The Government Relinquishing Its Commitment to Gender Equality
The German Federal Government, under the leadership of Culture State Minister Wolfram Weimer, has taken a conservative approach to language policy, banning the use of special characters for gender-inclusive language in official communications within its departments.
Weimer, an independent minister, has explicitly prohibited the use of forms with asterisks or internal capitalization, such as gender stars or similar markers, in official correspondence. Instead, traditional German language norms will be followed, with the standard salutation "Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren" ("Dear Madam, dear Sir") being used.
This stance aligns with the linguistic guidelines of the Council for German Orthography, and is part of a wider government trend. Similar restrictions on gender-inclusive language have been implemented in other federal ministries, emphasizing traditional language usage over gender-neutral or inclusive modifications.
Weimer argues that forced gendering in language does not reflect the speech patterns of the majority and deepens societal division. However, private use of gender-inclusive language remains unrestricted.
The Chancellery, too, has adopted this policy, with gendering not used in letters, emails, and notes. The decision was confirmed by a spokesperson for the Digital Ministry in Berlin.
The guidelines of the Council for German Orthography, which state that gender-inclusive language should be understandable, readable, audible, barrier-free, grammatically correct, and clear, form the basis for this decision. The Council does not provide for the use of special characters in gender-inclusive language.
It is important to note that this decision does not apply to private individuals or organizations outside of the federal government.
This policy reflects a conservative approach to official language policy in Germany's federal government as of August 2025.
- The German Federal Government's community policy, as demonstrated by its stance on language policy, aligns with a conservative approach, also apparent in various employment policies, blocking the use of special characters for gender-inclusive language in official communications, following politics that mirror traditional language norms.
- In line with the general-news discussion around language policy, ongoing trends in Germany's federal government involve restricting gender-inclusive language in employment policies, with a focus on traditional language usage over modifications promoting gender neutrality or inclusivity, a decision that highlights the politically conservative stance of the government.
