A system and method for an electromechanically actuable parking brake for motor vehicles, which is embodied as a drum brake of the “duo-servo” type. The parking brake has a brake actuating device which can be actuated by an electromechanical actuator, is designed as an expander element and acts on two brake shoes, the expander element being supported via a spring energy storage device, may be designed as a diaphragm spring assembly, and being spreadable by a predetermined length of travel, when the parking brake is actuated, to apply an application force. In order to provide a sufficiently large hot parking travel, the length of travel travelled by the expander element to apply the application force when the parking brake is actuated can be moved as a function of at least one motor vehicle state parameter.