There is a lot to do.

For women, for instance. Still!

That is the reason why I, Brigitte Schimmerl, vice-chairwoman of the Initiative of Green Seniors ran for the Executive Board of Green Women in Vienna.

I was successful. From now on I will also be involved in women politics. Especially for seniors.

Here are some of my ideas regarding women politics, especially concerning old age: age is often condemned as a high-cost factor and causing problems with care giving.

Old age often is ridiculed. Dolores Schmidinger (herself disfigured by various lifts) has a song in her programme about dumb old people who do not find their door in the old-age home nor their dentures and who only contemplate their past. The audience laughs. “Agism” is the only discrimination of a group of people which is tolerated.

I want to counteract this here with self determined, independent life in retirement and encourage and propagate old age. Old age is female!

On the other hand, the delight may be limited if the old-age pension is at or below the poverty line. We have to advocate redistribution. Abundant money has to be transferred to areas of basic needs where it is lacking. Poverty is female!

One stage in the exploitation of female strength (it is women usually) is care. Caring relatives need help and must be encouraged to accept it.

How do migrants, male and female, view old age? How are they cared for? What do they want? Culture exchange, appreciation of other ways of life, integration. And fight against patriarchy! Here and everywhere!

Old age needs newly designed ways of life and living. Living in companionship and resulting mutual support.

This and much more needs to be achieved.

And: all the demands mentioned above will benefit all generations!

Translation: Kitty Weinberger

Artikel in Deutsch >>>