CDU on equality and diversity

The CDU rejects strict language rules in research and teaching. People who do not use gender-inclusive language at universities, research institutions or elsewhere should face no disadvantage; the party bases this on academic freedom.

The CDU does not want strict language rules at universities. Nobody should have to use gender-inclusive language. People who do not use it should face no disadvantage. The CDU says science must stay free.

The program describes universities as places of open debate and wants to resist any attempt to narrow that space politically. For the humanities and social sciences, it calls for "moderation and balance." At the same time, the CDU wants to oppose antisemitism, racism and discrimination. It plans to respond to growing skepticism toward science and attacks on researchers with more science communication and dialogue formats.

The CDU wants to make equal rights for women and men a reality in everyday life and break down fixed gender roles. Work and family are to be easier to combine, more women are to reach leadership roles and STEM jobs, and women who care for relatives are to be protected from poverty in old age.

Women and men should have the same chances. The CDU wants more child care places. More women should become bosses and start companies. Women who cared for relatives for a long time should get a better pension.

More child care places and more flexible hours are meant to help parents; online training and regulated remote work should speed up the return to work after starting a family. Support and mentoring programs for women are to get more money. The CDU wants to form an alliance with companies for women in STEM fields and launch a network for female founders. Supervisory boards, committees, and leadership posts are to be balanced between the sexes, with the state administration leading by example. Long periods of caring for relatives are to count more toward pensions, mothers without qualifications should find work more easily, and projects against long-term unemployment among women are planned.

The CDU wants to improve implementation of the Istanbul Convention, a Council of Europe treaty against violence toward women. Shelters, counseling services, and prevention projects are to be expanded.

The CDU wants to protect women and children better from violence. There should be more money for shelters. Counseling should be easy to reach everywhere and anonymous. Police, courts, and counseling centers should work closely together.

More money is to be available for protective housing for women and men, and housing for affected women with children is to grow and work across state lines. The state coordination office for women's counseling centers will stay, and anonymous, easy-access counseling is to be available statewide. In high-risk cases, police, the justice system, counseling centers, and municipalities are to cooperate locally, backed by staff positions in police departments, to spot the danger of domestic killings early. Prevention projects such as "Kein Täter werden" in Hannover are to continue and be joined by others. For sex workers, more protection plus prevention and exit programs are planned.

The CDU wants lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and intersex people to be able to live safely and free from discrimination. Police and prosecutors are to be made more aware of hostile violence, and services in rural areas are to be expanded.

LGBTI means lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and intersex people. They still often face violence and rejection. The CDU wants to protect them better. The police should get better at recognizing such crimes. Rural areas should get groups and counseling.

The program names protection of minorities as a priority and points to continuing experiences of discrimination and violence. Investigators are to be trained, and victim protection should not lead to offenders' motives being concealed. LGBTI contact officers within the police and the state prevention council are to be strengthened. In rural regions, groups in youth centers and counseling offices in district towns are to be set up, with support for the municipalities.