Today, 8 March, is International Women's Day. "Women who want to accept a job offer need the written permission of their husband, who also has the power to revoke this decision without notice. He may, at his discretion and without the wife's consent, terminate the existing employment contract. Place of residence, house, money: as head of the family, the man has decision-making power over everything'. These were the laws in force not in a country not far away, but in Germany, and until a few decades ago. Today, fortunately, no longer. The 'Equal Rights of Men and Women Act' was passed in 1958, but it was not until 1962 that German women were free to open their own bank accounts, and from 1977 that they no longer needed their husband's consent to work. Water under the bridge: women have long been free to work as and where they please. However, equal economic treatment is still not a reality. In Germany, women earn on average almost one fifth less than their male colleagues. In 2021, Equal Pay Day, which is the answer to this economic gap, will fall on 10 March, i.e. in two days' time. In purely mathematical terms, therefore, German women will have worked for free from 1 January to 10 March. At NOMOS Glashütte, Equal Pay Day coincides with 1 January, as women and men performing comparable tasks receive equal pay. The company has long had more women than men in all roles, including management. Like the experienced watchmaker Carolin Striegl, who works at NOMOS Glashütte in the assembly department. It is here that the proprietary NOMOS Swing-System escapement is made, the heart of the mechanical watch, the precious element that ensures the precision of the manufacture's watches. Or team leader Heike Ahrendt, who is responsible for managing Glashütte's NOMOS products. In her department, new watches are conceived, craftsmanship meets technology and design, and it is ensured that everything is produced on time. Or, like Carola Weiß, one of the four people at NOMOS Glashütte who are able to create the unique sunburst finish typical of Glashütte, which is more than just an aesthetic detail. In the past, in fact, when it was not yet possible to protect watch movements from dust, this sophisticated finish was able to capture every last speck thanks to its rough surface, thus preventing it from penetrating the movement. In Glashütte's 175-year history, many craftsmanship techniques have remained virtually unchanged. Pictured here is the Tangente model from NOMOS, available in different case sizes. This version, in particular, boasts an exclusive feature: the engraving '70 Jahre Grundgesetz' below the number 6 celebrates the Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany, which today also protects the equal rights of women and men.
