The Luxembourg Minister for Equal Opportunities, Lydia Mutsch, has spoken out against gender stereotypes in the media at several events held over the weekend.
On Friday 4 March the Minister attended the opening of the “Le genre à l’affiche” exhibition in Dudelange, organised by the Centre de documentation sur les migrations humaines (CDMH) in cooperation with the service for Equal opportunities for Women and Men of the City of Dudelange as part of the 'Women and Culture' programme.
The aim of the collection is to challenge stereotypes, with the Minister's address stressing the importance of countering such preconceptions in media and advertising to reflect a more egalitarian vision of the roles of men and women in society. She added that less than 20% of women are economic executives whilst less than 6% of men work part-time.
Minister Lydia Mutsch congratulated the Ville de Dudelange for its continued commitment to equal opportunities, and expressed the wish that these actions would encourage other cities to follow their example.
On Sunday 6 March 2016, Luxembourg's Minister for Equal Opportunities, the Minister then visited the Abbaye de Neumünster in the country's capital, once again emphasising the importance and influence of media messages, elicited through the mass amounts of media that the average person is exposed to on a daily basis. She therefore highlighted media's potential to affect and influence.
According to the Minister, it is necessary to counteract this influence through careful and constant awareness with the aim of changing mindsets that might veer towards stereotypical simplifications which threaten to jeopardise gender equality.
The Ministry of Equal Opportunities stated that it is working continuously towards raising awareness of this action, through its 'positive actions' in the economic sector, general public awareness campaigns and studies and surveys carried out in collaboration with specialised institutions. Each initiative holds the objective of counteracting stereotypes pervading the economic, political and social domains.
The Minister concluded her words by thanking the associations that reinforce this message through their work, support and initiatives in Luxembourg society.
Photo by MEGA (Lydia Mutsch)
