The civic grid, 1968–2026
Three lines run through this chronology — work, party & parliament, and the state. Read across a row to see what happened in the same year on each line; read down a column to follow one career at a time.
1968
3 May · Walsum
Born in Walsum
Then an independent town on the Lower Rhine; part of Duisburg since 1975.
1984
School
Leaves school
Hauptschulabschluss with Fachoberschulreife.
1985
DVG · 1985–1987
Apprenticeship
Office clerk at the Duisburger Verkehrsgesellschaft.
1986
DVG · 1986–1988
Youth & trainee representative
First elected office.
1988
DVG · 1988–1998
Works council & supervisory board
October
Joins the SPD
1990
1990–1998
Chair, Duisburg Jusos
Secondary source.
1994
1994–1997
Social-insurance training
Sozialversicherungsfachangestellte.
1994–2002
Duisburg City Council
2000
2000–2002
Health-insurance management
Krankenkassenbetriebswirtin, part-time.
2002
2002–2006
Deputy board member, BKK EVS
2005
2005–2007
Personnel management study
Personalmanagement-Ökonomin (VWA), evenings.
2007
2007–2009
BKK futur
Head of personnel services.
2009
September
Elected to the Bundestag
Duisburg I, direct mandate. Committee on Health.
2013
December
Parliamentary Executive Director
SPD group, until September 2019. Re-elected in Duisburg I.
2019
24 September
Deputy Group Chair
Health, education & research, petitions.
2021
26 October
President of the Bundestag
576 of 724 votes. Third woman in the office.
2025
27 June
SPD co-chair
95.0 per cent, with Lars Klingbeil.
25 March → 6 May
Presidency ends; Federal Minister
Succeeded by Julia Klöckner; appointed Minister for Labour and Social Affairs.
2026
March · June
Party pressure, dismissal motion
Calls to resign after state elections; AfD motion rejected 11 June.
Current policy record
Reforms in law and in progress
Tariftreuegesetz, new Grundsicherung (in force 1 July), pension commission report (23 June).
Sources: German Bundestag biographies (18th and 20th terms); BMAS CV; Bundestag text archive; ZDFheute. Party offices before 2009 other than SPD membership and city council are from secondary sources. Read the full biography