Letter from Berlin: Does Angela Merkel Deserve to Be a Feminist Icon?

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Yet Merkel has still managed to increase her popularity amongst women from across all the political spectrum. British MP Gisela Stuart recently told the BBC that Merkel was her party's "best asset." Indeed her no-fuss, lackluster approach, seems to be made to measure for these sober times. "Merkel's matter-of-fact and steady political style, and naturally her honesty, have gone down well with women," says Claudia Hassenbach, the director of the Frauen Union, the CDU's women's organization. "As well as the fact that she is not promising them heaven and earth."

Merkel's overly prudent nature may have driven the alpha males in Europe such as French President Nicolas Sarkozy or British Prime Minister Gordon Brown to distraction as they competed to whip out ever bigger stimulus packages but she stuck to her guns and advised caution. Her steady-as-she-goes, "don't spend it unless you have it" approach has appealed to women, many of whom regard risk-taking macho behavior as exactly what got us into this mess in the first place.

In fact when Vogue chose to honor Merkel it was her ability to take on the big boys that won their admiration. They praised her committed stance on China -- such as meeting with the Dalai Lama in 2007 and refusing to attend the Olympics in Beijing -- but they particularly liked the fact that she poked fun at their own President Sarkozy and that she pushed ahead with a NATO meeting after Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi refused to end a phone call. "From the G-8 to the NATO summit, Merkel is the only woman in the midst of the leaders in the world, but she never loses her natural authority," the magazine gushed. In other words, she is a heroine just by being there and being able to deal with those male egos.

'She Has No Feminist Consciousness'

But is Merkel herself a feminist? "Definitely not," says Hark. "She has no feminist consciousness." And even though she was recently awarded the Warburg Prize for doing just that the chancellor doesn't regard herself as someone who fights for women's rights. She says this is largely because of her upbringing in the former communist East. "I come from a different socialization to the old women's movement in West Germany," she told Emma.

Merkel's undeniable appeal for many German female voters could simply be that she is still sitting at that top table and, more importantly, that she now makes it look like the most normal thing in the world. "In 2005 Merkel had to fight prejudices in the population," says Frauen Union's Hassenbach. "There was a huge question mark over whether a woman could even be chancellor, whether she could govern the country. She has shown over the past four years that she can do so excellently and that there is no issue over whether women can lead in politics. These prejudices are now gone."

Hark disagrees, saying that while having a female head of state can be broadly influential and can affect the general public's views on women, that does not mean that all women are now equal and that there is no more need for policies promoting women's rights.

Feminist, icon, symbol, or just a very canny politician? Whatever the answer, it certainly looks like Germany is in for another four years of Angie. Opinion polls differ on which party her CDU will govern with after Sunday's election but Merkel seems set to stay on in the Chancellery in Berlin. After Sunday, only time will tell if she uses her next term to bring about a better deal for Germany's women.

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• Part 1: Does Angela Merkel Deserve to Be a Feminist Icon?
• Part 2: An Ability to Take on the Big Boys