Realignment of the CDU: Merz and the homemade women’s problem

Since Merkel’s resignation, the problem has become more and more visible. The power in the CDU is mainly male. But women are urgently needed for a realignment of the party.

Friedrich Merz has recognized the problem: too few women in the CDU – yes, that’s a deficit, he admits frankly. At the same time, a selfie goes online. Then four prime ministers, all SPD. The CDU is far from having so much female power.

The party has a home-grown women’s problem – or is it more a men’s problem? The fact is: the power in the CDU is male. Since Angela Merkel withdrew, this has become more and more visible. Anyone who looks at the websites of the party or the parliamentary group will discover one thing above all at first glance: Merz.

The chairman either alone or surrounded by other men. On the one hand, this underscores the self-image of the party, but also the power structure. While there are women in the front ranks of the party, they are rarely seen and are obviously far from power. Merz has two deputies in the party and four in the parliamentary group – in addition to significantly more men.

Problem with the base too

Women are less visible in the CDU. This is also a structural problem, it starts at the roots of the party. In Arnsberg, where Merz is at home, there are three women and 17 men on the city council. This is no exception and no different in big cities. In Düsseldorf, five women and 25 men do CDU politics on the city council. So the CDU not only has a problem in the leadership bodies, but also at the base of the party. Just a quarter of all members are women.

Is that still a people’s party when politics is essentially shaped by men? The 15 state associations are headed exclusively by men, but the parliamentary groups in the states can at least have one woman, Ines Claus in Hesse. In the CDU, they can only dream of selfies with prime ministers from their own ranks. But they have history books with countless photos of a chancellor. Some of the party still refer to this in order to make the women’s problem small.

Merkel has changed the party

Merkel shaped the CDU for many years. She changed the party, but empowering women was not one of her top priorities. And that’s how the party is now – the women after Merkel show neither a claim to leadership nor career awareness, if they exist at all. But women are urgently needed for the realignment of the party. Because today’s CDU is a men’s party and therefore also a part of a clientele party.

The female perspective on the big issues would also do the Chairman Merz good. That became clear recently in the general debate in the Bundestag, when he addressed feminist foreign policy and made it clear with derogatory hand movements what he thought of it: nothing. He obviously doesn’t know what to do with it, namely that it’s about a holistic approach that thinks about all people, including women.

paper for the quote

Anna-Lena Baerbock then had to explain it to him in front of the assembled parliament. More strong women in his own party could spare him such scenes if they played a key role in shaping politics. But this would require an actual departure in the party: a feminist party policy and probably also a quota.

The paper for a quota is in a drawer in the Konrad-Adenauer-Haus. Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer prepared it when she was party leader. It has not been voted on to this day: a party congress in attendance is necessary for this.

But first Corona came and then Merz, and he is skeptical about the quota. For him it is only the “second best solution”. He has not yet revealed what he thinks is the best solution. It is conceivable that this is not his primary concern.