Women - men - gender. - Bibliothek der Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung

8
EDITORIAL
Social Democracy is Gender-Democracy
The Friedrich Ebert Stiftung has
identi fi ed three strategic objectives,
which are perceived as being particularly
important in strengthening
Social Democracy. The activities of
the FES at the national and international
level will focus on these strategic
goals. These three policy areas
that have to necessarily be broadly
defi ned provide a minimal structure
and an overview to the broad spectrum
of FES activities.
Shaping Globalization to promote social justice
Projects, publications and events seek answers to the following questions:
who are the winners and who are the losers? How to protect the
losers of globalization in Germany as well as in Bangladesh? Do gender
strategies help in development cooperation – and how open are governments
and industry to applying these strategies, which are supposed to
ensure greater gender equality and equity?
Making the values of Social Democracy tangible: Education,
Integration, Equality of Opportunity, Protection for the Weak,
Support for Families
Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung has impelled public debate on these issues. At
conferences, panel discussions and seminars in Germany and abroad,
the connections between these issues have consistently been highlighted:
without education there can be no integration. Without protection
for the weak, there can be no equality of opportunity. Without a policy
for families that views men and women as sharing responsibility equally
and children as societal responsibility, there can be no equal opportunity
for women professionally.
Promoting Dialogue amongst Politics and Trade Unions
In trade unions women still fi nd it diffi cult to get gender issues included
in the agenda. However, people are increasingly more inclined to view
the application of methods such as gender mainstreaming more
favorably, seeing in them opportunities for both sexes, be it with regard
to working conditions, or the elimination of the continuing wide disparity
in wages for men and women or social issues such as old age
poverty of women. At the same time, it is also important to once again
intensify the dialogue between trade unions and political decisionmakers.
The year 2008 provided ample opportunity to take stock of and refl ect
on the successes and failures associated with the issues of equal opportunities,
policies for women and gender equality and equity in politics and
society. A hundred years ago [in Germany] the ban on women
participating in politics was lifted. For the past ninety years women have
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