Is Frauenpolitik still relevant?
Ulrike Hauffe, Ulrich Fuchs, Elvira Tomancok
Copyright: Linz09
Ulrike Hauffe, commissioner for women’s affairs of the State of Bremen, Germany, and Elvira Tomancok, commissioner for women’s affairs of the City of Linz addressed this and other questions at the latest Kopfstand on April 3.
Linz09’s fifth Kopfstand event was held in the Ars Electronica Center’s Sky Media Loft. As in all of the presentations in this series, issues that exist in a European context occupied the focal point: Is Frauenpolitik—political policymaking designed to advance the position of women—even relevant anymore? What are the best ways to reach young women who don’t seem to show much interest in Frauenpolitik these days? How do women approach culture? And how is Linz09 contributing to equal opportunities for women?Panelists included Ulrike Hauffe, commissioner for women’s affairs of the State of Bremen, Germany, and Elvira Tomancok in her capacity as commissioner for women’s affairs of the City of Linz. Both women agreed that Frauenpolitik is still relevant and will remain so as long as work, power, money and time are distributed unequally. Women continue to be disadvantaged, though this has become more subtle. Thus, what are called for are strategies beyond the realm of feminist collectives that offer a way to reach younger women.
In going about this is cultural fields, Ulrike Hauffe said, the strategy should be to use “women’s more sustainable approach to culture,” which can ultimately bring forth results in the form of artistic and cultural projects that have a unique character all their own.
Attendees were also interested in the steps that Linz09 had been taking in this regard. Ulrich Fuchs explained that Linz09 was in the process of considering project proposals that deal with these very issues. He also stressed that women hold key positions at Linz09 and that there is broad-based public interest in this area.
