Merkel says German politics needs more women; don't ask about her blazers!

European Council President Charles Michel, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and members of the European Council pose for a family photo during a face-to-face EU summit in Brussels, Belgium, October 21, 2021. REUTERS/Johanna Geron

BERLIN (Reuters) - Angela Merkel encouraged more women to get involved in German politics as she prepared to leave office after 16 years as the country's first female chancellor, saying it was still too male-dominated and needed to get with the times.

And Merkel, who inspired women around the world as leader of Europe's largest economy, showed her typical no-nonsense flair as she answered a wardrobe-related question from Sueddeutsche Zeitung that probably would not have been asked of a man.