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A family on a trip together (symbolic picture)
Photo: Frank Leonhardt / dpa
In politics, 60 to 80 hour weeks are not uncommon. Several members of the state parliament in Baden-Württemberg have now agreed a more family-friendly political enterprise among themselves. According to a report by the “Stuttgarter Zeitung” and “Stuttgarter Nachrichten”, they will test a politics-free Sunday in the future. The total of seven politicians from the Esslingen region want to campaign for more efficient meetings and more fairness towards young parents when making appointments.
"We do not want any special rules compared to other professional groups who work on Sundays," said the initiator of the project, CDU deputy parliamentary group leader Andreas Deuschle, the newspapers.
"It's more about equal opportunities for fathers and mothers in politics, where the wife or partner doesn't stay at home and take on all family responsibilities."
State Secretary Andrea Lindlohr and parliamentary group leader Andreas Schwarz (both Greens), the vice chairman of the SPD parliamentary group, Nicolas Fink, and the MPs Natalie Pfau-Weller (CDU), Andreas Kenner (SPD) and Dennis Birnstock (FDP) also take part in the pilot project .
Difficult for parents to keep up with politics
Political processes are often tailored to childless people, the team complains.
In local politics in particular, appointments often take place in the evenings or on weekends.
That makes it difficult for parents to "keep up with politics," says the Green Secretary of State Lindlohr.
The initiator is now hoping for imitators for his model.
"For our politically free Sunday, it is important that we form a phalanx on site and that all Esslingen state parliament members participate," says Deuschle.
"Solidarity with one another is a prerequisite for this to be a success, so that one individual does not exclusively plow the pre-political space and the club scene at the weekend and make the political competition look old."
mrc / dpa
