Girls conquer politics: insight into Penzing's decision-making dreams!

Girls conquer politics: insight into Penzing's decision-making dreams!

A very special day for young girls in Vienna: On the occasion of World Girls' Day on October 14th, girls between the ages of 14 and 18 were allowed to accompany politicians in the city. This initiative, which has been in existence since 2022, aims to give girls insights into local and city politics and encourage them to become actively involved in politics. In 2025, the city of Vienna joined this important project for the first time, which goes under the name “Girls in Politics”. OTS reported.

In Penzing, the participants met with *district leader Michaela Schüchner* and *district councilor Shirin Dietl* to find out more about district politics. They gained exciting insights into the topics of citizen participation, project planning and decision-making processes. “You can see how diverse the political issues are, from housing to social responsibility,” explained Schüchner during the discussion with the young women.

Nationwide initiatives to empower young girls

The aim of these activities is to promote active participation of girls in politics. The Vice Mayor of Vienna, *Kathrin Gaál*, highlighted the importance of female role models in politics and emphasized that such initiatives are crucial to increasing the representation of women in political offices. The proportion of women among district leaders in Vienna is currently constant at 30.4%, which corresponds to a slight increase compared to previous years OTS reported.

The initiative also enabled the girls to visit specific projects. The young women viewed the plan for the new forecourt of the S45 Breitensee station and then took part in a walk through the district. The initiative not only offered the participants practical insights, but also the opportunity to include the opinions of the population in the decision-making processes.

Insights into local politics

During a visit to the *Haus Penzing* pensioners' home, the girls learned more about the everyday life of the residents and the cooperation with the district management. Director *Alina Tarmann* clearly explained how important these connections are for the well-being of the community. At the end of the day, the girls received their certificates and had the opportunity to chat about their enthusiasm for political issues.

Statistically, the proportion of women in local politics is still lower than men, although it has been slowly increasing in recent years. The average is loud in municipal representations Women.Diversity.Politics at around 30.5%. So there is still room for improvement! But the commitment and support of the “Girls in Politics” initiative are steps in the right direction.