Dissertation Project

The Politicization of Parenthood in German Right-Wing Family Activism

In recent years, Germany has witnessed a surge in political protests by “concerned parents“ who perceive the “traditional family“ to be on the “brink of collapse.“

In my dissertation project, I examine the relationship between right-wing conservative politicizations of parenthood and the conditions of reproductive labor in late modernity. The empirical foundation of my study consists of narrative, semi-structured interviews with activists and sympathizers of right-wing conservative family movements in Germany.

The findings reveal that the interviewees, as parents, perceive themselves as structurally disadvantaged compared to childless employed individuals and in light of public childcare provisions. They express a sense of inadequate compensation and recognition for their reproductive labor. These perceptions are intertwined with a devaluation of family constellations and life choices that do not align with their own ideals.

I interpret these narratives as a consequence of welfare state reproductive labor regimes. While private care work by parents in the Federal Republic of Germany has been enabled and secured under varying conditions, claims to material and legal support for reproductive labor remain tied to employment status. This conditionality and dependency of reproductive labor within the (late) modern welfare state is politicized by the interviewees as a form of discrimination against “family-working“ parents and the heterosexual nuclear family.

Supervisors:
Prof. Dr. Marion Müller (Universität Tübingen)
Prof. Dr. Paula-Irene Villa Braslavsky (LMU München)
Prof. Dr. Matthias Möhring-Hesse (Universität Tübingen)