Never before in my political life have I been taken so seriously as woman,

And I think that a woman as chancellor can also serve as a good example,

I would want them to decide to have babies. But every woman has to make her own choices.

Multiculturalism leads to parallel societies and therefore remains a 'life lie.'

I always wanted to know what I'd face next, even though that was maybe a bit detrimental to spontaneity. Structuring my life and avoiding chaos was more important.

After the reunification, there was a certain sense of foreignness because daily life in the former East German states was completely turned inside out - everything from the shops to the bureaucracy to the working world.