German left demands abolition of marriage

The Berlin youth wing of the Social Democratic Party has suggested replacing the pillar of “patriarchy” with cohabiting partnerships

The Berlin youth wing of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) has suggested abolishing marriage in Germany in favor of cohabiting partnerships.

At present, marriage enjoys constitutional protection under Article 6 of the Basic Law.

The motion titled ‘Down with the patriarchy, even if it feels romantic’ was presented late last month ahead of a conference of the SPD’s Berlin branch scheduled for May 8 to May 9. According to the Berlin Young Socialists (Jusos), marriage is a key institution of patriarchy that secures the “oppression of women by cis-men” and “restricts freedom and self-determination through its claim to permanence.”

“Marriage serves the chauvinistic, capitalist nation-state as an instrument for enforcing misogynistic, anti-queer, classist, and racist policies,” the proposal argues.

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While the SPD Berlin youth wing did concede that “many people see marriage as a romantic connection and are happy in it,” it still insisted that “emancipation and overcoming heteropatriarchy and capitalism are only possible through radical and solidaristic change.” This change should see traditional marriage, as well as all related laws and tax benefits axed and supplanted by a kind of cohabiting partnership, as envisaged in the motion.

In order to establish a so-called “community of responsibility,” individuals would merely need to file a joint written application at the registry office, with the union considered valid upon submission. Exit from such a partnership could be effected through a written request at any time, “without the consent of others,” the Jusos proposed.

According to German media, the motion will likely not be discussed at the upcoming state party conference but rather postponed until 2027.

Meanwhile, a YouGov poll last month indicated that only 13% of respondents would vote for the SPD in a hypothetical election – the Social Democrats’ worst showing since December 2019.

By contrast, the opposition right-wing Alternative for Germany party (AfD), which campaigns on family values, among other points, has seen its popularity rising tangibly over the past year.

A Bild/INSA survey suggested last week that the AfD would win a hypothetical election with 28% of the vote – a new record high for the party.