Equal time for the motherland

last updated 8 January 2015

Vienna

Austria’s national anthem is “sexist” and should be reworded, the minister for women’s affairs said this week. Maria Rauch-Kallat said that terms such as “fatherland” and “brotherly choruses” could easily be replaced with gender-neutral equivalents “homeland” and “joyful choruses.” References to Austria’s “great sons” could also be adjusted. Rauch-Kallat’s proposal has drawn support from most parties in parliament and is likely to pass. That might prompt other European countries to look critically at their own anthems. Italy’s anthem begins, “Brothers of Italy,” while France’s “Marseillaise” urges resistance against those who “come to slaughter our children, our wives.” Germany’s “Deutschland über Alles” lists women as one of Germany’s strong points, along with wine, song, and loyalty.