Museum für Kommunikation, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
November 25, 2025

 

Organized by Soroptimist International Germany – Club Frankfurt Vision, the event “Der Pinke Stuhl – Demokratie stärken, Frauen stärken” (Strengthening Democracy by Strengthening Women) addressed an essential question for democratic resilience: Can there be a democracy problem without it being a women’s problem?

From her perspective as a delegate to the UN Commission on the Status of Women, Eleonora Bonacossa emphasized that “a democracy problem hits women first — but it concerns us all.”
Women often feel the cracks in democratic systems earlier, because many work at the very interface where inequality becomes visible: in education, social work, care, and within families — where decisions from Berlin or Brussels are not abstract, but daily reality.
“We are often the first to notice when a system stops working — and the last to be asked for our perspective.”

In her closing remarks, Eleonora highlighted that we stand at a crossroads — with setbacks, but also with growing courage, clarity, and shared strength. She raised a decisive question for the future of democracy and gender equality:
“How do we mobilize men as true allies and advocates — not only as supporters, but as co-creators of a democratic future?”

She called for a shift from symbolic support to genuine partnership, based on responsibility, shared leadership, and structural change: questioning patriarchal patterns, redistributing power and care work more fairly, and taking responsibility within institutions and organizations.
Because the future of democracy will be decided where women and men act together — at eye level — shaping its direction. Together.