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We all know some of them: the French physicist Marie Curie, the Egyptian ruler Cleopatra, the French liberation fighter Joan of Arc. Strong women whose achievements have gone down in history. However, there are also those among them who achieved great things but only later received the fame they deserve. Do you know, for example, the Austrian Lise Meitner? She was an atomic physicist and the first woman to qualify as a professor in physics. For many years she worked closely with Otto Hahn and played a key role in his discoveries on nuclear fission. However, he was the only one to receive the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1944, while Lise Meitner was stripped of her teaching license in 1933 and subsequently had to flee to Sweden. She is just one example among many. Other examples are Junko Tabei - the first woman to summit Mount Everest, Emmeline Pankhurst - a British women's rights activist, and Wangari Maathai - Africa's first Nobel Peace Prize winner.
But alongside them, there are also everyday heroes today: single mothers, women who hold management positions in companies that are still shaped by traditional role models, mothers who show that WOMEN with families can also be successful in their careers and, last but not least, those who have made it their mission to stand up for the weaker.
March 8th has held a special significance for women in Germany, more precisely since March 19, 1911. That was the first time that Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Denmark declared a day of honor for women. Even then, women demanded equal rights for men and women and political participation on this day. Specifically, the focus was on women's suffrage, which was introduced in Germany seven years later in 1918.
International Women's Day was officially celebrated by the United Nations for the first time. Following the example of its early years, this day is still used to raise awareness of existing gender inequalities and promote bodily autonomy and political representation. The motto of this year's International Women's Day is #EmbraceEquity, which translates to "Embrace Equity." The slogan calls on everyone to stand up for justice and commit to it. Because only through justice can equal rights and equal opportunities be achieved for everyone.
A lot has happened since then, but we are still far from a society in which equal rights and opportunities for men and women are a given. Especially during the coronavirus pandemic, the question has been repeatedly asked: Is the coronavirus crisis feminine? Has the pandemic exacerbated inequalities? Or perhaps it has rather highlighted their continued existence?
At least, the facts confirm this. For example, some states have not yet incorporated gender equality into their constitutions, and millions of women around the world face discrimination when it comes to access to education or healthcare. While this does not apply to Germany, it is a fact that women are still disadvantaged here, for example in the labor market. The gender pay gap persists, and the proportion of women in leadership positions in Germany is still low: According to the Federal Statistical Office, the proportion of women was just under 30 percent in 2021. The situation is similar with self-employment. In 2021, the microcensus found that only around 33.2 percent of self-employed people in Germany were women.
And that brings us directly to our next topic. International Women's Day is particularly important to us at MAWA.
MAWA is also led by a strong woman: Ms. Schenk, Managing Director of MAWA. By taking over a tradition-conscious coat hanger manufacturer in 2007, she fulfilled a dream: to lead and develop a future-oriented company, which means focusing on future-oriented work, thinking and planning, mixed teams of women and men, and sustainability. Michaela Schenk is passionate about encouraging women to apply for leadership positions more often. She believes that women often have less confidence in themselves and do not always fully utilize their potential. However, in the face of social change, a wide variety of qualifications will be needed in leadership in the future, which are best met by a mix of women and men. She wants to set a role model herself and show that family and career can work. As an employer, she seizes the opportunity to make it easier to combine family and career through offers.
The company has set itself the goal of making the name MAWA synonymous with coat hangers, just as Tempo is synonymous with paper tissues. In 2022, it took a big step closer to achieving this goal: MAWA was honored as Brand of the Century. If you'd like to read more about it, check out the article on our website.
To serve as a role model for future generations of young women and show them what they are capable of, MAWA has decided to participate in Girls' Day again in 2023. The next Girls' Day will take place on April 27, 2023. These action days are the world's largest career orientation program, promoting the idea of choosing a career and study program free from gender stereotypes. Students from grade 5 and up visit companies or universities, meet role models in professions that are still predominantly held by women or men, and thus discover their individual strengths and talents.
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