“We’re going backwards”
Male domain FDP is becoming even more masculine
April 23, 2022, 6:18 p.m
80 percent of the FDP consist of men. The gender imbalance could even worsen. The reason for this is said to be an “implementation deficit”. The solution proposed by the ombudsman is rather unusual.
The FDP would like to become more female – but so far it has apparently not succeeded: “The number of women in the FDP is falling because men are disproportionately entering,” said the party’s ombudsman, Christopher Gohl, at the party conference in Berlin. “We’re going backwards. If it were up to the new entrants, we’d be practically a monoculture of men.” It was mainly young men who entered.
The FDP recently had about 80 percent men among its members. As a member of the ombudsman, Gohl is responsible for checking the extent to which decisions of the federal party conventions are being implemented.
In his speech, he referred to the resolutions of the party congress in 2019, according to which the FDP wants to increase the proportion of women in offices and mandates. For this purpose, among other things, target agreements for the individual party structures up to local branches are to be decided.
There is “an implementation deficit” here, said Gohl about the target agreements. He didn’t want to blame anyone for it. However, a rethink should now be made: “We shouldn’t wait for central implementation from Berlin, we should start locally.” Gohl emphasized: “If we are now far behind our goals of becoming a more female party, if we are even fighting uphill, then it is not a problem for the women who are already there. It is also not a women’s problem, it is a problem of all of us – including board members across the board who ignore this problem.”
word of mouth among friends
Among other things, Gohl recommended that party members at the grassroots level talk to female friends about whether they wanted to join the FDP and ask female party members about their experiences. “Women tend to experience a different party than men,” he said. “They hear crap that others never hear.”
In addition, party work must be made more family-friendly. And in meetings, the male members have to take a step back: “A rule of thumb is: Men talk too long.” A monoculture of men would weaken the party and make it less attractive, Gohl warned. “And a lack of prospects would also weaken us programmatically.”