The first woman at the head of the German government, Angela Merkel marked a whole generation of women during her 16 years in power. Admired on the world political scene for her pragmatism, she has become a role model for many German women, such as Leonie Pow, campaign manager at just 24 years old: “It wasn’t until school, when I started to have a political conscience, that I realized how much it meant, especially to the older generation, that a woman rule Germany. I understood that, it made me proud, too.“
“One thing is clear, and one woman has proven it: women can do anything. It is now taken for granted in our country“said Alice Schwarzer, Germany’s most famous feminist.”However, a single female chancellor does not make emancipation“.
While many admire Angela Merkel for breaking the glass ceiling of power, some have indeed blamed her for not fighting hard enough for gender equality in society and politics. “She has done much less for women in politics and for gender equality than one might expect. She did not make the advancement of women one of her main concerns, as the first female chancellor.“, explains Julia Reuschenbach, political analyst at the University of Bonn.
The Germans even suffered some setbacks during Angela Merkel’s tenure. For example, the proportion of women in the CDU / CSU parliamentary group in the Budestag, for example, fell from 23% in 2005, to less than 20% today
“We should all be feminists”
In addition, women represent only 31% of deputies in the Bundestag … a figure which has fallen compared to the period 2013-2017, and which is well below several European countries, such as Sweden, Belgium or Spain Finally, Germany also has one of the largest pay gaps in the EU, with women earning 18% less than men in 2020.
One of the reasons for Merkel’s reluctance to fight more openly for feminist issues in Germany could be her own struggle to reach the top of German politics, says Alice Schwarzer. “Ms Merkel suffered a lot of criticism as a woman, especially early in her political career. She wasn’t expecting it, and maybe that’s why she didn’t choose the fact that she was a woman as the focal point..”
Angela Merkel has long been criticized for never having declared herself openly a feminist. But as her ultimate draws to a close, she recently showed that she is now assuming her role as a role model for women: ” I can say today in an affirmative way: then I am a feminist. I said that a bit shyly on stage at the time. Today it is better reflected and therefore, in that sense, I can say: yes, we should all be feminists“, declared the Chancellor during a conference in Düsseldorf on September 8, 2021.
Angela Merkel to step down after general elections, to be held in Germany on Sunday
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