“We want to promote more visibility for equality in the city,” says Colette Mart, president of the Commission à l’égalité entre hommes et femmes and thus of the jury for the Prix Anne Beffort. The prize was inaugurated by the Ville de Luxembourg six years ago and is named after the first female high school teacher in Luxembourg, who was also a co-founder of the Lycée de jeunes filles à Luxembourg (now the Lycée Robert Schuman in Limpertsberg). As well as the prestige and peer recognition that comes with winning the award, the prize-winner also receives 2,500 euros.

This year six nominees were put forward for the award. They included Moraru Group for Clara Moraru’s book on “Leadership féminin au Grand-Duché de Luxembourg”; Inter-actions asbl for its projects promoting integration and exchange between women in the Gare area and Bonnevoie; Zonta Club for its campaigns raising awareness of women’s issues and of violence against women; Czech painter Iva Mrakova for her illustrations of Katja Rausch’s book “Portraits de femmes célèbres luxembourgeoises”; and actress and singer Sascha Ley for her equal opportunities work and collaborations with the Cid-femmes and Femmes en détresse associations.

Women entrepreneurs

The Fédération des femmes cheffes d’entreprise au Luxembourg was awarded the prize for its work in supporting and providing a network for female business leaders. The citation also praised the FFCEL for its efforts in affording women managers business opportunities both at domestic and international level, providing them with better visibility and developing a spirit of solidarity and mutual aid. Françoise Folmer says the prize will give the FFCEL vital publicity – even though it has over 100 members and new members are joining at a rate of 3 or 4 a month. “We want to show that it is normal for a woman to be an entrepreneurial leader,” she says.

Folmer says that still not enough women are being promoted to leading management positions in Luxembourg. In many cases that is the fault of men who do not want to surrender the power they have, but also, she says, it is because too few women are taking the initiative. “But while we are investing in equal opportunities, this is not about a battle of the sexes,” she says. Part of the problem is that it is all too often women who feel responsible for child care and are therefore less flexible and available than men. Folmer points out that while more women than ever are in employment, many only work part-time. And even those who do work full time and have ambitions to climb the corporate ladder are often not available for after-work networking events, which is where many vital contacts are often made.