Berlin, 16 January 2025 – As part of the regular rotation, the Protestant Association for Family Affairs (eaf) is taking over the leadership of the Association of German Family Organizations from the German Family Association. The eaf president, Prof. Dr. Martin Bujard, was elected as the new chairperson for two years. He takes over the baton from Dr. Klaus Zeh, president of the German Family Association, who previously held the AGF chair and was elected as the deputy chairperson.
Prof. Dr. Martin Bujard is full-time Deputy Director of the Federal Institute for Population Research (BiB), where he heads the research area of family and fertility. Upon taking office as AGF chair, he stated that “families have been an important anchor of stability for many people, especially in times of crisis, and have done a great deal for society. However, they are increasingly reaching their limits in terms of stress.” There are still major problems in reconciling family and career, especially since childcare is often experienced as less reliable, as are high financial burdens due to rising prices, child poverty and, all too often, a blatant lack of family-friendly housing. In addition, he observes that especially in the “rush hour” of life, with younger children, parents often experience considerable time pressure and stress that pushes them to their limits, instead of being able to enjoy this phase of life as a young family.
“The AGF must address the breadth of problems facing families. As the new chairman, I will focus on relieving the burden on families through time-related policy measures, improving the reconciliation of family and career, and increasing the range and quality of early childhood education and care,” said Martin Bujard. ”But family includes members in all age groups. Families also need time and support to care for older relatives and those in need of care, especially in view of the demographic aging of our society.”
The AGF is thus continuing important topics from recent years, in which it was already involved in developing the concept for a “new family care leave” and addressed the issue of child poverty, among other things, by supporting the implementation of the EU Child Guarantee. In the last two years, the AGF has also worked intensively on child day care, the housing shortage of families, the fight against child sexual abuse online, the EU Parental Leave Regulation, transnational families and climate change. The AGF will continue to work on these issues with the same energy under new leadership, as well as continuing its intensive work at the European and international level.
Short portraits of the new leading association, the new chair and the AGF
Short portrait: The eaf as the new leading association of the AGF
The Protestant Association for Family Affairs (eaf) lobbies for families on behalf of several million Protestant Christians by combining the work of Protestant, family-related institutions and associations at the federal, state and regional church level. As an interdisciplinary network, the eaf sees family policy as a cross-sectional task. It is committed to the needs and social concerns of families in politics and the church.
The eaf works across departments in the policy areas relevant to the family. To this end, it draws on the expertise and practical experience of its members, from church parishes, academia, family education centers and other institutions of the Protestant Church, in order to provide expert support for family policy and to initiate discussions and campaigns.
Short portrait: The new chairman Prof. Dr. Martin Bujard

Prof. Dr. Martin Bujard has been president of the Protestant Association for Family Affairs (eaf) since 2019. He is a social scientist, completed his doctorate in Heidelberg, habilitated at the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz and has held a professorship in family sociology at the University of Heidelberg since 2022. He is deputy director of the Federal Institute for Population Research (BiB) in Wiesbaden, where he heads the “Family and Fertility” department. Bujard is co-founder and network coordinator of the family demographic panel FReDA, in which around 30,000 people are surveyed twice a year, and represents Germany on the Consortium Board of the Generations and Gender Program.
Short portrait: The AGF
The German Family Association (AGF) is the union of: German Family Association (DFV), Protestant Association for Family Affairs (eaf), Family Alliance of Catholics (FDK), Association of Single Parents (VAMV), Association of Binational Families and Partnerships (iaf), Family Future Forum (ZFF).
The family associations work for the interests and rights of families with their respective priorities. The AGF formulates the common concerns of its member associations and is an active partner in politics and society with its activities. It does political lobbying for the concerns of families and promotes dialogue and cooperation between family policy organizations and those responsible for family policy at the national and international level. Its goal is to improve the conditions for families in Germany and Europe. The AGF is a member of COFACE Families Europe and is active in the European network on transnational family TraFaDy (Transnational Family Dynamics in Europe) and in the International Commission on Couple and Family Relations (ICCFR).
The AGF is funded by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth.
