But earlier this month, during a joint interview with Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Merkel was less coy. “She had 16 years to listen to feminists and improve the situation of women in Germany and she decided not to,” Kappert told AFP. While Merkel’s career “deserves respect”, Kappert said the chancellor failed to make structural changes for women in German society. Germany’s gender pay gap remains among the highest in the European Union and stood at 19 percent in 2019, not least because many German women work part-time. “She showed that women can do power jobs well and that women can serve the country,” said Kappert.

Source: The Local September 21, 2021 07:40 UTC