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

32
SOCIAL DEMOCRACY
FES-Berlin
Ban on Head Scarves vs. the
Participation of Muslim Women?
More than fi ve years ago the Federal Constitutional
Court ruled that legislation was required for “newly
laying down the permissible degree of religious
references in schools”. At a conference in Berlin,
the consequences of this “Headscarf Ruling“ and
the new legal statutes in the Bundesländer (federal
states) were discussed. The majority of the participants
criticised the restrictive statutes, particularly
in the southern Bundesländer with their privileging
of Christian-occidental symbols. It was
pointed out that this is in violation of the ruling of
the highest court with regard to the equal treatment
of religions. However, the Berlin Law on strict
neutrality, due to which a number of religious symbols
were prohibited in public spaces, was also criticised,
as this resulted in a confl ict of objectives:
the desired participation of Muslim women and
the obligation of the state to maintain neutrality in
matters of religion. The law has resulted in the
discrimination against women wearing headscarves
in the free labor market.
It was proposed to proceed case by case rather than
to go strictly by regulation alone. But opinion remains
divided.
The Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
FES Offi ce
Not a Place to Stay?
At the seminar of the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
FES Offi ce, the focus was on demographic
developments, on migration and commuting,
especially of young girls and women, and ways to
prevent the exodus of young women. Young
women narrated experiences from their personal
lives and articulated their aspirations and wishes,
which if they were to come true, could persuade
them to stay back.
The Brandenburg FES Offi ce
Living Women’s Strengths
During the Brandenburg Women’s Week in Potsdam,
the focus was on municipal elections and
politics. The FES Offi ce had organized a discussion
to explore ways and means to strengthen the participation
of women in municipal decision-making
processes. The slogan was “Bringing Alive Women’s
Strengths – Structuring the Future through Diversity
and Participation”. The topics for discussion
were: critical review of regional developments,
fostering a sense of responsibility for the region,
continuing defi cits in the participation of women,
creating more opportunities for structuring.
FRIEDRICH-EBERT-STIFTUNG