A quick note on Germany

I have lots of relatives in Germany; German literature was my minor at Cal.  As a result, I tend to take at least a casual interest in German politics, and I'm interested to see what happens with this Sunday's national election.

The gender dimensions to the election are interesting.  The conservative candidate is Angela Merkel, 51, from the once-Communist east.  She's a physicist, married to a chemist, and she has never had children. As the LA Times describes her:

Merkel's ascent met with sexist attitudes, bringing scrutiny to her fashion sense as well as her politics in a nation where only 7% of top managers in major companies are women. She wears off-the-rack dresses; her hairstyle (blunt bangs) and lipstick (muted) became the stuff of tabloid fascination. The conservative Die Welt called her frumpy and suggested a makeover.

On the other hand, Gerhard Schroeder, the incumbent Social Democrat and, to my mind, a thoroughly decent and moderately leftish figure, is (like your scribe here) married to his fourth wife.   As Fred Vincy relates, Schroeder's wife has attacked Merkel for being a childless woman.   Fred links to this Yahoo news story:

Doris Schroeder-Koepf, 42...  said (Merkel's) career path had left her out of touch with the daily experience of most German women.

"Merkel's biography does not embody the experience of most women," Schroeder-Koepf, a former journalist, told Die Zeit. "They are concerned with how they can have a family and a job, whether they should stay home for a few years after the birth, or how they can best raise their children."

Merkel has refused to be drawn into the issue, stating only that her lack of children was not a conscious decision.

Sigh.   What's a good left-wing profeminist to do when the fourth wife (twenty years younger than her husband) of the progressive incumbent smears the thoroughly admirable lifestyle of the educated, childless, yet conservative candidate?  While I have no desire to see Merkel win the election and move Germany towards a more pro-U.S. foreign policy and free-market economy, I'm so appalled at Schroeder-Koepf's remarks that I'm half-pulling for a Merkel victory.

I am aware, however, of how impossible it would be for a childless physicist in her fifties to ever be nominated for president by the Republican party in this country.   Childlessness is, I think, still an unforgivable flaw in conservative women candidates for American higher office.   Then again, Condi Rice may prove me wrong in 2008.

Comments

[djw]

Eh. It's pretty classless and annoying, but...

1) You're voting for Gerhard, not Doris. Or, rather, you would be if you were German.

2) It's all about the policies they are likely to enact. Those effect millions of women.

[djw]

Condi Rice may prove me wrong in 2008

No chance.

[Xrlq]

Gerhard Schröder is the worst post-war chancellor Germany has ever had. He has poisoned his country's relations with the U.S., not out of principle or even to gain some geopolitical advantage for his country, but merely to draw attention away from the domestic misery he's created and perpetuated in his own country, particularly the permanent unemployment his "progressive" policies have persistently and predictably perpetuated. Merkel's Christian Democratic Union is no champion of free enterprise, but at least she has first-hand experience of where socialism leads.

I also have to smirk at your claim that the Republican Party would never nominate a childless woman as a candidate, even while naming a specific candidate who they may well nominate in the very next election. Perhaps you'd care to refresh my memory as to who was the last childless woman the Democrats nominated for President, or the next one they are likely to? The closest they've come was the very childful Geraldine Ferraro, who in 1984 became the second woman in U.S. history to receive any electoral votes while running for the second spot on the national ticket. Somehow that seems fitting, coming from the second party to oppose slavery, the second party to get behind the Civil Rights Act, and the second party to nominate a woman to the Supreme Court. If you want your No. 2 party to ever nominate a black candidate, an unmarried candidate, a childless candidate, a woman, or any combination thereof, your best bet is to help Condi win in '08.

[Rainbow]

It is a pity that the issue even got any press time. Running for office should not entail having to explain infertility to the public. Sheesh.

[Jean]

Why is it that women feel the need to bash other women? It's fruitless no matter who's side you're on. There is nothing favorable about being the bashed or the basher.

of course, I believe that the bashing was just a ploy to turn people's attention away from the issues Merkel wants them to focus on.

Women should spend more time encouraging and empowering each other. Then, perhaps, we'd all be discussing which female candidate (GOP or otherwise, black or not, childless or not, married or not) would be best suited to be commander and chief.

Now, realistically I doubt the republican or democratic party would nominate or elect a female. (At least not in my lifetime) And, if they did, she would be childless and single before she'd be black.

Before anyone gets started I want to remind you that I'm being realistic not racist. if a black woman were to run for President, I would hope and pray her platform was a favorable one because I would definitely vote for her.

[AsianSmiles]

The issue about the female candidate being childless is totally beyond me. If the guy gets elected, will he be able to be "in touch with the daily experience of most German women" as much as Merkel (a woman with maternal instinct) could?

Philippines, though almost incomparable to Germany, already had two female presidents and both of them led a throng of male officials under them. We had no choice, they were the most able and most capable during the time that they were elected (or seated).

The basis were their capabilities, gender was an issue too, but nobody made an issue out of it. Not even the poor nor the male population.

At this point, I doubt if we would also care if she is single. We probably would prefer an unmarried person to lead us because we can get most of her time for work.

Besides, the husband of the current female president had become a liability to her - up to now.

Goodluck to Germany.

[AsianSmiles]

Correction:
The basis were their capabilities, gender was an issue too, but nobody made an issue out of it. Not even the poor nor the male population.

It should have read:
The basis were their capabilities. Gender was mentioned too, but nobody made a major issue out of it. Not even the poor nor the male population.

Apologies.

[ARC: StWendeler]

I frankly think that Gerhard's time has run out. Imagine if the US economic situation was the same as Germany's - double digit unemployment and nonexistent growth rates. I am frankly surprised that the German people are willing to put up with such lackluster performance, given their industriousness.

With regard to the gender constructs being thrown about in Germany, what is a profeminist to do indeed??? Perhaps you should stick by your profeminist principles and not condone such remarks by Gerhard's latest missus. I guess you should ask yourself whether you are primarily anti-war (part of the We-Fear-Change-in-the-Middle-East crowd) or primarily a pro-feminist.

Oh, and Go Condi Go!!!

Regards,
St Wendeler

[ARC: StWendeler]

By the way, I didn't take the opportunity to read some of your other posts before commenting...

Just want to say that this is a great blog. I apologize for the tone of my previous comment... I've been engaged in some discussions on other blogs that have gotten quite heated, and fear that I've jumped to conclusions about your politics. From some of your other posts, I see that you approach each topic with an open mind... and clearly are not suffering from Bush Derangement Syndrome - at least from what I've read thus far!

;-)

I'll continue to read your posts, but wanted to offer my apology if my previous comment is taken in the wrong way. Sometimes labels (such as "profeminist") can be misinterpreted and by some of your other posts, I can see that we share similar concerns. I'll continue to read your blog and will be adding you to my blogroll.

Regards,
St Wendeler
Another Rovian Conspiracy

[Xrlq]

Now, realistically I doubt the republican or democratic party would nominate or elect a female. (At least not in my lifetime)

Unless you are either contemplating suicide or have been diagnosed with a deadly disease that will do you in before 2009, I think you're sadly (happily?) mistaken. It's a bit early to predict the 2008 election with any certainty, of course, but judgin by the current environment I'd be a bit surprised if neither Condi nor Hillary got their party's nomination, and would not be the least bit surprised if both did.

And, if they did, she would be childless and single before she'd be black.

One of the top contenders is all three, and the other is married to the nation's first black President. What more do you want?