Minister Karin Prien (CDU) has said that men should be incorporated into the name of her ministry. “I have nothing against the idea of a ‘male minister'” she told the Funke Media Group newspapers in their Friday editions, while she is Minister for Education, Family, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth.
She pointed out that forty years ago it was a milestone to add women to the ministry’s title. “Today the issue is the visibility of men in their particular areas of need” Prien explained. “They may belong in the ministry’s name. In any case, I intend to address their concerns because equality policy should reach both women and men”.
When asked whether the International Women’s Day on 8 March should be renamed “Equality Day” she replied cautiously. “That term has developed over history. To change it I would need allies” she said. “For me it’s clear that we need to focus more on men”.
Prien highlighted the growing gap with boys on both analog and digital fronts. “We can clearly see that certain groups of boys slip away from us. They drop out of school more often, achieve lower grades, and more frequently need support” she said. “Girls have overtaken boys in many educational stages. Some boys growing up in online spaces absorb troubling messages and new versions of old role models. These narratives tend to appeal to uncertain boys”.
She admitted that previous years have understandably concentrated on girls’ needs. “Now we need to broaden our view. We must keep girls in sight while paying more attention to boys” she stressed. “Otherwise we risk circumstances like those in the UK or the US, where some already speak of a ‘lost generation of men’-young men with lower education, fewer upward opportunities, and increasing alienation”.
Prien warned against turning Women’s Day into a public holiday modeled on Berlin’s example. “We must consider Germany’s competitiveness, and we don’t need more holidays” she said. “Still, both women and men can observe the day in a solemn or activist manner”.