WEBVTT 00:00:07.552 --> 00:00:09.613 My name is Eva Häfele. 00:00:09.643 --> 00:00:12.282 I am a freelance social scientist 00:00:12.312 --> 00:00:16.779 and come from Voralberg the smallest province of Austria. 00:00:16.809 --> 00:00:19.159 My main focus in the social sciences 00:00:19.189 --> 00:00:22.026 is women's and youth research, 00:00:22.056 --> 00:00:26.581 but I also deal with migration, immigration, integration 00:00:26.611 --> 00:00:29.470 and labour market issues 00:00:29.500 --> 00:00:33.423 with a focus on women and young people. 00:00:37.040 --> 00:00:42.408 So I have had little contact with the sociocracy itself so far. 00:00:42.438 --> 00:00:45.192 The contacts actually came about through 00:00:45.222 --> 00:00:47.335 Mrs. Anja Sagara Ritter, 00:00:47.365 --> 00:00:49.756 whom I have known for many years, 00:00:49.786 --> 00:00:52.769 and I also always receive the sociocracy messages, 00:00:52.799 --> 00:00:54.904 which I follow with great interest. 00:00:54.934 --> 00:00:56.919 Unfortunately, I have not yet had the 00:00:56.949 --> 00:01:01.468 opportunity to participate directly in a seminar, lecture or workshop. 00:01:01.498 --> 00:01:08.884 Therefore, this is the first opportunity to experience and get to know sociocracy live 00:01:08.914 --> 00:01:10.636 and I am looking forward to it. 00:01:10.666 --> 00:01:14.324 However, there is a very exciting starting point 00:01:14.354 --> 00:01:17.977 for me to which I will refer in my presentation: 00:01:18.007 --> 00:01:26.241 the participation, but also participation in general of women in politics 00:01:26.271 --> 00:01:30.588 has a relatively short history in Austria. 00:01:30.618 --> 00:01:34.290 Last year, we celebrated 100 years of women's suffrage. 00:01:34.320 --> 00:01:36.722 And women are still involved 00:01:36.752 --> 00:01:41.524 - only to a degree that doesn't correspond to their share of the population - 00:01:41.525 --> 00:01:45.910 in politics but also in shaping the community. 00:01:45.940 --> 00:01:49.050 And here I think that sociocracy 00:01:49.080 --> 00:01:51.822 can play a very important role 00:01:51.852 --> 00:01:56.382 in getting more women interested in shaping society 00:01:56.412 --> 00:01:58.067 and in winning them over to it. 00:01:58.097 --> 00:02:00.669 So it is not only a matter of showing interest, 00:02:00.699 --> 00:02:03.223 but also of playing an active part in shaping it. 00:02:03.253 --> 00:02:08.156 And in order to jump over this hurdle, from interest to active participation, 00:02:08.186 --> 00:02:14.305 I think that sociocracy will play a very important role. 00:02:19.065 --> 00:02:22.224 Of course, there are good practical examples 00:02:22.254 --> 00:02:26.803 of how women can be brought better into politics. 00:02:26.833 --> 00:02:29.580 I have a very broad understanding of politics. 00:02:29.610 --> 00:02:31.742 So these are not only political parties, 00:02:31.772 --> 00:02:35.922 but also in general - as the sociocracy already does - 00:02:35.952 --> 00:02:37.666 that participation takes place 00:02:37.696 --> 00:02:42.425 and that in this participation shaping also takes place. 00:02:42.455 --> 00:02:47.455 And here I hope, we have the example in Voralberg of the citizen's councils. 00:02:47.485 --> 00:02:52.931 Citizen's councils are found according to the needs of the population. 00:02:52.961 --> 00:02:58.168 That means that the women here already possess a corresponding proportion 00:02:58.198 --> 00:03:03.820 of age-wise also with or without migration history in these citizen's councils. 00:03:03.850 --> 00:03:10.295 And there sociocracy can offer another push, above all, as an exciting format. 00:03:13.828 --> 00:03:17.357 In its current form, how our society functions, 00:03:17.387 --> 00:03:22.907 in a very patriarchal, male-dominated structure of power, 00:03:22.937 --> 00:03:26.141 I've to say that I am absolutely in favour of the quota. 00:03:26.171 --> 00:03:31.385 In many discussions I have also repeatedly shared my arguments 00:03:31.415 --> 00:03:34.942 as a group social scientist. 00:03:34.972 --> 00:03:38.371 A group doesn't like to give up its power 00:03:38.401 --> 00:03:43.017 and this can only happen through external pressure, legal regulations 00:03:43.047 --> 00:03:46.702 or through rewards. 00:03:46.732 --> 00:03:49.286 Rewards have not worked so far. 00:03:49.316 --> 00:03:53.751 And I am in favor for a quota on a political level 00:03:53.781 --> 00:03:57.625 which already exist in most parties - I will refer to it in my presentation. 00:03:57.655 --> 00:04:01.860 Many citzen lists, do it voluntarily, 00:04:01.890 --> 00:04:04.683 without being legally obliged to. 00:04:04.713 --> 00:04:08.086 By now we have a regulation in the supervisory boards 00:04:08.116 --> 00:04:13.041 that a corresponding quota of women have to be present 00:04:13.071 --> 00:04:14.294 and act there. 00:04:14.324 --> 00:04:16.938 But - and I will come to that later - 00:04:16.968 --> 00:04:19.097 there is such a thing as a glass ceiling. 00:04:19.127 --> 00:04:22.385 So far in participation mainly in the political sphere 00:04:22.415 --> 00:04:24.855 that is around 30%. 00:04:24.885 --> 00:04:26.710 So what is happening is 00:04:26.740 --> 00:04:31.261 that it is easier for women to get into various bodies, 00:04:31.291 --> 00:04:33.421 in other words to take this first step. 00:04:33.451 --> 00:04:39.057 But at some point they come up against the glass ceiling and they can't get any further. 00:04:39.087 --> 00:04:42.707 This means that they will stay - as it is the case in many companies today - 00:04:42.737 --> 00:04:47.111 simply below the glass ceiling and behind the glass wall 00:04:47.141 --> 00:04:49.562 and unfortunately many women still get stuck there. 00:04:49.592 --> 00:04:53.477 This requires extra effort from society 00:04:53.507 --> 00:04:55.907 and politics, but I think from all of us. 00:05:06.444 --> 00:05:10.621 I share your observation in many areas. 00:05:10.651 --> 00:05:17.066 As I am sure you know, women have caught up to men in the realm of education, 00:05:17.096 --> 00:05:21.690 but the over 50% of women who now have their degrees 00:05:21.720 --> 00:05:26.190 are not yet represented at all at the management level. 00:05:26.220 --> 00:05:30.110 And I experience this very often myself, 00:05:30.140 --> 00:05:32.634 which I am asked to do, as a woman 00:05:32.664 --> 00:05:34.289 even as a specialist, 00:05:34.319 --> 00:05:38.090 but then it often says "yes, we don't have a woman on the podium yet". 00:05:38.120 --> 00:05:41.313 Meanwhile I refuse these invitations. 00:05:42.099 --> 00:05:44.106 I think that has a lot to do 00:05:44.136 --> 00:05:49.172 with these role models, with these role expectations of women 00:05:49.202 --> 00:05:51.697 - in my lecture, this topic will also appear - 00:05:51.727 --> 00:05:56.298 that they don't dare to do some things - young women as well as well as 00:05:56.328 --> 00:06:01.365 older or middle-aged women, in order to consider an age group here. 00:06:01.395 --> 00:06:07.243 We have to pay more attention here already in school, in kindergarten, 00:06:07.273 --> 00:06:12.589 to the fact that girls get the opportunity to be present, to present themselves, 00:06:12.619 --> 00:06:14.494 to express their opinions, 00:06:14.524 --> 00:06:18.997 to bring in their opinions also in a discussion, in a conversation 00:06:19.027 --> 00:06:22.139 and simply step out. 00:06:22.169 --> 00:06:26.020 I was lucky, I learned that. I was in the USA 00:06:26.050 --> 00:06:29.790 and there I had to give lectures all the time about Austria 00:06:29.820 --> 00:06:34.843 and was used to appear in front of big and small groups with and without camera. 00:06:34.873 --> 00:06:41.175 But this is a matter of practice and at some point you can also overcome these fears 00:06:41.205 --> 00:06:44.998 as a woman and then dare to speak your own mind. 00:06:45.028 --> 00:06:50.307 There is a saying. I cannot verify it scientifically 00:06:50.337 --> 00:06:54.165 but women always want to be 120% sure 00:06:54.195 --> 00:06:59.598 before they go public with their knowledge, with their opinion, with their experience 00:06:59.628 --> 00:07:02.168 and with men who have the feeling 00:07:02.198 --> 00:07:06.475 "yes, if I know that 30-40%, then I can do that, too". 00:07:06.505 --> 00:07:09.620 And this should be reversed for women. 00:07:09.650 --> 00:07:13.334 Because really also with less knowledge, 00:07:13.364 --> 00:07:17.627 you can make an excellent and important contribution.