Manuela Schwesig
| Manuela Schwesig | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Manuela Schwesig | |
| Federal Minister of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 17 December 2013 | |
| Chancellor | Angela Merkel |
| Preceded by | Kristina Schröder |
| Minister of Health and Social Affairs of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern | |
| In office 6 October 2008 – 17 December 2013 | |
| Governor | Erwin Sellering |
| Preceded by | Erwin Sellering |
| Vice Chairwoman of SPD with Hannelore Kraft, Klaus Wowereit and Olaf Scholz | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 13 November 2009 | |
| Preceded by | Frank-Walter Steinmeier Peer Steinbrück Andrea Nahles |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 23 May 1974 Frankfurt/Oder, East Germany |
| Nationality | German |
| Political party | SPD |
| Alma mater | Training and Further Education Centre Königs Wusterhausen |
| Profession | Public servant |
Manuela Schwesig (born 23 May 1974 in Frankfurt (Oder),[1] East Germany) is a German politician (SPD). She is currently the Federal Minister of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth.
Early life and education
Born in Frankfurt (Oder), Schwesig grew up in the nearby town of Seelow.[2][3] After graduation in 1992 at the high school (Gymnasium Seelow) on the Seelow Heights,[1] she completed a study of the Advertisement of service in the tax administration of the federal state of Brandenburg. She attended the Training and Further Education Centre (Fachhochschule für Finanzen) in Königs Wusterhausen.[1]
Political career
At 29 years of age Schwesig became a member of SPD. She was member of the Schwerin City Council from 2004–2008.
Schwesig soon became the deputy party leader of the SPD and Minister of Social Affairs and Health in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
Ahead of the 2009 elections, German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier included Schwesig, then relatively unknown face to the German public, in his shadow cabinet of 10 women and eight men for the Social Democrats’ campaign to unseat incumbent Angela Merkel as chancellor.[4] During the campaign, Schwesig served as shadow minister for family affairs[5] who advocated the party’s family-friendly policies.[6]
In 2011, Schwesig led high-level talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel and Labor Minister Ursula von der Leyen for the then-opposition Social Democrats on reaching a compromise over how to increase basic social welfare benefits for the unemployed.[7]
Following the 2013 elections, Schwesig served as the Social Democrats' main negotiator in the working group for families, women and equal opportunities when Germany's two largest parties, Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative bloc and the left-leaning Social Democrats, held talks on forming a broad coalition government.[8]
In the third Merkel cabinet, Schwesig, who at 39 was the youngest cabinet member,[9] became the Federal Minister of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth – a position also occupied by Merkel in her first cabinet post under German Chancellor Helmut Kohl in the early 1990s.[10]
Political positions
Child protection
Manuela Schwesig is a member of the German Child Protection League . Her main focus is to fight child poverty and provide for good state childcare facilities. In 2009 she supported the idea promoted by Minister Ursula von der Leyen to block websites featuring child pornography.
On her order the employees of nursery schools in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern have to declare their commitment to uphold the principles of Germany's basic laws (the constitution).
Advancement of women
In 2014, Schwesig helped introducing a bill mandating compulsory quotas for women on the supervisory boards of the Germany’s top companies,[11] which was passed in early 2015. Also in early 2015, she called for a law that would force companies to allow female employees to see how their salaries compare with those of male colleagues.[12]
Political extremism
In a 2014 lawsuit before the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany, the far-right National Democratic Party (NPD) complained over comments made by Schwesig during that year’s parliamentary election campaign for the state of Thuringia. In a newspaper interview, Schwesig had made the comment: "The number one goal is that the NPD does not make it into the parliament." The NPD accused the minister of breaching her duty of neutrality and interfering with the campaign, and made a complaint before the Federal Constitutional Court. But the court ruled in December 2014 that Schwesig did not damage the NPD's right to a level playing field, because her comments fell under the "political struggle of opinion."[13]
Other activities
- Franco-German Youth Office (FGYO), Ex-officio Co-Chair of the Board of Governors
- Deutsche Telekom, Yes, I can! Initiative for Children and Young People, Member of the Board of Trustees
- Plan International Deutschland, Member of the Board of Trustees
- German Association for the Protection of Children (DKSB), Member
- German Forum for Crime Prevention (DFK), Member of the Board of Trustees
- Mecklenburg State Theatre, Member of the Supervisory Board
Personal life
Schwesig is married with one son.[14]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 (German) Manuela Schwesig's website
- ↑ "Deutschlands jüngste Ministerin". Bild (in German). 4 October 2008.
- ↑ "Die erstaunliche Karriere von Steinmeiers Mädchen". Die Welt (in German). 28 July 2009.
- ↑ Bertrand Benoit (30 July 2009), Lagging SPD starts campaign Financial Times.
- ↑ "Rising Star Paves Path to a Family Friendly Germany". Spiegel Online. 8 April 2009. Retrieved 4 September 2010.
- ↑ Patrick Donahue (15 December 2013), Merkel’s Third-Term Cabinet: Social Democratic Party Ministers Bloomberg.
- ↑ Judy Dempsey (9 February 2011), Merkel Breaks Off Talks With Opposition International Herald Tribune.
- ↑ Harriet Torry (18 November 2013), 30% Female Quota for German Boards Proposed: Parties in Coalition Negotiation Agreed to Put Forward Legislation Wall Street Journal.
- ↑ Rainer Buergin (22 January 2014), Schaeuble as Merkel’s Dr. No Holds Coalition Purse Strings Bloomberg.
- ↑ Patrick Donahue (15 December 2013), Merkel’s Third-Term Cabinet: Social Democratic Party Ministers Bloomberg.
- ↑ Alison Smale (26 November 2014), Germany Planning Quotas for Women in Boardrooms New York Times.
- ↑ Louise Osborne (2 March 2015), Plan for 'equal wages' law in Germany meets with strong industry opposition The Guardian.
- ↑ Far-right NPD party loses case over German minister's opinion Deutsche Welle, 16 December 2014.
- ↑ "Die Senkrechtstarterin. Manuela Schwesig wird Sozialministerin". Schweriner Volkszeitung. 2 October 2008. p. 5.
External links
Media related to Manuela Schwesig at Wikimedia Commons
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