiences in North America, Barbara Schaeffer-Hegel, professor at the Technical University of Berlin and renowned researcher into women’s issues, took it upon herself to set up a new kind of organization in Berlin. From its beginning, the EAF Berlin was established to be independent and to operate autonomously, which we manage to do so to this day.
The initial spark came in 1994 with the campaign to elect Hildegard Hamm-Brücher to the office of Federal President. This was largely initiated and organized by Barbara Schaeffer-Hegel and Helga Lukoschat. Although the campaign didn’t achieve its goal, it succeeded in putting the underrepresentation of women in top political and social positions on the political agenda in the long term.
In 1996, the EAF Berlin – the European Academy for Women in Politics and Business – was founded as a spin-off institution from the Technical University of Berlin by Barbara Schaeffer-Hegel and Helga Lukoschat. Their efforts were supported by numerous representatives from the realms of politics and business. From the beginning, the founders not only aimed to encourage more women to take up management positions, but also to work towards a more equitable work/life balance as part of a more family-friendly organizational and management culture that benefits both women and men.
EAF Berlin took a while to establish itself. Among the highlights of its early years (between 1996 and 1999) were:
Barbara Schaeffer-Hegel
Founding congress of EAF Berlin on April 17 1999 in the Rotes Rathaus
Photos: EAF Berlin // Kerstin Zillmer