June 16, 2011

52.4% women live in Linz.
100% subsidiary company of the City of Linz - the LIVA.
And this is exactly where yesterday's "political macho behavior" still seems to be en vogue...
...when it comes to leadership....

Dear ladies and gentlemen!

We are keeping a close eye on the discussion surrounding the succession of LIVA Board Director and Artistic Director of the Brucknerhaus Wolfgang Winkler and feel compelled to repeatedly point out the need for a gender balance at management level.

There are still alarming statistics in this regard. Women (3.8%) are still underrepresented in leading positions compared to men (9.1%) throughout Austria (http://www.statistik.at/web_de/statistiken/soziales/gender-statistik/ind... / May 9, 2011). Unfortunately, the arts and culture sector is no exception. Which is why a commitment to the active promotion of women was formulated in the City of Linz's cultural development plan a good 10 years ago as follows:

"In order to ensure the inclusion of women in decision-making processes, the City of Linz strives to achieve gender balance in all cultural bodies and institutions. In all such calls for applications, the principle applies that women are given preference if they have the same qualifications. The municipal cultural institutions, including the outsourced cultural enterprises, are also instructed or requested to actively search for qualified women when filling vacant positions." [KEP, 2000]

If the City of Linz takes its own federal criteria seriously, we assume that the new artistic director of the LIVA can only be a woman.

FIFTITU% hereby calls on all responsible politicians and committees to seize the opportunity and comply with this demand for gender symmetry in art and culture. In this respect, politicians have the task of advocating for forward-looking development and making sustainable decisions.

Best regards
FIFTITU% - Networking center for women in art and culture in Upper Austria