When it comes to education, women have already overtaken men. The differences in payment are also shrinking. But women are still lagging behind when it comes to old-age security and top jobs.
In recent years, women in Germany have caught up in the areas of education, employment and income.
However, in some areas – such as securing one’s old age or filling managerial positions – the gap to men is still large, according to a study published on Wednesday by the Economic and Social Science Institute (WSI) of the Hans Böckler Foundation, which is close to the trade union.
The study shows that when it comes to school and professional qualifications, women on average achieve a higher level than men. In 2019, around 41 percent of women but only 39 percent of men of working age had a high school diploma or a technical college entrance qualification. Conversely, men were more likely to have completed secondary school. Around 72 percent of women between the ages of 15 and 65 were most recently employed – but 79 percent of men. For comparison: At the beginning of the 1990s, the employment rate for women was 57 percent.
It remains thin in top positions
Women still are but significantly less likely than men in top positions in the economy. In 2020, for example, eleven percent of all board positions in the 160 largest German listed companies were held by women. The situation is different WSI analysis of According to the second level, where the proportion of women only slightly lower than the proportion of all workers (44 percent) was 40 percent.
According to the study, there are large differences in earnings. According to the WSI, the average hourly wage for women was 18.62 euros gross per hour, 18.3 percent or 4.16 euros below that of men. One reason for this is that women are four times as likely to work part-time as men, often to better balance work and family. This limits career opportunities. The wage gap has narrowed slowly but steadily in recent years.
According to the WSI, the still large gap in the subject of old-age provision is therefore more serious. “If you take statutory pension, company and private old-age provision together, women receive an average 49 percent lower old-age income than men,” reported the WSI.
“The deficit of women is getting smaller in important areas. But progress in equality has usually been very slow so far,” said WSI researcher Yvonne Lott, summing up the development. It is still unclear whether the pandemic will have a negative impact on the long-term positive trend in the area of equality. Various studies have shown that in times of lockdowns, daycare closures, quarantine and homeschooling, women were significantly more likely to have reduced their gainful employment than men.
Source: Stern
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
