Every day
Is there a distinctly Bavarian way of life? Are there cultural traits that differentiate a Bavarian from a Saxon or a Rhinelander? The history of Germany, which is fundamentally de-centralized, has indirectly contributed to the formation of plural identities, which are tending to fade today. Day-to-day life in Bavaria is very similar to that of other Europeans. The traditional Bavarian breakfast - with its triad of white sausage, pretzel and beer - is as iconic as the snail dish in France, but not much more frequent. The evening meal, often cold and light, is similar in Bavaria to the rest of Germany; people generally sit down at around 6:30-7pm to a simple meal, often consisting of a few slices of bread, cheese and cold cuts, with a salad on the side.
One popular venue is emblematic of Bavarian sociability: the Biergarten. Its equipment is rudimentary: just a few tables, benches to sit on, trees to provide shade and a few rays of sunshine to invite you out. In fine weather, people come here to drink a beer in the sunshine and share a simple meal. The sheer number of people who frequent these Biergärten forces them to squeeze onto benches to share tables, and to chat and exchange ideas with complete strangers over a beer. The Biergarten is the place to be in the summertime: a no-frills place where people from all walks of life enjoy themselves and quench their thirst. You'll never see anyone there alone with a book in hand. The Biergarten is a place for socializing.
Throughout the year, Bavarian social life revolves around celebrations that bring families and friends together. The calendar is punctuated in part by religious holidays: Christmas and Easter are important times of the year. Corpus Christi (Fronleichnam) is a springtime celebration that livens up the streets of Catholic towns. But it's the popular, local festivals that are the most unifying. There's a festival for every city: Oktoberfest in Munich, Plärrer in Augsburg, and so on. Any occasion is a good opportunity to share a moment together.
In the collective imagination, Bavarians wear leather breeches, white and green socks pulled up to the calves and a hat topped with a tuft of chamois hair, while Bavarian women wear a white shirt, apron and braids. In truth, these traditional outfits are quite rare in everyday life, but are much more common when there's something to celebrate: a wedding, a christening or, of course, the Oktoberfest. Historically, this outfit is not that old. Maximilian II (King of Bavaria from 1848 to 1864) understood the potential of the traditional costume as a unifying national symbol and encouraged its reintroduction, even though it had almost disappeared from the landscape. In the 19th century, the Lederhose and the Dirndl became everyday objects as well as inseparable attributes of Bavarian social life. And they were a veritable export success in the rest of Germany! Around 1900, Berlin's Wertheim department store had its own Bavarian folklore department, where tourists - always keen on the exotic - could stock up before setting off on their vacations to the south of the country. This Bavarian folklore, which has made a lasting impact in the industrial age, also oscillates between tradition and modernity. Even today, tourism advertising continues to draw on this reservoir of folklore to promote Bavaria as a land rich in tradition. These epinal images, fashioned for the purposes of tourism, have had a lasting impact on our perception of Bavarian identity.
Quality of life
When you visit Bavaria, you're often struck by the quality of life, the cleanliness of the environment, the tranquility of its villages and towns, and the natural phlegm of its people. Bavaria's quiet strength is not unrelated to its excellent economic health. In 2021, Bavaria is the Land with the lowest unemployment rate: at 3.6%, Bavaria is well below the federal average (5.9%). Its GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of 625 billion euros (2019 figures) places it among the richest states in the European Union (higher than 22 European countries). Germany's highest salaries are paid in the Bavarian town of Ingolstadt. In the city of Audi - for full-time work - the average monthly salary is €4,635. For Bavaria as a whole, the average is around €3,345, above the federal average of €3,209. The automotive sector is a major job creator, as is the high-tech sector (microelectronics, pharmaceuticals, energy technology, nanotechnology, etc.). Salary disparities are quite striking when compared with the eastern Länder, which are all at the bottom of the average salary ranking. The lowest average wage is to be found to the east, in the city of Görlitz, on the border with Poland. With a per capita purchasing power of around €26,000 in 2020, Bavaria takes the top spot, relegating Hamburg, the leader in previous years, to second place.
Education in Bavaria and Germany
Education in Germany is the responsibility of the federal states, so there are differences between the various Länder. However, there are a few features that characterize the German school system as a whole, as well as a few Bavarian specialities. School attendance is compulsory from the age of 6 until 13. Germany has an illiteracy rate of less than 1%, among the lowest in the world.
Between the ages of 3 and 5, parents can choose to send their child(ren) tokindergarten. At age 6, they enter elementary school(Grundschule), where they stay for four years. From the age of 10, pupils have to choose between practical and theoretical studies. On the one hand, the Hauptschule and Realschule provide practical training that will lead to an apprenticeship or entry into a Berufschule (vocational college). On the other, the Gymnasium (general secondary school) takes pupils with the best marks and prepares them for theAbitur (German equivalent of the French Baccalauréat or the Swiss Maturité). This diploma, obtained by almost 50% of the young people in a generation, then enables them to study at university. Depending on the Länder, not all Germans take the Abitur at the same age. Bavarians generally take it at around age 18. By comparison, the Lower Saxons generally take it at the age of 19.
The school rhythm of German pupils is very different from that of their French neighbors. Classes start early in the morning and finish in the early afternoon, around 2 or 3 pm. Free time is often devoted to personal development through sports, art or music. Whatever form of secondary education is followed, learning at least one foreign language is compulsory. The first foreign language studied is usually English. The next most widely spoken language is Spanish, in competition with French. A special feature of the German school system is the religion course. Two hours a week are devoted to the study of religion. However, it is possible to opt for an ethics course instead.
There are calls to reform the school system and standardize it at federal level. Bavaria, always top of the federal league tables for the excellent results of its pupils, is firmly opposed. The Ministry of Education(Kultusministerium) is determined to retain its autonomy in this area, and retains the option of modifying the school curriculum and rhythm at regional level. The BavarianAbitur is reputed to be the best in Germany. Conversely, Berlin and Bremen are often cited as poor performers.
When it comes to higher education, Germany boasts a large number of renowned universities. Bavaria has eleven public universities: Augsburg, Bamberg, Bayreuth, Erlangen, Nuremberg, two in Munich (Ludwig Maximilian University and Technical University), Passau, Regensburg, Würzburg, Eichstätt-Ingolstadt and Neuendettelsau.
Parity
On the road to parity and gender equality, Germany has made efforts, but there's still a long way to go. Machismo in Germany may not be as striking as in Latin countries, but on closer inspection, German society retains traditional and conservative traits in many respects. This is particularly evident in the way children are brought up. Far more than men, women are expected to put their careers on hold to look after their newborn children. Nursery places are still in short supply in Germany, and it is often the mother who has to take time off work, sometimes for several years, to support her child's early years. However, more and more German women are choosing to reconcile family and professional life, and return to work a few months after giving birth. The pejorative term Rabenmutter (crow-mother) is used to designate a bad or unworthy mother: one who is accused of selfishly putting her career ahead of her child's well-being. This reproach - which is never levelled at fathers - is widespread, across all social classes. Some demographers even see the stigmatization of mothers in Germany as one of the reasons for the country's very low birth rate. On the other hand, sexist remarks in the street are less overt in Germany than in Latin countries, and the public space is perceived by many as safer and more inclusive.
Despite 16 years of chancellorship led by Angela Merkel, German politics is still dominated by men. In the Bundestag elected in September 2021, women occupy just under 35% of seats. At present, only 3 of the 16 Länder are headed by women: Berlin, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Rhineland-Palatinate. Several political parties have taken the initiative of introducing a quota strategy to promote women's representation within their ranks: the Greens, for example. The Greens set an example in the Bundestag: 59% of the members of their parliamentary group are women.
Abortion in Germany
Germany has a rather ambiguous position on abortion. On the one hand, abortion(Schwangerschaftsabbruch in German) was decriminalized in 1981, but it remains de jure illegal. And de facto, abortion is not so simple. Paragraph 219a of the German Criminal Code prohibits "advertising" abortion. A doctor who performs an abortion may not advertise it on his or her website. To do so is to expose oneself to criminal prosecution. Many doctors prefer not to offer abortions, for fear of being targeted by anti-abortion movements. A 2019 law relaxed this information restriction. But to obtain further information, for example on how abortions are performed, is a struggle. As a result, it's not always easy for women wanting an abortion to know which doctor to turn to in order to peacefully end an unwanted pregnancy. The conservative CDU is opposed to the abolition of paragraph 219a, but the three political parties that emerged victorious from the September 2021 elections are in favor of its removal. There could be changes to the legal status of abortion in this new legislature.
Marriage for all and LGBTQ rights in Germany
A civil partnership(eingetragene Partnerschaft) for same-sex couples had existed in the FRG since 2001. This was purely and simply abolished after the introduction of marriage for all(Ehe für alle) in 2017. The conservative parties (CDU and CSU) were opposed, but the other major parties (SPD, Grüne, die Linke, FDP) were in favor and had long campaigned for its introduction. On June 30, 2017, the German parliament(Bundestag) voted 393 to 226 to open marriage to all couples. Although Chancellor Angela Merkel personally voted against the adoption of this law, there is every reason to believe that she acted tactically... to ensure that the law was adopted! The Greens, then the SPD, FDP and die Linke had announced that marriage for all would be a non-negotiable issue for a coalition with them after the forthcoming elections. Isolated on this issue, the CDU has decided not to fight a battle it cannot win. As the bill was submitted to the Bundestag for its opinion, Merkel allowed MPs to vote freely, without instructions, and indirectly allowed marriage for all to pass. The new law was passed fairly quickly, without provoking the huge demonstrations in Germany that France experienced with the Manif pour tous. The vast majority of German citizens were in favor of changing the law. Polls at the time showed that 82% of German citizens were in favor of marriage for all. In 2017, Germany became the 14th European country to grant marriage to all couples. As a reminder, homosexuality was illegal and punishable until 1968 in the GDR and 1969 in the FRG. The situation of LGBTQ people in Germany is gradually changing. Following a ruling by the Karlsruhe Constitutional Court - which judges the conformity of legal texts with the Basic Law - in December 2020, the Bundestag passed a law adding the word "various" to birth registers: since 2013, it had no longer been compulsory to fill in one of the two "male" or "female" boxes, but this option had been deemed insufficient by the Karlsruhe jurists. Today, therefore, there are three options for birth certificates.
