The new gender‑equity report released by the CDU shows that the party is still far from its goal of attracting more women members. According to the report, which was covered by the “Handelsblatt” in its Thursday issue, the party had 95,505 female members as of October 2025. That is a drop from over 96,000 a year earlier and from more than 100,000 in 2022. In percentage terms, women now account for 26.6 % of the membership, an increase of only 0.1 percentage point.
At the state level, the share of women varies from 35.2 % in Hamburg to 24.5 % in Lower Saxony. Municipal offices lag further behind: only 14.8 % of positions in Saxony‑Anhalt are held by women, whereas Hamburg reaches 34.2 %.
Christina Stumpp, the CDU’s deputy secretary general, is working on behalf of party leader Friedrich Merz to improve women’s participation. “When men and women decide together, we all benefit because more experiences and perspectives come into play” she told the newspaper. She stated that the report shows progress at the federal and state levels, especially in terms of filling positions, but that there is still a need for action in cities and towns.
Since 2022 the CDU has had a quota for women. From 2025 onward, half of all board seats must be filled by women at the national, state, and district levels, regardless of whether they are in the national party, affiliated associations, or local chapters. This rule will remain in force until 2029, when it will be evaluated. The upcoming federal party congress, set to begin on Friday in Stuttgart, will aim for a parity‑balanced leadership both in the party’s presidium and among Friedrich Merz’s assistants.
