Appeal: (F)Empower The Change

After decades of progress in gender equality, the current developments are alarming. The rights of women and girls are increasingly being restricted worldwide, according to the latest findings from the United Nations Population Fund. In two out of five countries, women's sexual autonomy is declining, and in the United States, the Supreme Court overturned the constitutionally guaranteed right to abortion in 2023.

In Austria, significant progress has been made since the Gender Equality Act of 1993. However, we still rank high in the gender pay gap, women are more affected by old-age poverty, they undertake the majority of care work, and furthermore, Austria has more femicides than any other European country. In Iceland, women went on strike for equality as early as 1975, bringing the economy of the 370,000-inhabitant country to a standstill.

Is a strike the last resort? What concrete measures are needed to empower women in the workplace and society? And is the government addressing the right issues for women at all?