Symposium on Gender Equality - The Struggle for Gender Equality in Europe - A Story of Success and Ignorance

organized by Women’s Vision / Pax Romana Europe

This symposium has been initiated and finally organized by an international European group of women who felt that although the topic of Gender Equality has been on the agenda of individual European governments and EU presidencies for some time, and has been mentioned in various political and even ecclesiastical papers, nothing of real importance has happened by and large. Therefore Women’s Vision / Pax Romana Europe decided to invite men and women, who share their concern, to discuss gender topics together with experts.

Dr Nadja Furlan from Slovenia and Dr Erich Lehner from Austria, two specialists on gender questions, have been asked to lecture on various aspects of Gender Relations and Gender Equality. They will offer some insight into the current state of research in these fields, they will present theoretical and practical tools of gender mainstreaming in church and society, they will encourage vivid debates and help the participants find ways for activities in their own environ. - A written document should finish off the symposium, be published and eventually passed on to representatives in society, education, politics and churches.

Dr Nadja Furlan holds a PhD in Theology. Her primary research interests are gender relationships, Christian feminist theology, religious feminism and women studies within different religious systems, and African religions in the context of multicultural, comparative studies. She is research associate at the Science and Research Centre of Koper at the Faculty of Humanities.

Mag. Dr Erich Lehner is a Private Psycho-Analyst and an Expert in Male and Gender Research as well as in Palliative Care. He lectures at the University of Klagenfurt (Carinthia) on Palliative Care and Ethics. Dr Lehner has been in charge of gender mainstreaming projects in some Austrian dioceses and will share two of them with the participants of the symposium.

We want to thank Dr Lehner in particular for proposing the topical units of this symposium and for his offer to lead the study sessions. We are also grateful to the European Coordinator of Pax Romana, Philippe Ledouble (France), to Prof. Matija Cencelj of SKI (Slovenia), and to other friends within and outside Pax Romana for all their help and assistance during the preparation procedures. And finally, thanks to all the participants whose presence - like some other people’s interest in the project - is proof enough that organizing this symposium has been worthwhile.

Mag. Annemarie Weinzettl
Coordinator of Women’s Vision
Pax Romana Europe
E-mail: annemarieweinzettl@hotmail.com