The youth organization of the Social Democratic Party of Germany has demanded the abolition of marriage.
The young socialists (Jusos) of Berlin have brought forward a resolution titled, “Down with patriarchy, even if it feels romantic: Abolish civil marriage, implement ‘communities of responsibility.’”
The Jusos are the youth organization of the Social Democrats (SPD), who are currently in a government coalition with the Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU).
The SPD youth wing claims that the institution of marriage has a “millennia-long history of oppressing women.” According to the socialists, marriage is an instrument that perpetuates the oppression “of women by cis men,” the latter being a term to describe men who know they are men. The group complained that women would give up their rights to self-determination when entering into marriage. In doing so, marriage serves “the chauvinistic, capitalist nation-state as an instrument for enforcing misogynistic, anti-LGBTQ, classist, and racist policies.”
The Jusos note that many of what they describe as “oppressive regulations” have “been abolished or weakened in recent decades.” Nevertheless, “patriarchal structures of power and violence continue to unfold, particularly in the domestic context.” The authors also acknowledge in the motion that the security provided by marriage can be particularly valuable for women. However, these rights should no longer be reserved exclusively for marriage, but for everyone who enters into a “community of responsibility.”
In these “communities” that are supposed to replace marriage, people could “take responsibility” for one another, “regardless of occasion, kinship, gender, or number [of people].”
The socialists also call for the abolition of the tax privileges associated with traditional marriage, as they claim this system pushes women “from paid work into unpaid care work or (involuntary) part-time work,” which they say would lead to poverty and financial dependency for women.
Existing marriages are to remain in effect; however, tax or other financial benefits would no longer be granted, according to the Jusos’ measures.
According to German newspaper WELT, it is unlikely that the motion will be voted on at the convention of the SPD Berlin in May. Following the motion committee’s recommendation, the motion is deferred to the state party convention in 2027.
Catholic journalist and commentator Anna Diouf commented on the Jusos’ idea on X, recalling that the Soviets had already tried the abolition of marriage.
“Finally, the socialists are saying out loud what they want,” Diouf wrote. “Incidentally, attempts were made to abolish marriage in Bolshevik Russia, with such dire consequences that the idea was quickly abandoned. However, it is … unlikely that German socialists will abandon an idea that has proven to be misguided.”