Two days after a coalition of conservatives won Germany’s federal election last month, Bavaria’s governor posted on Instagram, stating that the party is ready for political change. He included a group photo of Friedrich Merz, the future chancellor, and five other leaders. Despite the expectation for a modernized Germany, the image showed six middle-aged white men seated at a table of snacks. While in the United States new administration is actively dismantling D.E.I. programs, in Germany, the change seems less intentional but just as striking.
The new German Parliament that will be sworn in on Tuesday will be more male and less diverse than the previous one. Only 32 percent of the 630 new lawmakers are women, down from the 35 percent when the last Parliament was formed in 2021.
In a country where the society has been hesitant to abandon traditional gender roles, the number of women in the highest elected body has stagnated since 2013 when it reached a peak of 36 percent. The president of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, recently criticized the lack of women in politics during a Women’s Day celebration, noting that even if all elected women voted together, they wouldn’t reach the one-third minority needed to block changes to the Constitution.
The erosion of women’s presence in power is attributed to the German political drift to the right, where parties tend to have fewer female lawmakers. The only parties that have a majority of female parliamentarians are the smallest ones: the Greens and Die Linke, both on the left.
When Olaf Scholz formed his cabinet in 2021, he aimed for a gender-balanced government, but that balance was lost when Christine Lambrecht, the defense minister, resigned and was replaced by a man. Friedrich Merz, the future chancellor, stated that he won’t strive for parity when naming his new government. Mechthild Heil, a leader of a women’s group in his party, disagrees, advocating for women to hold at least 50 percent of leadership roles in Parliament. She argues that the absence of women in negotiations can lead to missed issues.
The lack of women in politics is exacerbated by the dual pressures of work and family for women, as well as the old boys’ club networks within political parties that disadvantage new candidates. Despite the perceived progress, women’s representation in Germany’s political landscape remains a challenge.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/25/world/europe/germany-women-politics.html
