Gender parity in Germany: How much did Merkel pave the way?
| Berlin
Angela Merkel, the former German chancellor, refused to call herself a feminist. But after stepping down last year following 16 years in power, it鈥檚 now clear her strongest legacy might be the path she鈥檚 paved for other women.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz has appointed eight women to his Cabinet, including the key positions of foreign affairs, security, and defense in Europe鈥檚 powerhouse economy. That makes the gender balance in his cabinet exactly 50-50.
鈥淲e鈥檙e sure it鈥檚 the right thing to do ... that represents the society in which we live, in which men and women each make up half of the population and in which it should be normal that women have half the power,鈥� Mr. Scholz said in a press conference last month announcing the picks.
Why We Wrote This
Labels, both good and bad, often mean little. That鈥檚 why Angela Merkel鈥檚 refusal to call herself a feminist hasn鈥檛 gotten in the way of women rising to power in today鈥檚 Germany.
There鈥檚 much to be done, such as narrowing the gender pay gap, providing paternity leave, and boosting more women into STEM fields. But many experts view gender parity in the Cabinet as an important first step toward progress for Germany, which has lagged on many of the traditional metrics.
鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely a strong sign on a symbolic level. Already under Ms. Merkel, women in political leadership appeared more and more frequently, even in right-wing parties,鈥� says Annette Henninger, a politics and gender relations professor at Philipps University of Marburg. 鈥淣ow it seems that gender stereotypes are really starting to change.鈥�
On the rise
Ms. Merkel has long been a rare female leader in the conservative 海角大神 Democratic Union (CDU). And, while her ascendance to German chancellor was hailed around the world 鈥撀燿uring President Donald Trump鈥檚 tenure she was oft-referred to as the last defender of liberal democracy 鈥� women at home found limited success under her helm.
As chancellor, Ms. Merkel did appoint Germany鈥檚 first and second female defense ministers, Ursula von der Leyen and Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer. But Ms. Kramp-Karrenbauer聽struggled to consolidate power within her political party and later stepped down from political life. Annalena Baerbock鈥檚 rousing ascendance as a Green Party candidate for chancellor lasted only weeks, and she was roundly attacked online and in the media. The treatment, experts said, was rooted in聽.听听
Ms. Merkel herself never proclaimed a strong position on women鈥檚 rights, perhaps because she couldn鈥檛 in a male-dominated political world. She had spoken out for the need to put more women on Germany鈥檚 corporate boards, but within the CDU she had to tread carefully.
鈥淪he certainly has experienced enough misogyny in her time 鈥� back in the 90s the CDU was full of terrible men,鈥� says Ursula M眉nch, political scientist and current director of the independent think tank Academy for Political Education in Bavaria.
鈥淔emale empowerment was never something Merkel did openly,鈥� she says. 鈥淪he didn鈥檛 consciously play that card because she knows that with this card, you can only win over those who are already on your side.鈥�
In Berlin in 2017, when Ms. Merkel was asked whether she is a feminist, she responded with a bland non-answer: 鈥淭o be honest, the history of feminism is one with which I have common ground but also differences, and I don鈥檛 want to embellish myself with a title I don鈥檛 have.鈥�
Indeed, the reality for women in Germany has been remarkably unprogressive. In Parliament, women hold only 35% of seats, while only three of Germany鈥檚 16 states are led by women. In Germany鈥檚 corporate sector, men dominate, with more than 600 male executives to only 93 women serving on the boards of companies making up Germany鈥檚 main stock market indexes, according to the AllBright Foundation.
Women are paid on average 80% of what men make in Germany, marking one of the highest gender pay gaps among European Union member states. Germany鈥檚 criminal code also makes abortion 鈥� both for the woman seeking one and the practitioner performing the procedure 鈥� technically punishable by fines or prison time. Another section prohibits advertising for abortions.聽
Working mothers also need easier access to child care, and income needs to increase in professions dominated by women, such as nursing, says Dr. Henninger. Women鈥檚 shelters also need more resources.
Changing minds
In other words, there鈥檚 plenty of work to do. Yet, hopes are high that Germany鈥檚 first gender-equal Cabinet will mark a new chapter.
For starters, as Chancellor Scholz has said, 鈥淪ecurity will lie in the hands of strong women in this government.鈥� 聽
The Cabinet members in charge of security have already touted a harder line than their predecessors. The foreign minister, Ms. Baerbock, wants Germany to take a tough stance in addressing Russia鈥檚 regional, and China鈥檚 global, ambitions. The interior minister, Nancy Faeser, has promised to fight far-right extremism and threats to Germany鈥檚 liberal democracy. Christine Lambrecht, who will oversee defense, has vowed to properly fund Germany鈥檚 military, which has for years been under-resourced.
And there鈥檚 talk that attention will finally be paid to advancing women-friendly policies. Agenda 2030, a package of sustainable development goals that include gender equality, contains milestones such as reducing the gender pay gap, encouraging more girls to enter STEM fields, and boosting the percentage of women on companies鈥� supervisory boards to 30%.
鈥淲e expect that all departments will take responsibility and actively develop the government鈥檚 equality strategy,鈥� says Elke Ferner, chairwoman of U.N. Women Germany.
Today women with small children are now in leading government positions, which represents a sea change from the time when people speculated about former Defense Minister and current European Commission President Ms. von der Leyen鈥檚 child care arrangements. (She has seven children.) 鈥淣ow, the question of 鈥楥an she really do that?鈥� is not being asked anymore,鈥� says Dr. Henninger.
鈥淲omen in Germany have gotten stronger over the past years. They have organized themselves across all sectors and age groups and found their voice,鈥� says Jutta Allmendinger, a gender inequality expert and president of the research institute WZB Berlin Social Science Center. 鈥淚 think Olaf Scholz really had no other choice.鈥�
As the first woman at the head of the government, Ms. Merkel set a standard that Germany now must build upon, says Ms. Ferner of U.N. Women Germany.聽鈥淣ow it鈥檚 about changing basic conditions so that equal participation for women is possible in all areas.鈥�
