Empowering women to active European Citizenship

Claudia Neusuess, Germany/Deutschland

Dr. Claudia Neusuess has been trained in political science, psychology and economic geography at the University of Bonn and the Free University of Berlin, where she received her Ph.D. in Political Science in 1994. From 1990 to 1996, she taught courses on gender and poverty, social policy, and alternative economy at the Free University of Berlin and conducted research on single mothers in West Berlin and Eastern Germany.

In 1987, she co-founded the women's cooperative WeiberWirtschaft ("Women's Business"). She was its director from 1990 to 1996 and is currently a member of its supervisory board. Weiberwirtschaft is a model project, realising alternative environmental and social ideas within economy. Today, it is the largest women's business centre in Germany with more than 60 enterprises and 1,500 female members in Germany and abroad.

From 1996 to 2002, Claudia Neusuess was executive Board Member of the Heinrich Böll Foundation. She was responsible for international politics, specially the north-south dialogue, migration/intercultural management, the Feminist Institute and gender democracy. At present, she is a member of the steering committee of the Feminist Institute.

In 2002, she studied Polish history and culture in Poland and since worked as a lecturer and political consultant in several East European countries. Currently, she works as a political consultant, project developer and author with a focus on EU-enlargement, Gender Mainstreaming and Gender Democracy. Since 2003 she is a board Member of the East-West European Women´s Network (OWEN) and Project-Partner of EWEC (Empowering Women to European Citizenship). She is based in Berlin, Germany.

Claudia Neusuess is the author of numerous articles on social and labour market related policies,women's empowerment, diversity, gender mainstreaming and gender democracy.