40 years of equality in Munich: A path full of challenges!

40 years of equality in Munich: A path full of challenges!

Munich has achieved a lot for equality for women over the past 40 years. The Equal Opportunities Office for Women has existed here since 1985 and has been working ever since with the aim of enforcing the constitutional requirement of equality in work, family and society. Nicole Lassal, who has headed this position for ten years, is a driving force behind the initiatives launched in Munich. Their predecessors, Friedel Schreyögg and Michaela Pichlbauer, also left important traces that will be continued.

Lassal currently leads a team of twelve employees spread across nine full-time positions. The 54-year-old political scientist, herself the mother of four daughters, brings a lot of commitment to her work. “We want to bring about change and create real equal opportunities,” she explains in an interview with Hallo Munich. The city's equal opportunities statute, which came into force in 1998, has increased the participation of women in personnel matters and in city council proposals on equality-specific topics. These are steps that show the city is serious about equality.

Progress and setbacks

Despite these developments, the gender pay gap in Munich remains a major challenge. Current figures show that women earn on average 18 percent less than men (men: 24.36 euros, women: 20.05 euros per hour) - even if the gap has narrowed since 2021. Inequality is particularly evident in traditional sectors such as the automotive industry. As a WSI study shows, women are often in underrepresented positions here and are also less likely to have full-time positions.

The 40,000 city employees in Munich are making progress, especially at the management level, but there is still a lot to do. Lassal emphasizes that only a quarter of the representatives in the Bavarian state parliament are women, while 50 percent of the city council are women. The goal is clear: equality should not remain just a theoretical concept, but should also be implemented in practice.

An action plan for the future

An action plan with 33 measures against gender-based disadvantages has been drawn up. These include, among other things, self-assertion courses in schools and the opening of another women's shelter. These measures are intended to improve the compatibility of family and work and raise awareness of gender-based violence.

“There’s something there!” says Lassal, addressing the urgency of proactively addressing the challenges of gender equality. There is a lot of potential, but also numerous obstacles on the way to a fair and equal society.

In a city where the Equal Opportunities Office has stood for women's activism and equal opportunities for four decades, there remains hope that the positive changes that have been initiated will be carried forward. The constant work of the Equal Opportunities Office and its employees promises to make further progress soon. The people of Munich can be excited to see how things will develop.

For further information about the equal opportunities office and current developments in Munich, please click here: South German newspaper, Hello Munich, and Hans Böckler Foundation.