It can only be done together! How we can finally achieve gender justice
- Autorin: Prof. Dr. h.c. Jutta Allmendinger, Ph.D.
- Verlag: Ullstein, ISBN: 978-354806452-9
- Preis: € 12,00 (D.), € 12,40 (A.)
- Hardcover, 137 Seiten
- Erschienen: Jan. 2021
"Differences in educational attainment between women and men have long since been eliminated, and academic performance is in line with each other. Today, women are even a tad better than men. There are also no differences in education, at least in terms of duration. (...). And then come the children. They change everything," says Prof. Allmendinger. She writes about the gender pay gap, the gender care gap and the gender pension gap. Allmendinger is one of Germany's leading sociologists, holds a doctorate from Harvard University and has been president of the Social Science Research Center Berlin (WZB) since 2007. For more than three decades, she has been concerned with how equality between women and men can be achieved and shows that we are currently in the reverse gear of emancipation.
The scientist soberly and objectively puts her finger in the various wounds, not without backing up her statements with sound background and figures. She makes no secret of the fact that she is in favor of quotas and calls for mutual respect, trust and eye level.
The idea for this polemic came from an Anne Will talk show in early May 2020, in which Allmendinger was also involved in the discussion. On the agenda at the time were the topics of economic stimulus programs, the scrappage bonus, women and how to prevent a recession. Then the conversation turned to how the pandemic has set women back. "Corona brought out the true social conditions as if under a burning glass: Men work, women work too - and take care of the children. Men earn, women earn too - but just a little extra. Part-time work and parental leave are still almost always women's business, and management positions and high salaries are men's business."
But Allmendinger does not just criticize, she also shows perspectives on what we can all do to make things fairer in the future. Because - as the title suggests - it can only be done together: together with partners, with the economy, with the state and its politicians.
The book is also political, as Allmendinger shows how different tax and sociopolitical incentives bring women into decision-making conflicts: Here, support derived from marriage; there, independent security from employment. The signals sent by these traditional incentives "have an impact on the entire career in the medium and long term. This is often overlooked - and that is fatal," is Allmendinger's credo.
Conclusion:
It is important that women like Allmendinger stand up for equal rights, because she is not regarded as a shrill womanizer, but as a scientist who, among other things, has been awarded the Federal Cross of Merit 1st Class and is a member of the editorial board of the weekly newspaper DIE ZEIT. Her word carries weight. Although the book is an appeal to politics, society and all of us, it is pleasant and entertaining to read. The 100 pages of text are read in no time at all, and those who want to delve deeper can continue reading in the extensive bibliography and endnotes. We definitely learned something after reading it!
©Beitragsfoto WZB/ David Ausserhofer
Anke Dembowski is a financial journalist and author of various investment fund-related and other financial books. She is also a co-founder of the "Fondsfrauen" network.