Germany's work‑time reform sparks debate over women's health and unpaid care work
The German government is planning to amend the Working Hours Act by replacing the daily eight‑hour limit with a weekly maximum. The draft would permit workdays exceeding 12 hours and could raise total weekly hours to as much as 73.5, a shift critics say endangers health, especially for women. Research cited by the government links working more than eight hours a day to higher rates of headaches, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, increased cancer risk, mental‑health problems and burnout, while accident risk rises sharply after the eighth hour.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz has argued that Germany must increase working hours to stay competitive, prompting a public backlash. Pediatrician Bea Merscher, on social media, countered that a 40‑hour week ignores the reality of unpaid care work that many Germans perform after paid hours. She cited statistics from the Federal Statistical Office estimating roughly 117 billion hours of unpaid care annually, whose economic value would equal about one‑third of Germany’s gross value added if compensated.
Entities: Bea Merscher · Friedrich Merz · German Federal Statistical Office · German Working Hours Act · German government
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Research links working more than eight hours daily with increased risk of health problems such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and mental‑health issues.
- [● 3 SOURCES] Pediatrician Bea Merscher criticised Merz, saying a 40‑hour week ignores unpaid care work that many Germans perform. (Bea Merscher)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The German Federal Statistical Office estimates unpaid care work amounts to about 117 billion hours per year. (German Federal Statistical Office)
- [● 3 SOURCES] If unpaid care work were remunerated, its economic value would be about one‑third of Germany’s total gross value added.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Accident risk rises exponentially after the eighth hour of work.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The German government plans to replace the daily eight‑hour work limit with a weekly maximum.
- [● 3 SOURCES] Chancellor Friedrich Merz argued that Germany needs more working hours to stay competitive. (Friedrich Merz)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The proposed reform would allow workdays longer than 12 hours and weekly hours up to 73.5.