BERLIN: Chancellor Angela Merkel urged German employers to help get more women back to work after they become mothers in a country which needs to boost its workforce.
Germany’s centre-left opposition called the conservative chancellor’s “family summit” yesterday blatant electioneering, saying she had woken up to the problems of women and families six months before an election when she will seek a third term.
“The interests of the family should be at the centre of politics,” Merkel said in a speech. She announced no new measures to raise the female employment rate or encourage women to work full-time but urged employers to be “open to the wishes of their male and female workers”.
The 58-year-old chancellor’s Christian Democrats (CDU) portray the traditional family as the cornerstone of society but Merkel is often accused of doing little to help women despite being probably the world’s most powerful female politician.
Reuters
