Government Programs in Germany - Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth

Advice on Mobile Time-Qualified Part-time Work for Women and Men

The project, run by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, has been in operation since May 1995. The aim is to promote part-time work in the private sector and in specialist and executive positions. The Ministry offers interested companies advice on developing tailor-made models of part-time work, which are elaborated in consultation with personnel management, the Works Council and interested employees.

Counselling Offers on the Improved Reconciliation of Family and Career in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, 1994-1997

The pilot project of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth was sponsored by the chambers of industry and commerce and a private sector education centre. The focus of the information and advice disseminated focussed on flexible forms of work and mobile time models that reconcile family and career as well as employer's interests of improving the structure of company time. At the end of the project, a report was issued that concluded that family-friendly working policies and competitiveness were not necessarily contradictory.

Female Entrepreneurs Network pilot Project

This project of Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth is aimed to establish a competence centre for women entrepreneurs, as well as an European Union network for the promotion of women setting-up in business.

Joint Change/Chance Initiative

The Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth has earmarked DM 1.4 million for a counselling and information service to encourage women to take company management positions. This venture is also supported by Deutsch Ausgleichsbank, the Deutscher Industrie- und Handelstag and the Zentralverband des Deutschen Handsweks.

National Plan of Action Strategies

Under its commitment to improve the situation of women in industry, commerce and the labour market, the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth carried out several projects to promote:

1. the social security of women, such as the pilot project on help for independent homeless women (Hilfen für alleinstehende wohnungslose Frauen);
2. further training of women;
3. family friendly working policies, such as a pilot project on part-time work for women and men (Mobilzeitberatung- Qualifizierte Teilzeitarbeit für Frauen und Männer) which ended in early 1998;
4. employment opportunities for disabled women, such as the project that involves working with material specific to women when giving career advice to people with disabilities (Entwicklung und Erprobung curricularer Elemente zur Qualifizierung von Beraterinnen für behinderte Frauen) from 1996 to 1999, as well as analysis into the situation of disabled women and research in possible solutions to problems identified;
5. access to training and work, and;
6. equal employment opportunity for women and men throughout their career.

New Image for Men

In recognition of the fact that the project to reconcile work and family involves the roles of both women and men, the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth is promoting a new image of modern men that will support a more equal sharing of work and family responsibility between men and women. The Federal Government consequently hopes to:

1. Promote the image of equal family and child rearing responsibility between men and women through advertisement campaigns.
2. Integrate the issues of reconciling family and career in the continuing education of male managers.
3. Promoting best practise models internationally at trade fairs, congresses and exhibitions.
4. National competition Family Friendly Company 2000, awarding companies that support fathers to reconcile family and career, thereby integrating the principle of family and work integration into their codes of conduct. The award is to be conferred at EXPO 2000.

Region of the Future for Female Entrepreneurs

The Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth is also encouraging regional implementation in equal opportunity by activities such as the Region of the Future for Female Entrepreneurs competition. In 1999, the Federal Government selected three regions that were exemplary in promoting women entrepreneurs and establishing favourable conditions to facilitate this.

Third Universities Special Programme in the Science Sector

The programme is administered by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth. The emphasis is on providing reintegration grants, contact and special doctorate programmes for women. The plan of action also aims to create a 20% niche of women doctorates by the year 2000. The programme is to be continued in the follow-up plans of the Third University Special Programme (HSP-Nachfolgemassnahme) commencing in 2001. The Government has earmarked DM 10 Million per year for the programme.

Special funding was also granted to finance 100 permanent positions for women scientists at the Hermann von Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft Deutscher Forshungszentren (association of German research centres), thereby also increasing the percentage of women in management.

An example of gender mainstreaming in the higher education constitution can be found in the region of Baden-Württenberg, article 3(A) (German)

The provincial higher education law provision pledges its commitment to the five year HSP III programme and establishes the mechanism by which a women commissioner is to be appointed.

Women and Professorships

The project (1996-2000), with a budget of DM 3.6 billion, is run jointly by the Federal Government and the Länder to increase the percentage of women in the research sector. It also forms part of the "Women and Work" programme. Initiatives include special programmes such as the Third Universities Special programme (HSPIII). Roughly 40% of the funds for personal measures are earmarked for women. DM 200 million has been invested for measures aimed at improving the reconciliation of scientific qualification and child-raising duties, and the habilitation of women. The HSP III integrates conclusions and recommendations in the Bund/Länder Commission Report on the Promotion of Women in the Scientific Sector, adopted in December 1996.

Women and Work Programme

The programme aims to advance the equal opportunities of women and men in employment and in the family. In addition, it has as its objectives:

1. improvement of training opportunities for young women, especially in the Information Technology sector;
2. expansion of employment and advancement opportunities for women;
3. the elimination of discrimination against women entrepreneurs;
4. promotion of reconciliation of family and work and the increasing the integration of men into family work;
5. counteracting income and wage discrimination against women; and,
6. increasing the percentage of women in research and teaching.

Areas in which measures are to be taken include:

1. Statutory regulations concerning the equal rights of women and men.
2. Gender mainstreaming of equal rights policy and the Federal Government Report on the establishment of equal pay.
3. Immediate assistance programme to reduce youth unemployment.
4. Occupational promotion of women in technical occupations and the service sector as well as skilled trade.
5. Support of pilot projects for the promotion of equal rights, such as the TOTAL E-QUALITY commendation project and the establishment of a counselling and information centre for equal rights in the private sector.
6. Opportunities for women setting-up in business, such as Start Funds, Joint Change/Chance initiative Region of the future for female entrepreneurs competition and the Female entrepreneurs network pilot project.
7. Equal opportunities of women and men in research.
8. Policies for mothers and fathers for reconciling family and career, such as initiatives in the part-time work sector, tele-work, support of the family, career audits and childcare.
9. New image for men, such as an advertising campaign for a new male image.
10. Promotion of women within the framework of labour promotion law.