Member of the German Bundestag Ursula Groden-Kranich was in New York to attend the sixty-first session of the Commission on the Status of Women which took place at the United Nations Headquarters from 13 to 24 March 2017.

Ms. Groden-Kranich talked about the tough negotiations during the development process of the new law in Germany and made clear why it is still necessary to fight the gender gap.

Ms. Ursula Groden-Kranich with Steven Sokol, president of the American Council on Germany, who co-organized the breakfast briefing.

„We need new laws for today´s realities“, stated the Member of Parliament, referring to rigid legal frameworks when it comes to flexible working hours, child care and pension entitlements.

Ms. Groden-Kranich also talked about the differences between the EU countries and the UN member states on policies with regard to women, family and the economy.

Due to severe weather conditions in Manhattan on March 14th many people interested in the briefing were not able to make it to the event.

The breakfast briefing was co-organized together with the American Council on Germany. From the right to the left: Dr. Stefan Friedrich (Director, KAS office New York), Dr. Helena Kane Finn (Vice President ACG), MdB Ursula Groden-Kranich, Dr. Steven Sokol (President ACG), Magdalena Jetschgo (KAS New York).

A lack of income transparency is thought to be one of the reasons for this gap. In Germany, a new law will come into force this summer enabling employees in companies with more than 200 employees to ask for the average wage for their position, which should help to overcome the income gap.

Ms. Groden-Kranich talked about the tough negotiations during the development process of this law and mentioned that similar discussions can also be seen in other European countries as well as within the United Nations. At the same time, according to Ms. Groden-Kranich, the differences between the UN member states on policies with regard to women, family and the economy are huge. That is why, as she underlined, it is so challenging to reach common resolutions.

„We need new laws for today´s realities“, stated the Member of Parliament, referring to rigid legal frameworks when it comes to flexible working hours, child care and pension entitlements. “It is still of utmost importance to work towards changing the common mindset in our societies. Laws can only give incentives and accompany those processes”, she concluded.

Due to severe weather conditions in Manhattan on March 14th many people interested in the briefing were not able to make it to the event. Those who successfully resisted the circumstances could enjoy a very rich exchange with Ms. Groden-Kranich.