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The official question catalogue has 17 questions on this topic. In the app you practise them with instant feedback and in the exam simulation.
Bringing up children is a matter for the parents
The Basic Law describes the care and upbringing of children as the natural right of parents. It is also their most important duty. The state watches over the well-being of the child. Parents provide food, clothing and healthcare for their children. They also make sure that their children go to school.
Parents decide whether a child goes to kindergarten. Kindergarten is a voluntary service, not compulsory. The state provides such services as daycare centres.
Children's rights and protection
Children have a right to an upbringing free of violence. Anyone who hits a child can be punished for it, for example for causing bodily harm.
An adult must not engage in sexual acts with a child. Under § 176 of the Criminal Code, a person under 14 counts as a child. Such acts are punishable. A relationship between an adult and a child under 14 is therefore not allowed.
Age of majority and self-determination
In Germany you reach the age of majority at 18 (§ 2 of the Civil Code). From that age you decide for yourself where you live and who you live with. Parents may not dictate which partner an adult child has, even if they do not like that person. Before the age of 18, different rules apply. Minors are under parental custody.
Marriage and getting married
Nobody may be married to two people at the same time. Polygamy is forbidden in Germany. Once a previous marriage has ended, a new marriage is possible.
Many kinds of family are a normal part of life: two women or two men may also marry. Single parents and their children are a family too.
Anyone who wants to marry goes first to the registry office (Standesamt). The marriage is concluded there when both partners declare before the registrar that they wish to marry. The registry office also keeps the civil status registers, for example for births and marriages.
Separation and divorce
A divorce takes place before the family court. As a rule, you need a lawyer for it. In most cases the spouses must first observe a year of separation. That means they live apart for at least one year. The year of separation does not mean that the proceedings take a year.
Maternity protection, parental allowance and help
Maternity protection is the name for the legal protection of pregnant women and mothers around the time of birth. The protection period usually begins six weeks before the expected due date and normally ends eight weeks after the birth. After the birth, the mother may not work during this period; before the birth, she may do so only if she expressly wishes to.
Parental allowance is not paid automatically. Parents must submit an application to the responsible parental allowance office. The application can also be made digitally.
The youth welfare office (Jugendamt) helps with parenting problems. It advises parents and arranges help. If a child is in urgent danger, the youth welfare office may temporarily take the child out of the family. This is called “Inobhutnahme” (taking into care). Parenting advice centres also offer help. There, parents and children can talk through problems together.
These 17 questions are in the test
- 241Frau Seger bekommt ein Kind. Was muss sie tun, um Elterngeld zu erhalten?
- 242Wer entscheidet, ob ein Kind in Deutschland in den Kindergarten geht?
- 245Wer darf in Deutschland nicht als Paar zusammenleben?
- 246Ab welchem Alter ist man in Deutschland volljährig?
- 247Eine Frau ist schwanger. Sie ist kurz vor und nach der Geburt ihres Kindes vom Gesetz besonders beschützt. Wie heißt dieser Schutz?
- 248Die Erziehung der Kinder ist in Deutschland vor allem Aufgabe …
- 249Wer ist in Deutschland hauptsächlich verantwortlich für die Kindererziehung?
- 251Wenn man in Deutschland ein Kind schlägt, …
- 252In Deutschland …
- 254In Deutschland dürfen Ehepaare sich scheiden lassen. Meistens müssen sie dazu das „Trennungsjahr“ einhalten. Was bedeutet das?
- 255Bei Erziehungsproblemen können Eltern in Deutschland Hilfe erhalten vom …
- 258Was darf das Jugendamt in Deutschland?
- 265Wohin muss man in Deutschland zuerst gehen, wenn man heiraten möchte?
- 267Eine junge Frau in Deutschland, 22 Jahre alt, lebt mit ihrem Freund zusammen. Die Eltern der Frau finden das nicht gut, weil ihnen der Freund nicht gefällt. Was können die Eltern tun?
- 272Welche Lebensform ist in Deutschland nicht erlaubt?
- 273Bei Erziehungsproblemen gehen Sie in Deutschland …
- 275Was braucht man in Deutschland für eine Ehescheidung?
Each question with its explanation is on the question pages. You can practise with answers in the app.
SourcesGrundgesetz für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland: Artikel 6Bundesministerium der Justiz: § 1567 BGB – GetrenntlebenBundesministerium der Justiz: § 42 SGB VIII – Inobhutnahme von Kindern und JugendlichenFamilienportal des Bundes: Wie kann ich Elterngeld beantragen?Bundesministerium der Justiz: Strafgesetzbuch § 176
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