Government formation: Esken wants more women than men from the SPD in the cabinet

SPD boss Saskia Esken has spoken out for the fact that the SPD sends more women than men to the new federal cabinet. In an interview by the German Press Agency, she demanded that four of the seven SPD posts be filled by women. “Women provide half of the population and, as we sometimes say, we also want to not just half the cake, but half the bakery.” When asked whether this will mean four posts for the SPD women, she said: “If you can calculate, yes, then you get four.”

Esken even goes beyond what the chairwoman of the SPD women’s working group, Maria Noichl, demanded a few days ago. She asked for three posts in the “Tagesspiegel” and justified that with Josephine Ortleb, a woman’s vice president has already become a Bundestag. “My calculation is very clear: the SPD has to name at least three women as minister – and no less,” said NOICHL.

Esken wants parity throughout the cabinet

Esken emphasized that the balance between men and women should not be limited to the SPD posts. “Our goal must be to produce parity in the entire cabinet and in politics as a whole,” she said.

So far there has never been a newly formed federal government with as many women as men. The now only managing Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) had set the goal in 2021, but had not entirely fulfilled the claim. Among the 17 cabinet members were originally nine men and eight women, although the odd number made no exact equal distribution possible.

Merz has not yet made a clear announcement

Since a ministry is now added, parity would be reached with nine women and nine men each. So far, the designated Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) has only promised that the proportion of women will be higher when filling the Union posts in the cabinet than in the Bundestag. There he is 22.1 percent among the CDU MPs and 25 percent in the CSU ranks. The SPD is 41.7 percent. The proportion of women has dropped under a third throughout the Bundestag.

The social association not only demanded parity for the top posts in the cabinet. The CEO Michaela Engelmeier also demanded that the State Secretary and the Federal Government have had to pay attention to equality. “Parity must not remain a melodious goal. A courageous equality policy is not a minor matter, but a central contribution to social justice, economic progress and democratic stability.”

Esken is silent about their ambitions

Esken has not yet said about the question of whether she is striving for a post in the cabinet. So far, only Boris Pistorius is considered to be a law on the SPD page as Minister of Defense. Party leader Lars Klingbeil is traded as Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister. Then, after the invoice Eskens, there would only be another cabinet post for an SPD man.

The previous ministers Nancy Faeser and Svenja Schulze as well as the former Parliament President Bärbel Bas and the member of the Bundestag Sonja Eichwede for cabinet posts are under discussion of the SPD women. The previous parliamentary managing director Katja Mast was also mentioned as a candidate in individual media. Manuela Schwesig, on the other hand, has waved off, the Prime Minister wants to stay in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.