“Dream your life beautifully and make these dreams a reality”, wrote the physicist Marie Curie once and wanted to encourage women to go their own way and to make their dreams come true. Their dreams are as different as the women themselves and their countries of origin. Gudrun Hellmuth was born in Germany, Olga Steinmiller in Russia, Sahar Hadinejad in Iran and Dr. Nagham Soda in Syria. You told this editorial team what International Women’s Day means to you and how much men and women are equal in their countries of origin and in Germany from their point of view.
Gudrun Hellmuth sees signs of a “roll backwards”
“For many women, 365 days of the corona pandemic mean: Home office, childcare and homeschooling ‘under one roof’. Reduction of working hours, the special burden on single parents or the additional risks in so-called systemically relevant professions, these challenges and the associated burdens in view of the corona pandemic concerned and concern women in particular “, describes Gudrun Hellmuth and sees signs of a” reverse role “in equality.
Gudrun Hellmuth, as a consultant for women and family in the Bad Neustadt city council, would like to bring International Women’s Day into public awareness. Before the Corona crisis, she organized themed events on International Women’s Day. It works to improve the life prospects of women and girls around the world and to contribute to equal opportunities.
Hellmuth is concerned that reports of domestic violence have increased since the pandemic began. Sometimes it seems as if an outdated image of women is now being spread again, she says. Even today, women often do not have a free choice because childcare and part-time work result in dependency.
International Women’s Day is a big event in Olga Steinmiller’s homeland
“Everything was full of flowers,” says Olga Steinmiller, remembering International Women’s Days in Russia, where she was born and raised. The day is a public holiday there and is celebrated very big with performances in the school, singing, posters, congratulations. “Every woman is given flowers, the women do not have to work, International Women’s Day is very present there.” And that even though equality in Russia wasn’t that far off at the time, especially in the country, says Steinmiller. But a lot has happened today, especially in the big cities, everything is very European and women are very independent.
Because she dreamed of a better quality of life and more opportunities, the now 40-year-old Olga Steinmiller came to Germany with her family in November 1993. Today she lives with her husband and their 18 and 12 year old sons in Hohenroth and works as a nanny in the Mari Himmelfahrt kindergarten in Bad Neustadt.
She also sees room for improvement when it comes to equal rights in Germany. “There has been progress, for example, that fathers can now also take parental leave. Much has already changed in this area. Nevertheless, more could be done, especially with salaries, which are often still lower for women than for men” Steinmiller to consider.
Sahar Hadinejad knows no women’s rights from her country of origin
Equal rights for men and women, International Women’s Day? Not an issue in Sahar Hadinejad’s (42) country of origin. “In my homeland, where I was born, women have no social rights.” She comes from Iran, what she calls a “dictatorial” country. “Women are not allowed to travel, study, work, choose sports or clothing themselves without their spouse’s permission. They are not even allowed to separate from their husbands. The man, on the other hand, can divorce his partner for no reason,” says Sahar Hadinejad.
She adds: “If the wife ‘betrays’ the husband, she can be killed, but the husband can have four wives at the same time. Mothers have no legal rights over their children.” In Iran, Sahar Hadinejad completed a master’s degree in hotel management and also worked in this field for two years, after having worked for 12 years in the placement of students abroad. Due to political problems, Sahar Hadinejad came to Germany with her husband three years ago. Their children are three and six years old and the family lives in Bad Neustadt.
Sahar Hadinejad regrets that she has not yet found a job. Nevertheless, she is happy to live in Germany. “The rights of women in my home country and in Germany are not at all comparable. In Germany, the rights of men and women are completely the same”.
Dr. Nagham Soda does not think International Women’s Day is enough
Syria is the homeland of Dr. Nagham Soda (50). “There the world question of women is celebrated and discussed a lot, but the road is still long”. Nevertheless, the image of women in the Arab countries has evolved over time and is not very different from that in Germany, says Nagham Soda, who works as a senior doctor in the field of nutritional medicine and diabetes at the Bad Neustadt campus. Even as a child, soda attracted foreigners and foreign languages and cultures. She came to Germany in 2000 as part of a scholarship to train as a specialist. Today she lives with her husband and two daughters (16 and 15 years old) in Herschfeld.
“Many women in Syria experience a conflict between tradition and modernity. As a result, recently women have had a double burden, that is, family and work, while men only experience a one-sided burden,” she adds. In terms of wages, however, it looks a lot better than here, because the same work is paid the same there. Nevertheless, in management positions you almost exclusively meet men, as they are preferred to women.
The war in Syria in recent years has significantly worsened equality, but men are also disadvantaged here because “war does not differentiate between the sexes”. While Soda calls democracy in Syria, as in many Arab countries, a “sham democracy”, Germany is a real democracy. “Under this, the situation of women improves noticeably. They can develop much faster and, above all, better, which in turn protects democracy.”
Nagham Soda considers International Women’s Day to be important, but: “Every day should be International Women’s Day. Still, it is important to me that we women, on the other hand, should not put ourselves in the role of victims, but should fight for our rights strongly and confidently.”
“Let us encourage each other, we form networks on site. Let us celebrate the achievements of courageous women and do not let up in our commitment to equal rights and equal opportunities for women and girls worldwide,” says Gudrun Hellmuth. So that women, no matter where they come from or where they live, can realize their dreams and go their own way. Not just on International Women’s Day.
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