The hall was well-filled; around 200 people accepted our invitation on October 19th and arrived at the Konsumzentrale in western Leipzig around 19 p.m. With the youngest children in strollers, the oldest already approaching the end of paid work, it was a diverse mix of guests.
On the podium, Charlotte Hitzfelder, responsible for overall coordination at Konzeptwerk and part of the care team, welcomed journalist and author Teresa Bücker, Janina Henkes (advisor for women's, equal opportunities, and gender policy at the Education and Science Union) and Parwaneh Mirassan, part of the public relations team at Konzeptwerk.
Who still has time?
After a few questions to the audience to warm them up (e.g., who in the room actually works more than 60 hours?), the discussion began on the podium and got straight to the point. Teresa asked, "Who even has time left to help shape our society? And doesn't democracy mean the opportunity to participate?" Janina emphasized the unfair distribution of care and paid work, which is reflected not least in a gender pay gap of 18%. This means that women earn 18% less per hour than men. The gender care gap is 52%, and the gender pension gap in Germany is as high as 59,6%. If something fundamental doesn't change urgently, widespread old-age poverty threatens.
The panel agreed that a collective reduction in working hours is the foundation for greater time equity. Frigga Haug, for example, will discuss how personal time could be redistributed with her 4-in-1 perspective or the option-time model by Karin Jurczyk and Ulrich Mückenberger offer new perspectives. The speakers emphasize that paid work as the central starting point must be replaced. Leisure time must not be a luxury, and for this to happen, these areas must be (re)politicized.
What does a fairer division of labor feel like?
Compared to the current status quo, wage labor at Konzeptwerk is already utopian: Parwaneh reported on our model of short, full-time work of 20 to 30 hours in a four-day week, which allows people to organize their daily work more freely. This makes them more flexible and makes caring for children or pets easier. Beyond that, everyday work at Konzeptwerk also looks different: cleaning and cooking are done by everyone, and there are no bosses. But it remains challenging to avoid increasing one's workload when there's a lot of work.
In society as a whole, the concept model still represents an exception. Labor and family policy regulations are geared toward getting people into or returning to work as quickly as possible. From Janina's perspective, this should be less about reconciling the two spheres and more about redistributing time: "Let's spread the work across many shoulders."
What is blocking change?
Many employers fear the costs of a collective reduction in working hours while maintaining full pay. Teresa believes this financial perspective is too simplistic. Childcare and care options are already inadequate. Families bear the brunt of this burden. Demographic change in Germany will exacerbate the situation. Unless social and political changes occur quickly, women and queer people will do even more care work in the future, or the quality of care will continue to decline.
Charlotte summarized that everyone would benefit from a redistribution of work. From the Konzeptwerk's perspective, there is already a broad alliance of unions, journalists, and NGOs advocating for a collective reduction in working hours.
Teresa confirmed: "There are already many of us." According to a study by the Hans Böckler Foundation, 81% of full-time employees are in favor of a four-day week. IG Metall, the GEW, and even the churches are in favor.
However, politicians aren't seeking any connection here. A planned new law, which, starting in 2024, would also provide partners with two weeks of paid leave after childbirth, is anything but a milestone in terms of equal rights. The FDP itself opposes this proposal.
Even companies are making significant changes. While there's a broad spectrum of concerns, some question financial feasibility, many want to make paid work more attractive, not least to address the skills shortage. Studies show that with less paid work, health and well-being improves and burnout rates decrease. Janina emphasized that with shorter working hours, efficiency increases and fewer errors occur. Employees stay healthier, and absenteeism and disability pensions decrease. Half of new nurses go part-time or change jobs after eight years. These are alarming figures.
What to do?
In addition to the personal negotiation of "How much do I want to work?", Parwaneh prioritizes alliances for collective working time reduction. She also emphasizes attending demonstrations, joining a union, and reading Konzeptwerk's dossier on the topic!
For Teresa, speaking and imparting knowledge are paramount. We need to move away from the "economy is collapsing" debate. It's not just the younger generation who wants to enjoy their lives outside of paid work; older people are also opting for partial retirement for this reason and are realizing the importance of time wealth.
Teresa can well imagine initiating a feminist strike with allies. She believes such large-scale public interventions are needed to put more pressure on politicians.
In her opinion, the left-wing parties should also ask what the goal of gender equality actually looks like in the coalition agreement.
The subsequent discussion, with comments and questions from the audience, also pointed in this direction. We must strengthen existing alliances and form new ones.
Konzeptwerk continues to see its mission as connecting and bringing together diverse stakeholders. We will continue to create spaces in which we can empower each other and implement concrete measures.
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The event was sponsored by the Saxon State Ministry of Justice and for Democracy, Europe and Equality (SMJusDEG).
