1. Why International Women's Day?
When could equality between men and women be considered a lived reality?
Presumably when the first call for a public holiday for International Men's Day.
We're not quite that far in Germany yet.
But at least: On today's International Women's Day, Federal President Steinmeier is giving a speech at the "Leading Women in Jazz" concert in Berlin, Federal Research Minister Stark-Watzinger is speaking at an event on equality in science in Frankfurt am Main, and the CDU is inviting people to the basic program conference in Stuttgart Friedrich Merz.
»In Germany there is rarely open discrimination; women can become Chancellor here.
Nevertheless, there are misogynistic messages and structures,” writes my colleague Carola Padtberg in her commentary on everyday sexism.
Tanya Falenczyk reminds us that "one in three women is still affected by sexual or physical violence at least once in their life" and calls for "Women's Day free for everyone" so that people can take to the streets for the right to sexual self-determination, for example.
In Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, people had the day off today on International Women's Day.
Just like in over 20 countries worldwide.
Unless a miracle happens overnight, starting tomorrow it will be International Men's Day every day again.
Men have the majority in parliament, full-time employment and SPIEGEL headlines all year round anyway.
However, the professional, health and financial risk of pregnancy lies with the women.
My colleague Milena Hassenkamp also reminds us of this in her editorial of the day on the question of whether Section 218 in the Criminal Code is still needed.
»The freedom to terminate a pregnancy has recently been included in the constitution in France.
While in Germany pregnant women who want to have an abortion are still criminalized," writes Milena and thinks: "That has to change."
More on the history of International Women's Day: Why women celebrate March 8th
2. Double bottom
Little by little, details from the life of the suspected ex-RAF terrorist Daniela Klette become known.
Police had already discovered a bazooka and warhead in the shabby apartment in Berlin-Kreuzberg.
They found a Kalashnikov automatic rifle in Klette's closet and live ammunition stored in Tupperware containers.
Now the officers discovered a hiding place in the 40 square meter social housing apartment, reports a team of SPIEGEL editors in the new SPIEGEL.
It is a wooden cabinet with a double bottom.
The suspected ex-RAF terrorist stashed around 40,000 euros in cash there as well as a pistol with two full magazines.
Burdock had hidden 1.2 kilos of gold in another piece of furniture.
It could be a breakthrough for investigators.
After years of manhunting, after public calls for witnesses and many failures, they not only caught the suspected robber and ex-terrorist.
They have also come across clues that may help reveal some of the last secrets of the “Red Army Faction” (RAF).
Experts are still puzzling over the number of members and command structure of the third generation of the RAF.
Many of their actions remain unexplained - above all the bomb attack on the CEO of Deutsche Bank, Alfred Herrhausen, and the shooting of trust boss Detlev Karsten Rohwedder.
That may change soon.
You can find out more here: Kalashnikov in the wardrobe, ammunition in Tupperware containers
3. The dirty work dilemma
Today the Irish are called upon to answer two socio-political questions by referendum: Is the rightful place of women in the home and at the hearth?
And should marriage, unlike other partnerships, enjoy special protection?
"Both are stated in the constitution of the Republic of Ireland, which was rewritten almost 90 years ago under the influence of the Catholic Church," reports SPIEGEL correspondent Jörg Schindler.
Article 41 states: “Through her life at home, women provide support to the state without which the common good cannot be guaranteed.
The state therefore strives to ensure that mothers are not forced, out of economic necessity, to engage in work that would result in them neglecting their responsibilities at home.”
The reality in Ireland has probably long since moved away from the patriarchal wishful thinking of the drafters of the constitution.
No matter how the vote turns out, there remains a problem there as well as in this country: someone has to do the annoying “duties at home”.
Unfortunately, dishwashers cannot yet empty themselves; the bathroom trash can, which is always full, needs someone to empty it.
That's why I employ a cleaning lady.
But from a feminist perspective, that's not necessarily ideal, because in order to be able to live the emancipated dream of having a child and a career, I outsource care work to less privileged women.
I'm stuck in a dirty work dilemma - even though I pay my cleaning lady significantly more than minimum wage and, of course, treat her with respect - in order to be able to use my power as an educated, free and employed woman by writing this evening situation instead of that By emptying bathroom trash cans, I cement a system that uses women as workers for unpleasant tasks - and often exploits them.
When I talked to friends about it, one of them pointed out to me that a first step towards gender equality would be to talk about a "cleaner" instead of "cleaning lady".
Might be.
But the majority of people do the cleaning.
I find it distorting reality and euphemistically to write about “cleaning staff” or “cleaning staff”.
When women exploit women: The dirty work dilemma
What else is important today?
Bahn invites GDL to new negotiations on Monday:
After long strikes, Deutsche Bahn has invited GDL to new collective bargaining.
The train drivers' union reacts - and makes a new written offer a condition for further discussions.
Great Britain wants to send Ukraine 10,000 drones:
Kiev recently had great successes against the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
Now London wants to increase its commitment to arming Ukraine - with a special type of drone.
Trump cannot delay enforcement of judgment:
Donald Trump must pay $83.3 million in damages to author E. Jean Carroll.
A judge has now decided: He has to transfer money by Monday - or at least pay bail.
My favorite story today:
On Fridays you can always find my colleague Stefan Kuzmany's column "Looking like this" here as part of the situation in the evening. Today Stefan writes about how the Bundeswehr wants to protect itself from further spying:
Enlarge image
Photo: xstokketex / Pond5 Images / IMAGO
Following the outflow of information in connection with a meeting to inform the Federal Minister of Defense, the following instructions are issued:
Participants in a telephone conference who dial in from a connection with a Russian identifier should be treated with particular caution.
Please note that the identifier could have been changed using so-called caller ID spoofing and it could also be a joke from our French or British allies.
In this case, the conversation should be continued in a friendly, trusting tone.
Supposedly known participants in a video conference who claim to have accidentally installed a masking video filter (e.g. artificial cat face) must answer at least three questions from the group of participants, the answers to which can only be known to those present (last meal together, sequence of drinks at previous camaraderie evenings). , preferred lying position in bunk beds etc.).
Particular caution is required when staying abroad.
Look out for suspicious clothing in the area, such as trench coats and/or mirrored sunglasses.
Make it more difficult for opposing services to obtain information by resorting to the so-called B language, i.e. the doubling of vowels with the letter B inserted in between, for example: Mibinibisteber Pibistoboribiubus.
These are just emergency measures.
The safest measure to prevent spying on sensitive content is to avoid such content.
The federal government is working with our allies to put this idea into practice: If Germany doesn't learn any secrets, they can no longer be intercepted.
You can find all episodes of »Seen this way« here.
What we recommend today at SPIEGEL+
Biden attacks Trump:
In the “State of the Union,” the US President sets the tone for the upcoming election campaign.
He describes his challenger as a danger to democracy and the free world - and directly addresses concerns about his old age.
Vacation with the Taliban:
After more than nine months of imprisonment in Afghanistan, the German nationalist Herbert Fritz returns to Austria - sobered up, but not reformed.
In a Viennese coffee house he tells us what he expected from his trip.
Mr. Schmidt's contradictory statements:
In the tax case against ex-DFB officials, a lawyer claims that there was no purchased "summer fairy tale."
But an internal document shows: His client had already made a different statement.
Which is less important today
Holy love:
“He who has scars laughs who has never felt wounds,” says William Shakespeare’s
Romeo and Juliet
.
A small hole has been discovered on one breast of the famous Juliet statue in the northern Italian city of Verona - probably because it has been touched too often by visitors in recent years.
Supposedly this guarantees eternal happiness in love.
Some days tourists queue up.
It is unclear whether the damage can be repaired: the statue may have to be replaced with a new one because of the amount of contact it has had.
Mini concave mirror
You can find the entire concave mirror here.
Cartoon of the day
And on the weekend?
There is hardly a better reason for a film evening in the cinema or on the sofa.
On the night of Sunday to Monday German time, the “Academy Awards” are distributed in the form of a gold-colored male figure without a hole in the chest.
The red carpet has already been rolled out on Hollywood Boulevard.
Colleague Marc Pitzke, who has been there for 20 years, knows what happens in front of and behind the scenes of the show.
German actress Sandra Hülser is also nominated for an Oscar in the “Best Actress” category this year.
In the French legal thriller “Anatomy of a Case” she plays a mother suspected of murder.
The film “The Zone of Interest,” in which she plays the wife of concentration camp commander Rudolf Höss, has been nominated for an Oscar five times.
Yesterday a documentary about centenarians was released in the cinema, which seems to be well worth seeing in the video by colleagues Janita Hämäläinen and Thies Schnack.
Among others, a secret agent and a yoga master have their say.
And for those who prefer to read: Berliner Stefanie de Velasco has written a light-as-a-light novel about a topic that is otherwise often extremely difficult: female childlessness.
Colleague Tobias Becker reviews: »Charly, Kessie and Grit do not problematize the gender care gap, they do not theorize much about gender roles and the cultural straitjacket that motherhood still means for many women.
They just don't put the straitjacket on.
They do not decide against children for feminist reasons, but rather for hedonistic ones.
They just don’t feel like it.”
Sound exciting.
A lovely evening.
Heartfelt
Yours, Anna Clauß, Head of Opinion and Debate