Through the Eyes of a Woman

 An invitation from a political party fluttered into my e-mail inbox in the summer of 2022. The headline read, "The future is made with women - women's advancement program." The invitation was for a support program that would prepare candidates for the 2024 local elections. Three modules were designed to impart knowledge about political structures, processes, and content at the municipal level, strengthen individual soft skills and build a political network (including a mentoring program). Politics are often still seen as a male domain, and it is therefore important that women receive support in this area.  To this end, there are four seminar weekends and various digital evening events. The rationale behind the campaign: "We want to achieve equality in politics. For this, we need more women in the groups that make political decisions. It is clear to us that a good future can only be shaped with women in positions of responsibility.” When the news came out in Octo

Only a woman who has just delivered a baby can fully relate to what Eve felt when she gave birth to her first son. [1]   Never before had a human being created a new life. It was an overwhelming experience for Eve. In the first hours after the birth, she experienced elation and deep gratitude that she had been allowed to bring this little baby into the world. An intimate bond developed between mother and child, so that everything else around her faded away. In the first two hours after birth, mother and child enjoy their togetherness and this first feeling of connection is an incredible experience. For months the mother has been waiting for her baby to arrive and now, after the birth, she needs time to get to know her child at leisure. They need to cuddle and the baby enjoys the warmth in the mother’s arms. Having been connected to the mother through the umbilical cord that is now severed, the baby needs a new form of bonding through closeness, warmth, and skin contact for healthy

    Almost as if it were a response to my blog This is a Man's World [1] on September 6, ZDF showed a three-part documentary by Collien Ulmen-Fernandes starting on September 27 entitled laut. stark. gleich. berechtigt. Zeit der Frauen. [2] The shows were entertaining and historical, and very relatable to women of my age. The point was to ask questions. How has the image of women changed since the 1950s, when women were still expected to take care of children, cooking, and church by themselves? What rights did women fight for in the 1960s and 1970s? And finally, it was also about what still prevents women from advancing today. The differences between women in East and West Germany were also portrayed.  It documentary also showed how difficult it was for women in politics to be taken seriously in this male domain. What annoys me most is how the men showed their supposed superiority by laughing at women and making sexist jokes and showing a lack of understanding for women tak

On the Synodal Way of the German Catholic Church, about 230 members have gathered at each of the four Synodal Assemblies for their plenary sessions. On Saturday, September 10, the fourth plenary assembly of the Synodal Way closed in Frankfurt am Main. There, Catholic bishops, priests, and laypeople met to debate the reform of the Church in Germany and to make binding decisions. This is regarded as a path leading up to the actual Synod of Bishops in Rome in October 2023. One of the members is the Benedictine nun, Sister Philippa Rath of St. Hildegard Abbey in Eibingen near Rüdesheim. She is particularly committed to full equality for women in the church. Sister Philippa is a theologian and political scientist, a member of the board of directors of the Convent, and responsible for the press and public relations of her organization. At the end of 2019, she was awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany for her commitment to the church and social work. She says, &quo