Helene Weber (1881–1962) was a prominent German politician and women's rights advocate who played a foundational role in shaping Germany's post-World War II democratic landscape. Born in Elberfeld, she first rose to political prominence during the Weimar Republic as a member of the Catholic Centre Party. Following the end of World War II in 1945, Weber became one of the co-founders of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and established herself as a leading voice for women's political representation, co-founding the CDU Women's Task Force in 1948 and later chairing the party's Women's Union from 1951 to 1958.
Weber is historically distinguished as one of only four women—alongside 61 men—who served on the Parliamentary Council to draft Germany's post-war constitution, the Basic Law (Grundgesetz), between 1948 and 1949. Though initially hesitant, she ultimately allied with female delegates from the Social Democratic Party to successfully campaign for the explicit inclusion of gender equality in the constitution. Her efforts secured the landmark declaration in Article 3: "Men and women shall have equal rights."
Throughout her career, Weber advocated for the integration of women into all levels of governance, famously asserting that "the entirely male-run state is the ruin of nations" (Der reine Männerstaat ist das Verderben der Völker). Her legacy remains defined by her dedication to constitutional equality and her pioneering leadership in early West German politics.
