Parliamentary proceedings in the Federal Diet this week
In 2021, the German federal government submitted its Ninth CEDAW Report, outlining a multifaceted approach to advancing gender equality and women's rights. Here are some of the key measures and initiatives that Germany has implemented or is planning to implement:
Addressing Economic Inequalities
Germany has acknowledged the persistent gender pay and pension gaps, and is implementing measures to address these economic inequalities impacting women’s financial security. The government is focusing on enhancing social security systems, including basic income and pensions, as well as support for low-income households with children.
Promoting Gender-Responsive Care Systems
The German government emphasizes the development of care and support systems that are gender-responsive, recognizing unpaid and paid care workers, and redistributing care responsibilities more equally between genders. This includes the establishment of the Federal Foundation for Equal Opportunities in 2021 to provide information and develop new ideas for equal opportunities.
Ratification and Compliance with International Treaties
Germany has made progress on ratifying international social and economic rights treaties relevant to women’s rights, though some reservations and gaps remain. For example, the European Social Charter provisions on poverty protection have not been fully accepted.
Policies Supporting Work-Life Balance and Parental Rights
The government promotes measures that include reversing burdens of proof in discrimination cases and enhancing protections against gender-based discrimination in employment and other spheres. Additionally, policies are being developed to improve work-life balance and parental rights, with a focus on increasing female labor market participation and equality.
Legislative Measures to Combat Discrimination
The federal government is adopting a cross-departmental equal opportunities strategy to combat discrimination and promote equal opportunities. This includes the introduction of a legal framework for a direct payment route for public benefits using the tax identification number, which is necessary to pay out the energy price allowance.
Promoting Renewable Energy
The government is also initiating several projects to promote the expansion of renewable energies, including the acceleration of the coal phase-out and the simplification of the process for generating electricity from photovoltaic or wind energy plants in open-cast mining follow-up areas.
Improving Asylum Procedures
The Act to Accelerate Asylum Court Proceedings and Asylum Procedures aims to expedite the currently lengthy asylum court proceedings and to standardize asylum-related jurisprudence. This includes the use of video technology for hearings and deciding on asylum applications if the procedure is not pursued.
Supporting Childcare
More staff in daycare centers, promotion of language education, and strengthening of daycare for children are priorities for the federal government. To this end, the government will provide the states with four billion euros over the next two years within the framework of the Kita Quality Act.
Implementing EU Directives
Germany is also working on implementing EU directives, such as the EU Work-Life Balance Directive, which sets binding standards for work-life balance for parents and caregivers throughout Europe. This includes the introduction of a tenth paid leave for the second parent after the birth of the child, known as partner or paternity leave.
Accelerating Budget Negotiations
To ensure timely decision-making, the coalition factions have agreed on measures to accelerate budget negotiations, including introducing deadlines for procedural steps and the automatic activation of arbitration panels.
These initiatives reflect Germany’s commitment to advancing the full realization of gender equality and women’s rights as obligated under CEDAW and related international commitments. For a detailed list of the Ninth CEDAW Report’s key points, please refer to the official documents on the German government or the CEDAW Committee’s website.
In the context of the Ninth CEDAW Report, Germany is planning to implement initiatives in education-and-self-development by providing the states with four billion euros over the next two years within the framework of the Kita Quality Act, which aims to improve childcare. Furthermore, Germany is working on implementing the EU Work-Life Balance Directive, promoting sports and renewable energy by introducing a tenth paid leave for the second parent after the birth of the child, known as partner or paternity leave, and accelerating the expansion of renewable energies.
