ZDF-Talk - Markus Söder on Lanz: "I think it's divisive, this exaggerated gendering"
No gendering in Bavarian authorities and schools - that is what Minister President Markus Söder wants to enforce in his federal state. "With us, there will be no mandatory gendering," said the CSU leader on Tuesday. In the ZDF talk show, presenter Markus Lanz asked Söder a piquant question. What threatens the "teacher who genders in the morning with an oat milk cappuccino"? Söder initially evaded the question by saying that anyone can talk as they please outside the classroom, but then added: "The question is whether it is taught" and whether the pupils' grades depend on it. Bavaria's Minister-President said that it could not be the case that pupils who do not use gender were graded lower.
There is also a reason why the majority of Germans reject gendering, said Söder, referring to a recent survey by the opinion research institute Civey. According to the survey, 80 percent of Germans reject gender asterisks and the like. A Forsa survey in the summer of 2023 showed a similar result. Almost three quarters of Germans were annoyed by gender at the time, with the majority arguing for a gender ban in the administration.
Söder expressed understanding for the rejection and added: "I think this exaggerated gendering is divisive."
Markus Söder not alone with gender ban in schools
Markus Söder is not the first person to publicly criticize gendering. Binnen-I, underscore, gender asterisks and co. are a controversial topic throughout Germany. Söder recently accused the traffic light government of going overboard with projects such as gendering. "A little more reason and common sense would be good for everyone in Berlin," said the Bavarian Minister President on Lanz with a view to the traffic light government.
Bavaria would not be the first federal state to have a difficult time with gender-bending in schools. In Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt, such language regulations in schools are also rejected. Instead, gender-neutral couplets are recommended. Gendering in essays is seen as a mistake by teachers in Saxony. In Saxony-Anhalt, there is more leeway in the assessment. However, gender asterisks and the like are forbidden in schools.
There are no gender bans in North Rhine-Westphalia and Baden-Württemberg. However, the Ministry of Education in Düsseldorf refers to guidelines according to which gender-neutral language must always be used. For example, gender-neutral or paired forms, i.e. female and male, should be used. Baden-Württemberg's Minister President Winfried Kretschmann also does not believe in gendering in the classroom. However, the assessment and correction guidelines in his federal state do not contain any specifications in this regard.
Meanwhile, the German Teachers' Association rejects gendering by teachers. Teachers should "adhere to the official rules and regulations and refrain from using spellings that are not intended", said the President of the German Teachers' Association, Heinz-Peter Meidinger, to the German Press Agency in April. However, they should be "tolerant and cautious" with pupils if they use "non-official spellings" in essays and exams.
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- In response to Markus Söder's stance against gendering in Bavarian authorities and schools, Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt also reject language regulations promoting gendering in their schools, advocating for gender-neutral couplets instead.
- During his ZDF talk show appearance, Markus Söder, the CSU leader and Bavarian Minister President, criticized the use of gender asterisks and similar practices, stating that they are divisive and rejected by the majority of Germans as depicted in recent surveys.
- The German Teachers' Association, represented by President Heinz-Peter Meidinger, also rejects gendering by teachers, advocating for adherence to official rules and regulations while remaining tolerant with students' non-official spellings.
- Bavaria is not the only federal state struggling with gender-bending in schools; North Rhine-Westphalia and Baden-Württemberg, for instance, do not have gender bans but promote the use of gender-neutral language, while others like Saxony-Anhalt have stricter regulations against gender asterisks and similar practices.
Source: www.stern.de
