The recent appearance of Green Party parliamentarian Hanna Steinmüller delivering a speech in the Bundestag while carrying her baby has sparked a renewed discussion regarding the compatibility of family life and political careers. Steinmüller’s actions, the first of their kind in the German parliament, followed closely on the heels of announcements surrounding the pregnancy of Federal Minister for Housing, Urban Development and Building Verena Hubertz (SPD), whose announcement was met with criticism and negative reactions online.
Speaking to the Funke-Mediengruppe newspapers, Steinmüller expressed concern that the public response to Hubertz’s pregnancy indicated limited progress in societal acceptance of politicians becoming parents during their time in office compared to previous years. She hopes to contribute to a normalization of this reality, advocating for politicians, both male and female, to be able to balance their responsibilities with their families and for their children to be visible rather than consistently hidden.
Steinmüller emphasized that her decision to bring her baby to the parliamentary session was not a deliberately staged event. She explained that the child was sleeping and she opted to bring her along rather than risk waking him, which she believed would have caused more disruption.
According to Steinmüller, many colleagues were surprised by the presence of a baby in the parliamentary chamber, although they expressed enthusiasm about the unprecedented occurrence. She stated that she received a large number of messages, particularly from women, who shared their personal struggles with balancing family and career while also expressing support for the visibility of a child within the political sphere and feeling less isolated in their challenges.
