More money, more power, more protection: With a 15-point program, Bavaria’s Greens want to eliminate discrimination against women in the state. “I want to make Bavaria the first federal state with equal rights and ensure that politicians focus on the needs of women. Because even in 2023, women in Bavaria will earn less than their male colleagues for work of equal value and will do most of the care work,” said parliamentary group leader Katharina Schulze of the German Press Agency in Munich.
The demand for equality is also a core element of the Green election program. The goal of the initiative is equal living conditions for men and women “in all areas of daily life,” said Schulze. “Our equality policy begins and ends with reality: it is based on statistics from the lives of women and girls in Bavaria and will ultimately produce results that make life better for everyone in Bavaria.”
Gender equality is essential for contemporary, sustainable and future-oriented politics. “It must be the central goal of the state government and must not be reduced to a political niche under any circumstances,” said Schulze. “Women and girls in our country are still not adequately protected against violence and do not have equal access to power. Ultimately, everyone benefits from real equality,” stressed Schulze.
In Bavaria, women earned an average of 21 percent less than men in 2022
In a gender-equitable society, all people are economically self-determined and live more safely and freely. “Women are half of society, but the Söder government does not focus on this. That needs to be changed and the rights and opportunities of women and girls finally fully protected.”
An overview of the core demands of the Greens:
money/work: All state authorities and companies with the participation of the Free State should implement full equal pay and wage transparency. Municipalities and other companies would be supported. In Bavaria, women earned an average of 21 percent less than men in 2022. There should also be a gender equality-oriented social, family and labor market policy.
Power: With a reform of the electoral law, the Greens want to ensure that there is a gender parity distribution of list mandates and constituency duos consisting of men and women throughout Bavaria and across party lines. This would enable equal participation in parliament. The constitution should also stipulate that half of the Bavarian cabinet will always be made up of women in the future.
Security: Among other things, the program provides for a nationwide expansion of women’s shelters and long-term financing for shelters. In addition, there should be a nationwide prevention program against sexism, harassment, stalking, violence and misogyny and a feminist health policy.
Freedom: There should also be equality in the digital world. Violence against women in the digital space should be combated. It is also about increasing the participation of women in the digital economy and campaigning for the non-discriminatory use of digital technologies such as automated decision-making systems and data-supported algorithms.
Bavarian state government: There should be an agenda for gender equality in all policy areas. As an overarching strategy, cross-departmental ministerial and official cooperation is promoted, measures are decided, funds are made available in the budget and a monitoring system is created for implementation. There should be an equality check for new legislative projects. The Bavarian Equal Opportunities Act is to be amended.