Thursday, October 13, 2005

Businesswomen look expectantly to country's first female leader


The fact that Germany is about to have a woman as their new Chancellor is a significant positive step to assist in moving forward the cause of women in positions of power and of the high echelos of business. Make no mistake, the glass ceiling is well and truly alive and kicking.

Onésimo Alvarez-Moro

See article:
With Angela Merkel set to run the country, Germany's businesswomen hope the country's first Bundeskanzlerin - female chancellor - will do a thing or two to help working women, bring more female power to the boardroom and perhaps raise the chronically low birth rate in the process.

"She's got a raft of problems to deal with - but I hope she tackles the problem that so many women still have to choose between a career and a family in this country," said Regine Stachelhaus, Germany's businesswoman of the year.

A lack of day-care facilities for infants and traditional half-day schooling force many new mothers to stay at home. They may by law return to their jobs for up to three years, but those that do often find they have lost ground to men. Among the 30 Dax leading companies only Schering and HVB boast female board members.

See full Article.