In an interview with Luxemburger Wort to mark the 30th anniversary of the Ministry for Equality and Diversity (MEGA), Yuriko Backes explains what she understands by feminism, what successes have been achieved so far and what hurdles still need to be overcome.
Gender equality policy has changed a lot since MEGA was created. In your opinion, what is the greatest achievement and what has not yet worked?
A lot has happened in the past 30 years. In a perfect world, we would no longer need the ministry. But we are still a long way from that world. In the Gender Equality Index 2025, we can see that Luxembourg is above the EU average. That is also good. A lot of progress has been made. We are seeing an improvement in equality between women and men, for example in terms of income inequality. Nevertheless, there are many challenges that Luxembourg still has to overcome, such as the pension pay gap.
On the other hand, the action plan for gender equality was adapted this year and the government decided to implement it. For the first time in Luxembourg’s history, an action plan against gender-based violence was also drawn up. Nevertheless, this still remains a major issue in our society.
A legal basis was also created for the Gender Equality Observatory. It is important that we pursue a data-based policy. There are still many stereotypes in our society that need to be broken down. With accurate figures, we can take more targeted action.
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At a press conference in March, you warned that equality is in danger. What are the reasons for this – political counter-movements, online hatred or old role models?
It’s a little bit of everything. There are still stereotypes that say girls are not suited to certain things. A profession has no gender. Women can do a job just as well as men.
On the other hand, there is the “Tradwife” movement, which calls for women to stay at home and look after the household and children. So there is also a movement in the digital world whose discourses need to be seriously questioned.
How the name of the ministry has changed in 30 years
When it was created 30 years ago, the Ministry for Gender Equality was still called the Ministry for the Advancement of Women. In 2002, it was renamed the Ministry for Equal Opportunities, in 2018 the Ministry for Equality between Women and Men and finally in 2023 it received its current name, the Ministry for Equality and Diversity.
In a guest article in the Luxemburger Wort, your party colleague Gérard Schockmel described feminism today as an ideology that, among other things, divides society. These statements have met with a great deal of opposition. Are such statements proof that Luxembourg still needs a Ministry of Equality after 30 years?
That’s exactly the case.
My understanding of feminism is to campaign for all people – regardless of gender – to have the same rights and opportunities
Yuriko Backes
Minister for Equality and Diversity
Is feminism an “ideology” that divides society?
No, definitely not. My understanding of feminism is to campaign for all people – regardless of gender – to have the same rights and opportunities. It’s not about special treatment, but about equality. And equality is in the interests of our society – for both women and men. Nobody needs to be afraid of this.
This is actually about common sense, which unfortunately is often lacking in our society when it comes to such examples. That’s why feminism remains relevant. There are other things that pose a much greater threat to democracy. And feminism is definitely not one of them.
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What would you like young women and queer young people to learn about equality today that your generation didn’t have?
If we see things today that we know are wrong and we are confronted with discrimination or violence, and there are many forms of violence, then we need to name it clearly and denounce it openly. It needs to be talked about and we must not accept everything and pretend that everything is fine.
We know that unacceptable things are still being swept under the carpet in our society today. In the past, people didn’t necessarily know who to turn to. Today, however, it’s a different story. There are equality officers, there are help centres and, since this year, there is also a national contact point for victims of violence. This centre is open to all people, regardless of whether they are girls or boys, women or men – or non-binary people.
Even in our society – whether in business or politics – there are situations in which women are offered more responsibility but do not take it on because they believe they are not good enough, because they do not trust themselves. My message is therefore clear: have the courage! It is of course up to all women and men to support them.
(This article was first published by the Luxemburger Wort. Machine translated with editing by Duncan Roberts)
