Giving women a voice:

Giving women a voice: Politics should become more feminine

ÖVP women launch "Girls in Politics" campaign(Bild: stock.adobe.com)

The ÖVP women are inviting girls and young women to "get a taste" of municipal politics on "Girls Day".

In Lower Austria, only 14 percent of mayoral offices are held by women. Silke Dammerer, regional chairwoman of the ÖVP Women's Party, emphasizes that women are often too inhibited to take the plunge into politics. For this reason, the ÖVP women are launching the "Girls in Politics" campaign on April 25 to mark "Girls Day" and are inviting young women and girls to spend a day accompanying mayors in their work in municipal politics.

ÖVP politicians Margit Göll (left), Silke Dammerer and Brigitte Ribisch want to motivate women and girls to raise their voices more often in politics.(Bild: Magdalena Winkler)

Encouraging words
Women set themselves very high goals and often doubt whether they have what it takes for politics, says Margit Göll, President of the Federal Council and Mayor of Moorbad Harbach. "I can only encourage them: Yes, they can and they can do it!" she affirms.

However, there are still too few role models with whom women and girls can identify, according to Brigitte Ribisch, Vice President of the Lower Austrian Association of Municipalities and Mayor of Laa an der Thaya.