Ursula von der Leyen, Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (October 16, 2006)

After the 2005 Bundestag election, Ursula von der Leyen (CDU) – daughter of former Lower Saxon premier Ernst Albrecht (CDU) and mother of seven – was appointed Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women, and Youth. Her family policy veered from the CDU’s traditional course, and this earned her criticism from members of her own party and conservative representatives of the Catholic Church. Although she was able to introduce a parental benefit allowance [Elterngeld] on January 1, 2007, she only made slow progress in increasing the number of daycare slots in Germany. The photo shows her at a press conference in October 2006 (Chancellor Angela Merkel stands on the left). Photo: Guido Bergmann.

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