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Women's political history, current debates and events for the anniversary
The Women's Office of the City of Darmstadt is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year and has published a comprehensive anniversary brochure to mark the occasion. The publication, entitled "40 Years of the Women's Office of the City of Darmstadt – Where do we come from? Where do we want to go?" , combines a review of four decades of municipal women's policy with a diverse program of events for the anniversary year 2026, including activities surrounding International Women's Day in March.
The brochure traces the origins of the Women's Office in Darmstadt, documents key milestones in the fight for gender equality, and presents important achievements of Darmstadt's women's policy. At the same time, it focuses on current societal challenges and future tasks for gender equality work.
Anniversary understood as a political mandate
Mayor and Women's Affairs Officer Barbara Akdeniz emphasizes the significance of the anniversary beyond a historical review: Since the founding of the Women's Office in 1986, six women's representatives have worked together with politicians, administrators, and civil society to sustainably improve the working and living conditions of women and girls in Darmstadt. Despite much progress, however, true gender equality has still not been achieved.
Akdeniz also points to current developments: The rise of right-wing, anti-democratic, and anti-feminist positions threatens not only women's rights but also fundamental democratic values. Gender equality is therefore always also work for democracy. The anniversary is deliberately understood not only as a retrospective but also as a political mandate.
Events focusing on equality and democracy
The anniversary year kicks off with an event for Equal Pay Day, focusing on artificial intelligence and gender. This is followed by the main anniversary event for International Women's Day, which will center on antifeminism. The year's program also includes numerous other events spread throughout the year.
Planned events include themed city tours, panel discussions, readings, activities, and exhibitions. A particular focus in November will be on the topic of violence prevention. With this program, the Women's Office, together with the Darmstadt Women's Network, aims to reach diverse target groups and encourage them to engage with issues of gender equality.
Brochure available online and on site
The anniversary brochure is available for download at
www.darmstadt.de
. It can also be ordered by email at frauenbuero@darmstadt.de . Printed copies will be available for pickup at the Citizen Information Center on Luisenplatz starting February 20th.
(DARMSTADT – RED/PSD/stip/dk)
