Ursula von der Leyen
Encyclopedia
Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen (born 8 October 1958 in Ixelles, Brussels
) is a German
politician
of the conservative Christian Democratic Union
.
Since 30 November 2009, she has served as the Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs
in the Second Cabinet Merkel. In the First Cabinet Merkel (2005–2009), she served as Federal Minister of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth. By profession she is a physician.
politician and European Commission
official , as well as a long-time Prime Minister of Lower Saxony
.
She was born in Ixelles in Brussels
, where her father worked for the European Commission
(as a Director-General from 1969), and lived in Belgium until she was 13 years old. In 1971 the family moved to Lehrte
in Hanover
.
Ursula von der Leyen, is a descendant of Baron Ludwig Knoop
, a cotton merchant of the city-state of Bremen
and one of the most successful entrepreneurs of the 19th century.
, at the universities of Göttingen
, Münster
and London School of Economics
. In 1980, she decided to drop her studies in economics
, as she was more interested in medicine.
Subsequently she began studies at Hanover Medical School
, where she graduated in 1987 after seven years.
From 1988 until 1992, she worked as an assistant doctor at the Women's Clinic of the Medical School of the University of Hanover. Upon completing her postgraduate studies, she earned a doctorate in medicine (Dr. med.) in 1991.
From 1992 until 1996, while she was in Stanford, California
, she lived as a housewife, while her husband was a faculty member of Stanford University
.
From 1998 until 2002, she was a faculty member at the Department of Epidemiology, Social Medicine and Health System Research at the Medical School of the University of Hanover, where in 2001, she earned a Master's Degree in Public Health.
Spending most of her childhood in Belgium, Ursula von der Leyen was raised in a bilingual environment, in which she learned to speak German
and French
as her native languages.
Having lived in the United States for several years, Ursula von der Leyen is fluent in English
as well.
in 1990, and became active in politics in 1999, entering local politics in 2001 in the area of Hanover. She was elected to the Parliament of Lower Saxony in 2003, and from 2003 to 2005 she was a cabinet minister in the state government of Lower Saxony in the cabinet of Christian Wulff
, responsible for social affairs, women, family and health. In 2005 she was appointed Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth
in the cabinet of Angela Merkel
.
She was elected to the Bundestag
, the Parliament of Germany, in the 2009 federal election. Ursula von der Leyen, succeeded Franz Josef Jung
as Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs on 30 November 2009. She was initially considered the front runner for the nomination of the ruling CDU
/CSU
and FDP parties for President of Germany
in the 2010 election
, but eventually Christian Wulff
was chosen as the candidate.
in 2005. Amidst much protest, particularly from the conservative wing of her own party, the CDU
, Ursula von der Leyen, introduced the Child Advancement Act (Kinderförderungsgesetz), which reserved 4.3 billion euros to create childcare structures throughout Germany.
Ursula von der Leyen also introduced the German Elternzeit, a paid parental leave
scheme which, following Scandinavian models, reserves two additional months for fathers who go on parental leave as well (Vätermonate in German). This part of the law in particular attracted protest from German conservatives. Catholic
Bishop
Walter Mixa
accused von der Leyen of turning women into "Birthing Machines", while Bavaria
n colleagues from von der Leyen's sister party, the CSU
, complained that men did not need a "diaper-changing internship." Von der Leyen successfully influenced public opinion about her reforms with a 3 million Euro PR campaign, which was criticized for using public funds for political advocacy and for employing embedded marketing techniques.
on the Internet through Internet service providers via a block list maintained by the Federal Criminal Police Office
of Germany (BKA), thus creating the basic infrastructure for extensive censorship of websites
deemed illegal by the BKA.
These actions brought her the nickname "Zensursula", a portmanteau word blending the German word for censorship (“Zensur”) and her given name (“Ursula”). The combination of a sensitive topic like child pornography and internet censorship is said to have caused a rising interest in the Pirate Party.
In July 2009 she referred to the problems of struggling against pedophile pornography on the internet as the responsible persons often use servers located in Africa
or India
, where "child pornography is legal”. This claim was based on a study by the International Center for Missing and Exploited Children in 2006; however, child pornography is in fact illegal in India. Indeed, Indian society has much stricter rules
about erotic media than Germany. Ursula von der Leyen later expressed regret for having cited an inaccurate study.
album Liebe ist für alle da
by the Bundesprüfstelle für jugendgefährdende Medien
.
, a professor of medicine, the CEO of a pharmaceutical company and a member of the House of Leyen, an ancient family of high nobility, that included several Prince-Elector
s of the Holy Roman Empire
.
Ursula von der Leyen and Heiko von der Leyen have seven children, David (1987), Sophie (1989), Maria Donata (1992), twins Victoria and Johanna (1994), Egmont (1998) and Gracia (1999).
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
) is a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
of the conservative Christian Democratic Union
Christian Democratic Union (Germany)
The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
.
Since 30 November 2009, she has served as the Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs
Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (Germany)
The Federal Ministry for Labour and Social Affairs is a top-level federal agency of the Federal Republic of Germany headed by the Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs as a member of the Cabinet of Germany...
in the Second Cabinet Merkel. In the First Cabinet Merkel (2005–2009), she served as Federal Minister of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth. By profession she is a physician.
Early life
Ursula von der Leyen is the daughter of Ernst (Carl Julius) Albrecht, a prominent CDUChristian Democratic Union (Germany)
The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
politician and European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
official , as well as a long-time Prime Minister of Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
.
She was born in Ixelles in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, where her father worked for the European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
(as a Director-General from 1969), and lived in Belgium until she was 13 years old. In 1971 the family moved to Lehrte
Lehrte
Lehrte is a town in the district of Hanover, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 17 km east of Hanover. Lehrte is a picturesque town with a population of 45,000 and a modern infrastructure, combined with local culture and an interesting history.-History:The first documented...
in Hanover
Hanover (district)
Hanover Region is a district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Heidekreis, Celle, Gifhorn, Peine, Hildesheim, Hamelin-Pyrmont, Schaumburg and Nienburg....
.
Ursula von der Leyen, is a descendant of Baron Ludwig Knoop
Ludwig Knoop
Johann Ludwig Knoop was a cotton merchant and entrepreneur from the city-state of Bremen, who became one of the richest entrepreneurs in his time...
, a cotton merchant of the city-state of Bremen
Bremen (state)
The Free Hanseatic City of Bremen is the smallest of Germany's 16 states. A more informal name, but used in some official contexts, is Land Bremen .-Geography:...
and one of the most successful entrepreneurs of the 19th century.
Education
Ursula von der Leyen started her studies in 1977 in the field of economicsEconomics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, at the universities of Göttingen
Göttingen
Göttingen is a university town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Göttingen. The Leine river runs through the town. In 2006 the population was 129,686.-General information:...
, Münster
University of Münster
The University of Münster is a public university located in the city of Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. The WWU is part of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, a society of Germany's leading research universities...
and London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
. In 1980, she decided to drop her studies in economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, as she was more interested in medicine.
Subsequently she began studies at Hanover Medical School
Hannover Medical School
The Hannover Medical School , founded in 1965, is a university medical centre in Germany, part of a regional medical network.-International:...
, where she graduated in 1987 after seven years.
From 1988 until 1992, she worked as an assistant doctor at the Women's Clinic of the Medical School of the University of Hanover. Upon completing her postgraduate studies, she earned a doctorate in medicine (Dr. med.) in 1991.
From 1992 until 1996, while she was in Stanford, California
Stanford, California
Stanford is a census-designated place in Santa Clara County, California, United States and is the home of Stanford University. The population was 13,809 at the 2010 census....
, she lived as a housewife, while her husband was a faculty member of Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
.
From 1998 until 2002, she was a faculty member at the Department of Epidemiology, Social Medicine and Health System Research at the Medical School of the University of Hanover, where in 2001, she earned a Master's Degree in Public Health.
Spending most of her childhood in Belgium, Ursula von der Leyen was raised in a bilingual environment, in which she learned to speak German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
as her native languages.
Having lived in the United States for several years, Ursula von der Leyen is fluent in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
as well.
Politics
Ursula von der Leyen joined the CDUChristian Democratic Union (Germany)
The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
in 1990, and became active in politics in 1999, entering local politics in 2001 in the area of Hanover. She was elected to the Parliament of Lower Saxony in 2003, and from 2003 to 2005 she was a cabinet minister in the state government of Lower Saxony in the cabinet of Christian Wulff
Christian Wulff
Christian Wilhelm Walter Wulff is the President of Germany and a politician of the Christian Democratic Union. He was elected President on 2010 and publicly swore the oath of office on . A lawyer by profession, he served as Premier of the state of Lower Saxony from 2003 to 2010.-Early life and...
, responsible for social affairs, women, family and health. In 2005 she was appointed Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth
Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth
The Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth is a Ministry of Germany. It is headquartered in Berlin with a secondary seat in Bonn. The present minister is Kristina Schröder of the CDU.- History :...
in the cabinet of Angela Merkel
Angela Merkel
Angela Dorothea Merkel is the current Chancellor of Germany . Merkel, elected to the Bundestag from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, has been the chairwoman of the Christian Democratic Union since 2000, and chairwoman of the CDU-CSU parliamentary coalition from 2002 to 2005.From 2005 to 2009 she led a...
.
She was elected to the Bundestag
Bundestag
The Bundestag is a federal legislative body in Germany. In practice Germany is governed by a bicameral legislature, of which the Bundestag serves as the lower house and the Bundesrat the upper house. The Bundestag is established by the German Basic Law of 1949, as the successor to the earlier...
, the Parliament of Germany, in the 2009 federal election. Ursula von der Leyen, succeeded Franz Josef Jung
Franz Josef Jung
Franz Josef Jung is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union . He became Federal Minister of Defence in the Grand coalition cabinet of Angela Merkel on 22 November 2005...
as Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs on 30 November 2009. She was initially considered the front runner for the nomination of the ruling CDU
Christian Democratic Union (Germany)
The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
/CSU
Christian Social Union of Bavaria
The Christian Social Union in Bavaria is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It operates only in the state of Bavaria, while its sister party, the Christian Democratic Union , operates in the other 15 states of Germany...
and FDP parties for President of Germany
President of Germany
The President of the Federal Republic of Germany is the country's head of state. His official title in German is Bundespräsident . Germany has a parliamentary system of government and so the position of President is largely ceremonial...
in the 2010 election
German presidential election, 2010
An indirect presidential election was held in Germany on 30 June 2010 following the resignation of Horst Köhler as President of Germany on 31 May 2010. Christian Wulff, the candidate nominated by the three governing parties, the Christian Democratic Union, the Christian Social Union of Bavaria and...
, but eventually Christian Wulff
Christian Wulff
Christian Wilhelm Walter Wulff is the President of Germany and a politician of the Christian Democratic Union. He was elected President on 2010 and publicly swore the oath of office on . A lawyer by profession, he served as Premier of the state of Lower Saxony from 2003 to 2010.-Early life and...
was chosen as the candidate.
Childcare and parental leave
Ursula von der Leyen, assumed her office as Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and YouthFederal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth
The Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth is a Ministry of Germany. It is headquartered in Berlin with a secondary seat in Bonn. The present minister is Kristina Schröder of the CDU.- History :...
in 2005. Amidst much protest, particularly from the conservative wing of her own party, the CDU
Christian Democratic Union (Germany)
The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
, Ursula von der Leyen, introduced the Child Advancement Act (Kinderförderungsgesetz), which reserved 4.3 billion euros to create childcare structures throughout Germany.
Ursula von der Leyen also introduced the German Elternzeit, a paid parental leave
Parental leave
Parental leave is an employee benefit that provides paid or unpaid time off work to care for a child or make arrangements for the child's welfare. Often, the term parental leave includes maternity, paternity, and adoption leave...
scheme which, following Scandinavian models, reserves two additional months for fathers who go on parental leave as well (Vätermonate in German). This part of the law in particular attracted protest from German conservatives. Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
Walter Mixa
Walter Mixa
thumb|Walter Mixa Walter Johannes Mixa is a German Catholic priest, and Bishop Emeritus of Augsburg and Ordinary Emeritus of the Bundeswehr. He resigned as Bishop of Augsburg in 2010 due to allegations of fraud and violence towards children who had been in his care.- Biography :Mixa was born in...
accused von der Leyen of turning women into "Birthing Machines", while Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
n colleagues from von der Leyen's sister party, the CSU
Christian Social Union of Bavaria
The Christian Social Union in Bavaria is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It operates only in the state of Bavaria, while its sister party, the Christian Democratic Union , operates in the other 15 states of Germany...
, complained that men did not need a "diaper-changing internship." Von der Leyen successfully influenced public opinion about her reforms with a 3 million Euro PR campaign, which was criticized for using public funds for political advocacy and for employing embedded marketing techniques.
Blocking internet child pornography
Ursula von der Leyen advocated the initiation of a mandatory blockage of child pornographyChild pornography
Child pornography refers to images or films and, in some cases, writings depicting sexually explicit activities involving a child...
on the Internet through Internet service providers via a block list maintained by the Federal Criminal Police Office
Federal Criminal Police Office (Germany)
The Federal Criminal Police Office of Germany is a national investigative police agency in Germany and falls directly under the Federal Ministry of the Interior...
of Germany (BKA), thus creating the basic infrastructure for extensive censorship of websites
Internet censorship in Germany
Internet censorship in Germany is practised by law as well as the effect of some court decisions.An example of content censored by law is the removal of web sites from Google search results that deny the holocaust, which is a felony under German law....
deemed illegal by the BKA.
These actions brought her the nickname "Zensursula", a portmanteau word blending the German word for censorship (“Zensur”) and her given name (“Ursula”). The combination of a sensitive topic like child pornography and internet censorship is said to have caused a rising interest in the Pirate Party.
In July 2009 she referred to the problems of struggling against pedophile pornography on the internet as the responsible persons often use servers located in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
or India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, where "child pornography is legal”. This claim was based on a study by the International Center for Missing and Exploited Children in 2006; however, child pornography is in fact illegal in India. Indeed, Indian society has much stricter rules
Pornography in India
Pornography in India.While watching or perusing pornographic materials in private is not illegal, distribution of such materials - including on the internet - is illegal in India...
about erotic media than Germany. Ursula von der Leyen later expressed regret for having cited an inaccurate study.
Youth protection
She was the main factor behind the ban and the rating of the RammsteinRammstein
Rammstein is a German Neue Deutsche Härte band from Berlin, formed in 1994. The band consists of members Till Lindemann , Richard Z. Kruspe , Paul H. Landers , Oliver "Ollie" Riedel , Christoph "Doom" Schneider and Christian "Flake" Lorenz...
album Liebe ist für alle da
Liebe ist für alle da
Liebe ist für alle da is the sixth studio album by German Neue Deutsche Härte band Rammstein, which was released in most of Europe on 16 October 2009, the United Kingdom on 19 October 2009 and the United States on 20 October 2009.- History :The album title was confirmed on 1 September 2009, in a...
by the Bundesprüfstelle für jugendgefährdende Medien
Bundesprüfstelle für jugendgefährdende Medien
The Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young Persons is an upper-level German federal agency subordinate to the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth. It is responsible for examining media works allegedly harmful to young people and entering these onto an...
.
Personal life
Ursula von der Leyen is married to Heiko von der LeyenHeiko von der Leyen
Heiko Echter von der Leyen is a German professor of medicine and the husband of politician Ursula von der Leyen. He is a member of the ancient noble Leyen family....
, a professor of medicine, the CEO of a pharmaceutical company and a member of the House of Leyen, an ancient family of high nobility, that included several Prince-Elector
Prince-elector
The Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire were the members of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Roman king or, from the middle of the 16th century onwards, directly the Holy Roman Emperor.The heir-apparent to a prince-elector was known as an...
s of the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
.
Ursula von der Leyen and Heiko von der Leyen have seven children, David (1987), Sophie (1989), Maria Donata (1992), twins Victoria and Johanna (1994), Egmont (1998) and Gracia (1999).
Publications
- Ursula von der Leyen, C-reaktives Protein als diagnostischer Parameter zur Erfassung eines Amnioninfektionssyndroms bei vorzeitigem Blasensprung und therapeutischem Entspannungsbad in der Geburtsvorbereitung, doctoral dissertation, Hanover Medical School, 1990
- Ursula von der Leyen, Maria von WelserMaria von WelserMaria von Welser is a German TV journalist and the President of UNICEF Germany.She is by marriage a member of the preeminent banking and merchant family Welser.- Honours :* Elisabeth-Selbert-Preis...
, Wir müssen unser Land für die Frauen verändern. BertelsmannBertelsmannBertelsmann AG is a multinational media corporation founded in 1835, based in Gütersloh, Germany. The company operates in 63 countries and employs 102,983 workers , which makes it the most international media corporation in the world. In 2008 the company reported a €16.118 billion consolidated...
, Munich, 2007, ISBN 978-3-570-00959-8 - Ursula von der Leyen, Liz MohnLiz MohnLiz Mohn née Beckmann is the widow of Reinhard Mohn, the owner of the media conglomerate Bertelsmann. She serves on the supervisory board of Bertelsmann and on the board of the Bertelsmann Foundation....
, Familie gewinnt. Bertelsmann FoundationBertelsmann FoundationThe Bertelsmann Foundation is the largest private operating non-profit foundation in Germany, created in 1977 by Reinhard Mohn. The Bertelsmann Foundation holds 77.4 percent of Bertelsmann AG....
, 2007, ISBN 978-3-89204-927-2