Germany’s federal ministries are exhibiting divergent approaches to inclusive language practices, following a recent directive from Culture State Minister Wolfram Weimer discouraging the use of gender-specific special characters – such as asterisks, colons, underscores, or the “gender gap” (Binnen-I) – in official communications.
Minister Weimer publicly urged other publicly funded institutions, including museums, foundations and broadcasting organizations, to align with this guidance. However, a comprehensive inquiry conducted by “Tagesspiegel” reveals a lack of uniform adoption across the federal government.
No other ministry has issued a comparable prohibition, nor are any currently planning to do so. Spokespersons from fifteen ministries indicated that existing regulations are deemed sufficient. Many ministries explicitly stated adherence to the joint business rules of the federal government, which stipulate that recommendations from the Council for German Orthography serve as the standard for official correspondence.
Numerous ministries, including those led by the CDU and CSU, along with the vast majority of SPD-led ministries, prioritize gender-equitable language through the use of double naming (e.g., “female and male employees”) and gender-neutral formulations. Spokespersons confirmed that no change to these established practices is anticipated. One spokesperson from the Ministry of Agriculture stated that such special character usage is currently considered a spelling error and cannot be assumed as generally understandable even in the context of barrier-free communication.
However, two SPD-led ministries – the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs and the Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development – publicly confirmed their continued use of special characters in certain contexts. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Labor indicated that gender-inclusive word formations using asterisks may occur in internal correspondence and occasionally in social media posts considering the character limit. The Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development described the asterisk as “standard” for both internal and external communications, while also noting the potential for double naming or neutral alternatives.