Stefanie Matei complains: Sexism in the Vorarlberg SPÖ!

Stefanie Matei complains: Sexism in the Vorarlberg SPÖ!

Stefanie Matei, a former leader of the SPÖ in Vorarlberg, has beaten High waves with its resignation and repeated allegations against the political culture of the party. Until then, the politician, who only resigned from her offices a month ago, was the chairman of the SPÖ women and a member of the Federal Party Director. Most recently, she was six for the upcoming state elections and had hopes for a move into the state parliament. But now it turns out that the political ambience was hardly portable for them. According to KURIER Matei was confronted with sexism in political culture, which she leads as one of the main reasons for her retreat.

"I reached borders", said Matei and emphasized that it was necessary to let go of outdated structural framework conditions that no longer match my own values. In doing so, she made it clear that her resignation was not a private nature, but resulted from her painful experiences with sexism in politics. At a time when a healthy diversity in the political landscape is also sought in Austria, it is alarming that such incidents still occur.

Criticism of the SPÖ and allegations of disadvantage

The reactions to Mateis serious allegations are not long in coming. Jeannette Greiter, the deputy state manager of the SPÖ Vorarlberg, described the allegations as "inexplicable and incomprehensible". It attributes Mateis resignation to an incident during an SPÖ Federal Presidium meeting, and digitally during the Mateis participation in an important session due to her child's illness. Greiter explained that the originally planned flight to Vienna was canceled in consultation with Matei, which could be interpreted as a form of support. Nevertheless, Matei's resignation came as a surprise for Greiter, because she had never experienced a disadvantage in the SPÖ, as reported to the Kurier.

But Mateis case is not isolated. It has recently been determined that sexist incidents in political parties are diverse. An investigation by Spiegel shows that politics is a widespread phenomenon that is not limited to one party. As a result, politicians in many cases are confronted with verbal attacks and threats of murder.

a challenge for political culture

The experiences of Stefanie Matei and other politicians underline the challenges with which women fight in the political arena. In an analysis of Zeit it becomes clear that young women in politics in particular have to face sexual hostility, be it due to insulting comments or through exciting behavioral party colleagues. It is time that these problems are addressed openly and the corresponding measures are taken to promote a fair and respectful political culture for all genders.