Care work for the world

On occasion of 8 March – International Women’s Day, we want to take a moment to make something visible that often remains invisible.

It’s the strength, commitment, and resilience of women working and leading change within civil society, social innovation and activism. Very often behind the scenes and under precarious conditions.

Women are a HUGE force for change and accountability, yet their work is often taken for granted or downplayed. This is care work for the world and for democracy — both of which are currently under attack, or even being dismantled, in many places across the globe.

We are part of a network of 140 CEOs in German civil society working on solutions to defend civil society in Germany. The tools used to pressure and in different way intimidate leaders in our group are many: bureaucratic obstacles, political intimidation, and funding cuts.

Last year alone, donations to civil society organizations in Germany dropped by 9% — equal to €463 million. This is what silencing and crushing of dissent can look like in practice.

But first: THANK YOU to the millions of women living and breathing this leadership and care work for the world.

And yeah we intentionally call it CARE WORK here as the word “leadership” currently feels… just a tiny bit stained by patriarchal agendas of world destruction.