Elisabeth Selbert’s Fight for Civil Rights in Germany’s Bill of Rights

How One Woman’s Protest Secured Gender Equality in Germany’s Constitution

Elisabeth Selbert played a crucial role in securing gender equality in Germany’s post-war constitution. Born in 1896, she worked for the Reich Postal Service before studying law in Marburg and Göttingen. Her persistence changed the course of women’s rights in the country.

In 1948, Selbert was elected to the Parliamentary Council, the body responsible for drafting West Germany’s Basic Law. As a member of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), she pushed to include gender equality in Article 3. Her faction’s initial proposal failed, but she refused to accept defeat.

Selbert then organised a nationwide protest. Women across Germany sent postcards and telegrams to the council, demanding equal rights. The pressure worked. On January 18, 1949, the main committee held a second vote and unanimously approved the equality clause.

The amended Article 3, Paragraph 2 now stated: ‘Men and women shall have equal rights.’ This change also triggered a reform of family law, abolishing the outdated ‘obedience paragraph’ that had given husbands legal authority over their wives. Though Selbert did not win a seat in the first federal elections in September 1949, her impact endured.

Today, she is remembered as one of the four ‘Mothers of the Basic Law.’ Her campaign ensured that gender equality became a cornerstone of Germany’s constitution.

The constitutional amendment reshaped family law and removed legal inequalities between spouses. Selbert’s efforts, combined with widespread public support, embedded gender equality in the Basic Law. Her legacy remains a defining part of Germany’s democratic foundation.