Over the past few weeks, a striking pattern has stood out during Leipzig’s evening rush hour between 4:30 PM and 5:30 PM: it is almost exclusively young mothers navigating the city on bicycles, cargo bikes, or with child seats to pick up their children from daycare. Some manage two or three kids plus a dog, all while a three- or four-year-old pedals independently ahead.
This requires immense concentration and mental energy. Irrespective of stress or fatigue, these mothers must remain hyper-vigilant while maneuvering through dense urban traffic without any crumple zone. In contrast, many fathers ride through the city in two-to-three-ton SUVs—buffered by driver-assistance systems, elevated seating, and tons of protective steel. It is a visible daily reminder of persisting patriarchal norms and the unequal distribution of care work (mental load).
This reality sharply exposes the absurdity of right-wing propaganda, such as AfD campaigns that contrast an idealized "traditional mother" against caricatures of progressive or "left-green" women. This technique of visual dehumanization echoes historic 1930s propaganda that reduced individuals to ideological stereotypes.
The reality on the streets tells a completely different story. Many of these mothers consciously choose bicycles over cars—not out of lack of means, but out of commitment to climate action, human rights, and active responsibility. They embody progressive values and show what true care work looks like in practice.
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