What Do (Parties Think) Women and LGBTI Citizens Want?
Party Platforms, Gender, and Sexuality in the 2021 German Federal Election
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Abstract
In this article I document the main German parties’ 2021 election platforms regarding gender and sexuality. These manifestos contained considerably different portrayals of gendered inequalities in the Federal Republic, preferred diverse roles for the state in ameliorating gendered inequalities, and called for state action in distinct spheres. Parties also generally viewed “women” and “lgbti” people as homogeneous entities rather than intersectional groups. I conclude by discussing how the differences among the Social Democrats, Greens, and Free Democrats were reconciled in the 2021 coalition agreement. The “traffic light” proposals for achieving gender equality differ starkly from the platforms of the Christian Democrats and the Alternative for Germany.
Contributor Notes
Louise K. Davidson-Schmich is a Professor of Political Science at the University of Miami. Her research interests include gender, sexuality, and German politics, as well as politics in other long-term democracies. She authored Gender Quotas and Democratic Participation: Recruiting Candidates for Elective Offices in Germany (2016) and edited Gender, Intersections, and Institutions: Intersectional Groups Building Alliances and Gaining Voice in Germany (2017). Davidson-Schmich is currently co-editing a volume about the 2021 German federal election.