(Gemini Audio)
(de-news.net) – Federal Minister for Family Affairs Karin Prien (CDU) has recently underscored the urgent need to enhance structural frameworks that would enable women in part-time employment to increase their working hours. In remarks widely circulated by national media outlets, Prien advocated for the establishment of a “societal covenant for increased family friendliness,” a concept she framed as requiring the active participation of multiple societal actors — including men, employers, and the state apparatus.
According to Prien, one of the principal impediments to achieving a sustainable balance between professional obligations and family responsibilities lies in the persistent gender disparity in domestic labor. She emphasized that men in Germany continue to contribute insufficiently to household and care-giving tasks, thereby placing disproportionate burdens on women and limiting their capacity to engage in full-time employment. In addition to this imbalance, Prien identified systemic shortcomings in childcare infrastructure and the limited adaptability of many businesses as further obstacles to women’s broader labor market integration.
The minister positioned increased female workforce participation not merely as a matter of individual empowerment, but as a strategic imperative for safeguarding Germany’s long-term economic resilience. She argued that the country’s prosperity hinges on its ability to mobilize the full potential of its labor force, which includes removing barriers that prevent women from transitioning into full-time roles.
In a pointed appeal to her own party, Prien reportedly urged the CDU to reconsider the existing tax framework, specifically calling for the transformation of the Ehegattensplitting model into a more inclusive Familiensplitting system. Such a reform, she suggested, would better reflect contemporary family dynamics and promote equitable treatment of caregiving responsibilities. Furthermore, Prien proposed targeted modifications to parental allowance policies, asserting that it was time to create greater space for fathers within the parental leave structure. She acknowledged that such changes could entail a reduction in the duration of benefits received by mothers, depending on how the revised scheme is implemented.
Statistical data released by the Ministry for Family Affairs indicates a marked increase in paternal engagement with parental leave since the introduction of the Elterngeld program. While only 3 percent of fathers initially took advantage of the benefit, current figures show participation rates have risen to approximately 46 percent. Nonetheless, the average duration of leave taken by fathers remains significantly shorter — at 3.8 months — compared to the 14.8 months typically taken by mothers. Prien is reported to have stated that the configuration of parental leave provisions could serve as a policy instrument to influence both the length and distribution of leave between parents, thereby fostering a more balanced approach to family and professional life.