Bärbel Bas Resigns as SPD Co-Chair Amid Accusations of Masked Sexism

Bärbel Bas has resigned as co-chair of the SPD, a decision attributed in the source to an environment of concealed sexism within German politics. The resignation followed a lack of solidarity from within her own party ranks and repeated taunts from the Union, including accusations that she was an obstructionist and worse. The source describes Bas as the victim of a political landscape and society that remain latently hostile to women. It notes that a male colleague had bet Bas would end up "in the Esken status" after two years, a prediction the source says effectively came true. The text argues that women in leadership who assert themselves face attacks from male networks, particularly in politics, where only political machines survive, not people, and even less so women coping with personal blows. It cites Saskia Esken and Andrea Nahles as comparable cases of masked sexism, and states that mourning costs strength. The source is an opinion piece published by the German weekly der Freitag, authored by Katharina Körting, and is based on the author's own experience.