As part of the ESM's "Europe Week", students from S6 organised an event on the topic "What does Gender Equality mean to you?" on 9 May.
Ms Roberta Romano-Götsch, Chief Sustainability Officer at the European Patent Office, gave a knowledgeable presentation on the current state of gender equality in everyday work, especially in the male domains of STEM professions and technology-oriented research and development, but also at the EPO itself. She also focused in particular on gender equality which is one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), namely Goal 5 aiming at achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls. The UN SDGs were adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, as a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. The students were invited to an active exchange on the extent to which ending all discrimination against women and girls is not only a fundamental human right but also crucial for a sustainable future. Ms Romano-Götsch illustrated that the empowerment of women and girls contributes to economic growth and development and that remarkable progress has been made in the last 20 years.
Ms Cosima Baron Fernandez de Cordoba from the European Parliament's Liaison Office in Munich described the EU's commitment to ensuring gender equality in the workplace. She also emphasised that students have direct opportunities to influence political and social processes, which they should take advantage of: for example, by taking part in the European elections in 2024. This opens up concrete opportunities to help shape Europe and democracy. Finally, students had the opportunity to ask questions, e.g. about the sense of quota regulations.
