Ampelmännchen are pedestrian traffic lights around Germany that are multifaceted: They guide walkers and charm tourists all around the country.  But some have a problem with them: They take the form of men, and only men, wearing jaunty hats.  Politicians in the German city of Dortmund want to institute a 50/50 quota to ensure equality with female Ampelfrauen in the streets.  Representatives from the Social Democratic and Green parties there reasoned that since society gives equal treatment to men and women, it would "be consistent to partially modify traffic-light men to traffic-light women," The Guardian reported.  Germany isn't a feminist paradise. It has a gender pay gap of 20%, one of Europe's highest. Women occupy just 6% of executive board seats on the 30 largest companies on the country's blue-chip DAX index, according to Reuters, although Chancellor Angela Merkel is determined to enforce a quota for that too.  The concept of female versions of the traffic lights, known as Ampelfrauen, were first introduced in 2004. They would improve pedestrian safety because the triangular skirts would allow more light to show. You can find Ampelfrauen in several cities throughout Germany (including Bremen, Cologne, Dresden, Kassel, Magdeburg and Zwickau), but they are still largely outnumbered by their male counterparts.  Dortmund, however, would be the first city to introduce a quota. To avoid spending a large sum of money upfront, the new lights would be installed slowly; each time an Ampelmann needed repairs, he would be replaced by an Ampelfrau until Dortmund had equal numbers of both.  The original Ampelmann is a beloved design relic from Communist East Germany that was developed in 1961 by an engineer-turned-traffic psychologist.  The petit bourgeois hat is fun for kids, and the figures' distinctive silhouettes are highly visible to the elderly and those with poor eyesight. The Ampelmann has attained cult status; at the six Ampelmann shops in Berlin, tourists can buy souvenirs printed with the design.  Yet the design of the female Ampelfrauen, with pigtail braids and a flowing skirt, has drawn some criticism. Berlin has not installed them because of the "cliche" appearance. In 2004, a German newspaper deemed the Ampelfrauen "fussy"; another paper claimed they look "frumpy."  At least one Green Party member wants to take things a step further by redesigning the Ampelfrauen entirely.  "Not all women can identify themselves with a 'traffic light woman' that is wearing a skirt and has a plait," spokesman Sebastian Pastusczyk said, according to the Washington Post.  Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
Pedestrian traffic lights in Germany take the form of a man with a jaunty hat, sparking a debate over gender equality. One city wants to introduce a quota.