Imagine it's Equal Pay Day and the Resonance this is lame to expectable. It was the day of action for equal pay between men and women Women is today – and the Business and Professional Women (BPW) Germany had made a video spot that points to the unequal situation. The chance for the real thing Problem to point out is given away.

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Work for free until Friday

The Equal Pay Day (EPD), the international day of action for equal pay between men and women, makes use of the existing gender wage gap I aufmerksam and is celebrated on different days in many countries.

The day of action in Germany marks symbolically or computationally the period of time that women have to work longer during the turn of the year in order to reach the average annual salary of men. In other countries (eg Austria), he symbolically or mathematically identifies the day when women work free of charge.

A very meaningful suggestion so that the women have there - and also provides lip service by politicians in the media again and again. So Sigmar demanded Gabriel in the picture newspaper equal wages for both sexes.

Cultural change instead of sacrificial

The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, on the other hand, confusedly noted that the pay gap was smaller than expected oblique calculations on. And this is exactly where the hare is caught in the pepper: the concentrated media attention, which focuses on the topic on this one day, gives the uninvolved observer the impression that the women are the oppressed victims who are allowed to eat up that day.

That the whole thing is about more, about a culture change, a change the think in Head, e.g. towards more family-friendly working hours also in management positions, to change images of women in our Society or an appreciation of typical women's jobs - this differentiated view is largely missing in the media response.

FAZ: Correct observation, wrong conclusions

FAZ author Jörg Schmidt writes: “For example, women are less likely to choose technical professions and are more often represented in the service sector. It should also be noted that women interrupt their employment for family reasons much more frequently and longer than men. ” Right, but Herr Schmitt draws the wrong conclusions from his totally new observations:

Why do women make mistakes?

Why are technical jobs better paid than the service sector? Why do women often choose no technical professions - for example because important role models are missing, as a study shows? Why do women even have to do their jobs for the Family interrupt?

And why is the interruption of the family's earning capacity (when children are supposedly needed!) still a stumbling block for them Career – especially in management floors?

It's about more than just not enough pay!

This shows that it is about much more than equal pay - it is about a fundamental cultural change. Just the wage differential too criticize, simply falls short, the topic must be tackled in a more differentiated way, especially by women.

All the more commendable Idea, to make a video on the subject, which should already sensitize the very young women to the subject - a problem and a possible one Solution recognized, I would say. Only the result was more of a yawn.

Video: Viral effect equal to 0

The idea was to create a one-minute advertising mockery entitled “Equal pay for work of equal value!” to order, which should also run on YouTube, not too bad. You can also tell that Web 2.0 is not yet completely trusted in the relationship:

The spot, which premiered in the Urania in Berlin on February 22nd, will also be shown in the “Berliner Fenster” and on the waiting TV of the Berlin Citizens' Offices. And that's how boring he is. The viral effect goes towards 0.

Good idea badly implemented

No wonder: the spot was created with financial support from the Senate Department for Labor, Integration and Women and in cooperation with Business and Professional Women (BPW) Germany and the women's and gender equality officers of the Berlin districts.

The short film is intended to stimulate thought, shake people up and spark a discussion in society. The makers' self-assessment: "In an entertaining way, attention is drawn to the fact that there is still no equal pay between women and men in Germany."

Brettspiele for young people?

Apparently, the aim was to raise awareness of injustice among very young women - absolutely useful, because they would do well to learn to demand more wages in good time. However, the chance to reach precisely this target group on YouTube was missed. board games act on Digital Natives are probably pretty old-fashioned in the age of the iPad.

And exactly that spiegelt is reflected in the low media attention. Conclusion: Anyone who, as a women's association, wants to make women more courageous must lead by example in such actions and with a courageous viral Concept advance in Web 2.0. Otherwise she calls SALE at most a weary smile emerges from the addressees.

Provoking with new roles

The important topic could have been approached much more provocatively - for example by showing that unusual career paths are also possible, that Boy Women feel free to take theirs Career choice should reconsider that family planning can perhaps also be solved differently than with the classic distribution of roles or that, for example, part-time in management would also be conceivable.