Compared to all other municipalities in the Ebersberg district, Moosach has a unique selling point: the only women’s list is located there, the association “Women for Moosach”. However, this rarity is hardly surprising: in all of Bavaria there are only 23 women’s lists with at least one mandate. Next weekend, the Moosacher association will hold the 31st federal congress of women’s lists. Chairwoman Regine Müller on the need for such lists and on the status quo of women in politics in the district.
SZ: Ms. Müller, many parties now have an equal number of men and women on their electoral lists, the federal executives of the Greens and SPD have been led by a mixed dual leadership for some time. Are women’s lists still up-to-date in times like this?
Regine Mueller: Women’s lists exist mainly in rural communities – there is often still very conservative thinking when it comes to the participation of women in politics. After all, the proportion of women in political bodies in rural areas, such as in the district of Erding, is usually around 20 percent – if at all! There are also congregations without a single female elected official. With such a high imbalance, women’s lists are imperative.
Wouldn’t it be better to change the structures of the local and district sections of parties so that women and men are equally represented?
Unfortunately, in rural areas there are often no lists of parties that are represented at state and federal level. Here in Moosach, for example, there are no Greens, no SPD, no FDP, no ÖDP. That’s how it is for many municipalities, it’s not a Moosach idiosyncrasy. However, these are often the parties that have had equal representation on their electoral lists for some time. So if on the one hand you want exactly that – which we all do in our association – but on the other hand these parties don’t even exist in one place, then we need women’s lists. Because they are a guarantor for increasing the female participation in the committees or in some places to form them in the first place.
The association is organizing the 31st federal congress of municipal women’s lists over the coming weekend. How did that come about?
We have been taking part in the national congress ourselves for years. The congresses are organized by the grassroots, i.e. by individual lists of women. We think that’s important and good – and so we wanted to take over the baton one day.
How many participants do you expect?
35 elected representatives are currently registered. In addition, there are the members of our association. We honestly expected a little more – usually about 80 women come. Due to the fact that it has been largely idle over the past two years, a number of events have accumulated, but nobody can split in two. Also, the pandemic isn’t over, and some continue to avoid large gatherings.
What topics will you be speaking about at the congress?
We designed the program ourselves, so basically every lecture is very important to us. But we are extremely excited about the Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister for Economic Affairs, Bärbel Kofler, for example. She will speak about why a feminist development policy advances society and will report on concrete project examples. Martina Wegner also speaks about citizen participation as a cornerstone of democracy and about its opportunities and risks – she is a professor at the Faculty of Applied Social Sciences at Munich University of Applied Sciences.
Are the conditions at the municipal level comparable at all – from deepest Bavaria to the far north?
Yes, the exchange of experiences is enormously important and valuable. Difficulties with issues such as transport, infrastructure or childcare in rural areas are similar everywhere. In addition, women’s lists generally pursue some common goals, for example the advancement of women, parity or the creation of offers of help such as women’s shelters.
Since the last local elections in 2020, there have now been four female mayors in the Ebersberg district instead of one – i.e. 300 percent more. Coincidence or turning point?
When it comes to women, our district is doing quite well compared to others. In the Ebersberg district council, for example, the proportion of women is almost 43 percent – the Bavarian average is almost 30 percent. I don’t think that’s a coincidence: we have a strong women’s union, as well as great women from the Greens and SPD – and have been for decades. These successful role models of local politicians are a signal that has also made the office of mayor attractive to women. And the role cliché of the man in the executive chair at the town hall is also softening more and more among voters, many people now simply vote for women. But it’s still clear: there’s still a long way to go before we’ve reached 50 to 50 – also in the Ebersberg district.