Establish a permanent place for equal opportunity

Nowadays women are just as well-educated as, and often even better educated than, their male counterparts. However, whereas many men between the ages of 30 and 40 take three career steps at a time, some women in this same life phase often have to manage two or three jobs at a time: a part-time job, child-raising and homemaking. Frequently, it is the structures obtaining in our world of work that dictate such gender role patterns. I see this as one of the main reasons why women in top-management, on management and supervisory boards, continue to be exceptions to the rule. There can be no talk of fair opportunities for women in the workplace as long as family responsibilities are seen as a handicap and part-time work puts employees in a professional backwater. Nor, by the way, can there be talk of fair opportunities for those men who are prepared to accept more responsibility at home either, for, in a family-unfriendly working environment, they all too often disqualify themselves for higher functions as a result of this choice.

Rigid, uniform quotas laid down by law are not what is most needed by women (and men) who are seeking to have both time for the family and fair career opportunities. What they need most are partners. Regarding these needs I do not only mean life partners, who are willing to share the responsibility of taking care of the family, but also enterprises which, by providing family-friendly working conditions, ensure that taking a break after the birth of a child, or temporary part-time work, does not relegate any employee – whether male or female – to the professional sidelines. This is why this Federal Ministry promotes the creation of family-friendly working conditions, for instance, within the framework of the programme for businesses entitled: “Success Factor Family” or the initiative “Family-Conscious Working Hours”. A reliable partner for women on their way to top-management is also the TOTAL E-QUALITY association. For a number of years now, TOTAL E-QUALITY Germany has been seeking to promote women to assume management positions. The TOTAL E-QUALITY award is the only distinction which seeks to establish a permanent place for equal opportunity, for both men and women, in working life. In doing so, this employer recognition award supports our political ac-tivities and the measures we are taking in the context of the graduated plan entitled: “More women – more diversity in management”. Most companies see the award as having a positive effect. As a result of dealing with the application process, employees feel encouraged to make suggestions for workplace improvement and their appreciation of their own company tends to rise. This has been confirmed by the findings of a feasibility study funded by my ministry to determine how the award could be developed further.

The winners of the TOTAL E-QUALITY award are role models in our business and scientific communities. They have recognised that one of the keys to sustainability lies in the implementation of fair opportunities for women and men. I am certain that their commitment will be rewarded, also in the form of greater competitive advantage.

Dr. Kristina Schröder
Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth