Women’s Day is not a public holiday in Brandenburg
Unlike in Berlin, International Women’s Day on March 8 remains a working day in Brandenburg. The left-wing faction failed on Wednesday in the state parliament with its request to ask the red-black-green state government to make March 8th a public holiday. The state parliament majority of the SPD, CDU, Greens and the opposition AfD voted against the motion, the left and BVB/free voters voted in favor.
The left-wing faction campaigned to substantiate the claim for equal rights in the Basic Law and the Brandenburg state constitution in accordance with a uniform disadvantage for women with March 8th as a public holiday. “In our opinion, women deserve credit for what they have achieved – right now,” MP Bettina Fortunato said. Member of Parliament Christine Wernicke from the Free Voters said that Women’s Day as a public holiday could help to ensure equal participation for women.
“Now it’s all about overcoming the pandemic”
Green parliamentary group leader Petra Budke does not see the time for such a holiday at the moment: “Now it’s about overcoming the pandemic,” said Budke. “New holidays, when daycare centers and schools are closed again, or shops and companies, don’t help much.” But you are open to thinking about a holiday on March 8th in the future.
The SPD MP Elske Hildebrandt said: “In my view, Women’s Day is a day of struggle, a day of action on which one should open one’s eyes in everyday life.” It should ideally be done all the time and not just on March 8th. The CDU politician Roswitha Schier also demanded: “Women need daily recognition and appreciation.”
AfD: application “superfluous”
AfD parliamentary group leader Hans-Christoph Berndt called the application “superfluous because women are not discriminated against by the German majority society”.
Interior Minister Michael Stübgen (CDU) also refused to make Women’s Day a public holiday. There are murders of women because of their gender, there are women who are victims of domestic violence and women who are not promoted because of their gender, he said. “A legal, work-free women’s day, however, helps these women zero and nothing.” He spoke of a “show application”.
In Berlin, Women’s Day on March 8th has been a public holiday since 2019. The SPD and the left in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania are planning that the day should be a public holiday from 2023. Equality is promoted on International Women’s Day.