Since 1958, women and men are considered officially equal by German law. Nonetheless, lots remain to be done. The Foreign Office is one of many institutions in Germany promoting workplace equality and several measures have been taken to strengthen the female workforce: Since 2016, a mentoring program for young women in the Foreign Service helps female diplomats to seek guidance and experience of their older female peers as well as supporting women to apply for diplomatic positions such as consuls or ambassadors. In internal correspondence, emphasis is being put on gender-inclusive language, and we are using the descriptors “female, male and diverse” in job postings. In a very recent step further, the Foreign Office declared a 30% female participation benchmark at all events hosted by the Foreign Office.
There are also interesting academic offers popping up in the German university landscape related to gender equality: the Freie Universität Berlin (Free University Berlin) started a new graduate program in the fall of 2019 on “Gender, Intersectionalism and Politics”, which addresses pressing issues in regards to gender equality. Yet another project in Germany worth mentioning is the “Female Future Day”, a conference especially geared towards women, initiated by the Berlin-based online magazine Edition F.
For all IWD action, in Berlin, Toronto or all over the world, please check:
www.internationalwomensday.com/EventList