My name is Eva Häfele.
I am a freelance social scientist
and come from Voralberg the smallest province of Austria.
My main focus in the social sciences
is women's and youth research,
but I also deal with migration, immigration, integration
and labour market issues
with a focus on women and young people.
So I have had little contact with the sociocracy itself so far.
The contacts actually came about through
Mrs. Anja Sagara Ritter,
whom I have known for many years,
and I also always receive the sociocracy messages,
which I follow with great interest.
Unfortunately, I have not yet had the
opportunity to participate directly in a seminar, lecture or workshop.
Therefore, this is the first opportunity to experience and get to know sociocracy live
and I am looking forward to it.
However, there is a very exciting starting point
for me to which I will refer in my presentation:
the participation, but also participation in general of women in politics
has a relatively short history in Austria.
Last year, we celebrated 100 years of women's suffrage.
And women are still involved
- only to a degree that doesn't correspond to their share of the population -
in politics but also in shaping the community.
And here I think that sociocracy
can play a very important role
in getting more women interested in shaping society
and in winning them over to it.
So it is not only a matter of showing interest,
but also of playing an active part in shaping it.
And in order to jump over this hurdle, from interest to active participation,
I think that sociocracy will play a very important role.
Of course, there are good practical examples
of how women can be brought better into politics.
I have a very broad understanding of politics.
So these are not only political parties,
but also in general - as the sociocracy already does -
that participation takes place
and that in this participation shaping also takes place.
And here I hope, we have the example in Voralberg of the citizen's councils.
Citizen's councils are found according to the needs of the population.
That means that the women here already possess a corresponding proportion
of age-wise also with or without migration history in these citizen's councils.
And there sociocracy can offer another push, above all, as an exciting format.
In its current form, how our society functions,
in a very patriarchal, male-dominated structure of power,
I've to say that I am absolutely in favour of the quota.
In many discussions I have also repeatedly shared my arguments
as a group social scientist.
A group doesn't like to give up its power
and this can only happen through external pressure, legal regulations
or through rewards.
Rewards have not worked so far.
And I am in favor for a quota on a political level
which already exist in most parties - I will refer to it in my presentation.
Many citzen lists, do it voluntarily,
without being legally obliged to.
By now we have a regulation in the supervisory boards
that a corresponding quota of women have to be present
and act there.
But - and I will come to that later -
there is such a thing as a glass ceiling.
So far in participation mainly in the political sphere
that is around 30%.
So what is happening is
that it is easier for women to get into various bodies,
in other words to take this first step.
But at some point they come up against the glass ceiling and they can't get any further.
This means that they will stay - as it is the case in many companies today -
simply below the glass ceiling and behind the glass wall
and unfortunately many women still get stuck there.
This requires extra effort from society
and politics, but I think from all of us.
I share your observation in many areas.
As I am sure you know, women have caught up to men in the realm of education,
but the over 50% of women who now have their degrees
are not yet represented at all at the management level.
And I experience this very often myself,
which I am asked to do, as a woman
even as a specialist,
but then it often says "yes, we don't have a woman on the podium yet".
Meanwhile I refuse these invitations.
I think that has a lot to do
with these role models, with these role expectations of women
- in my lecture, this topic will also appear -
that they don't dare to do some things - young women as well as well as
older or middle-aged women, in order to consider an age group here.
We have to pay more attention here already in school, in kindergarten,
to the fact that girls get the opportunity to be present, to present themselves,
to express their opinions,
to bring in their opinions also in a discussion, in a conversation
and simply step out.
I was lucky, I learned that. I was in the USA
and there I had to give lectures all the time about Austria
and was used to appear in front of big and small groups with and without camera.
But this is a matter of practice and at some point you can also overcome these fears
as a woman and then dare to speak your own mind.
There is a saying. I cannot verify it scientifically
but women always want to be 120% sure
before they go public with their knowledge, with their opinion, with their experience
and with men who have the feeling
"yes, if I know that 30-40%, then I can do that, too".
And this should be reversed for women.
Because really also with less knowledge,
you can make an excellent and important contribution.