Around 100 women from the Rhine-Main area are taking part in a congress organized by the Municipal Foreigners’ Representation (KAV) in Frankfurt to be inspired to get involved.
Hibba Kauser actually didn’t want to go into politics at all. At some point, the 22-year-old got to the point where she said to herself: “If I don’t do it, who else will?” reported the SPD city councilor from Offenbach. She was born in a refugee camp in Brandenburg to parents from Pakistan and has been involved in the SPD since she was 15. Kauser stood together with Frankfurt Mayor Nargess Eskandari-Grünberg, City Councilor Hilime Arslaner (both Green) and the FDP city councilor Kriti Kumar from Kelsterbach on Tuesday evening on the podium in the town hall at the congress of migrant women in politics and management positions. Around 100 women from the entire Rhine-Main area accepted the invitation of the local foreigners’ representation (KAV).
The KAV itself has a problem with women. Only six of the 37 elected members are women. The idea of the KAV is to use role models, among other things, to motivate women to get involved. “The high level of participation shows the great need for women to network,” said Adriana Maximino dos Santos, deputy chairwoman of the KAV.
Recently, the KAV received a sobering answer when asked how many city officials with a migration background are women in managerial positions. There were 20 out of 840 posts. 17 of them were department heads, only three department heads and not a single office or operations manager. “We want to help shape this city, that is our claim. We’re not an accessory,” emphasized Arslaner. She is annoyed that women with a migration background are always asked the question of competence. “You have your sandpit, play there, but we shouldn’t interfere in the really important things,” said Arslaner, who has been a city councilor since 2011. “Power doesn’t want to be shared.” Eskandari-Grünberg also reported that she was told that she was too emotional or too loud. “People would like to have us there, but when it comes to the posts, it becomes difficult,” she said. That was frustrating and hurtful. But there were always fellow campaigners who supported her. And with persistence and stubbornness, she could have prevailed.
“There’s no point in complaining or talking, if you want to change something, you have to be the change,” said Kumar. Even if you fall seven times, you have to get up again the eighth time. Kauser stressed that it was important to find allies who would support you in a headwind. She tries to ignore the hatred she is met with on the street or on social networks. Because: “It makes a difference whether we sit at the coalition negotiating table and bring in our perspective,” she says.
Eskandari-Grünberg called for barriers for women, such as single parents, to be broken down. Arslaner emphasized: “We have to increase the visibility of women.” That worked well on Tuesday.
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