How equal rights came into the Basic Law
15 May 2026
"Men and women have equal rights." Today, this sentence from the Basic Law seems like a matter of course. However, the inclusion of this formulation as Article 3, Paragraph 2 in the Basic Law in 1949 was by no means a foregone conclusion. On the contrary: it was the result of intensive debate and persistent political work.
On Thursday, 21 May 2026, Fulda University of Applied Sciences invites you to a presentation by Dr Kerstin Wolff entitled "Men and women have equal rights. How equal rights came into the Basic Law". The employees of the AddF - Archives of the German Women's Movement - will shed light on the history of the equal rights article and the struggle for its inclusion in the Basic Law.
The focus will be on the Kassel SPD politician and lawyer Elisabeth Selbert, who was instrumental in the Parliamentary Council's fight for equal rights to be enshrined in the constitutional text. The presentation explores the questions of where the wording of Article 3, Paragraph 2 came from, why it still has a social and legal impact today and whether it was, as is sometimes claimed, a fight by women against men. Kerstin Wolff combines past and present and thus provides new perspectives on today's questions about equal opportunities and constitutional values.
The event starts at 4 pm. Venue: University, State and Public Library (Heinrich-von-Bibra-Platz), reading room. Admission is free.
The presentation is part of the series of events organised by the Fulda University of Applied Sciences to mark the anniversary of the Basic Law.
Contact: Science Communication administrative unit, antje.mohr@verw.hs-fulda.de, 0661 9640 1050, mobile: 0175 77 14 773