A reluctant feminist: Germany's Merkel still inspires many women

"She is admired by women all over the world, this is her main legacy. That a woman showed what she is capable of and does this with dignity and resolve.”

—German feminist activist Alice Schwarzer

September 13, 2021

The gist: In 2017, “Merkel avoided saying whether she considered herself a feminist when urged to do so at an event with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) director Christine Lagarde” by responding:

"I don't want to decorate myself with a title I don't actually have," Merkel said back then.

However, “as her time in power draws to a close,” Merkel - “who grew up in the former Communist East Germany,” and “has a doctorate in quantum chemistry - has reconsidered her position.”

"I have thought my answer through more and so I can say yes: we should all be feminists," Merkel said to cheers at an event with Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

The #faxx:

• "She hasn't spent the last 16 years carrying out great feminist deeds," noting Merkel had supported policies that helped women like expanding state-funded childcare. "

• Germany wasn't ready for its first female chancellor when Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) narrowly won the election in 2005, with her predecessor Gerhard Schroeder saying publicly she wasn't up to the job.

• But Merkel could even overtake former mentor Helmut Kohl to become Germany's longest-serving chancellor if it takes a long time to form a coalition government after the Sept. 26 election.

• Women and girls say the impact of Merkel - who is often known as "Mutti," or mum, although she has no children herself - has been profound in a country where traditional gender roles are only changing slowly.

"She has done a lot to pave the way for others, now it is completely normal to see female chancellor candidates. And this hasn't always been the case."

—Maria Luisa Schill, a German resident.

Link to the Reuters article here.