After graduating from high school in 1967, she began her studies at the Teacher Training College in Hagen, and in 1972 she became a teacher in Essen. In the same year, she joined the SPD (Social Democratic Party), for which she served on the Essen City Council from 1976 to 1987. In the German Bundestag, she most recently served on the Committee on Economic Cooperation and as a substitute member of the Health Committee.[2]