The Federal Statistical Office said 29.1% of top managing jobs were filled by women in 2024, well under the EU average of 35.2%.

The ratio has barely changed since 2014, the Wiesbaden-based agency, despite the EU average rising by around 3.4 percentage points.

According to the EU statistical agency Eurostat, Sweden had the highest share of women in leadership positions in the European Union, at 44.4%, ahead of Latvia on 43.4% and Poland on 41.8%.

Bottom of the list was Cyprus, where only 25.3% of leadership positions were occupied by women.

The term covers managers of small businesses, directors and executives of large companies, as well as senior positions in the civil service.

The Institute of Economic and Social Research (WSI) within the Hans Böckler Foundation called the situation in Germany “concerning, but unfortunately not surprising.”

The labour market hinders women in their careers because employment is extremely difficult to reconcile with care work, which is still predominantly performed by women, said WSI expert Bettina Kohlrausch.

“At present, there are no political discussions, let alone proposals, to change this,” she said.

The low proportion of women in management positions in Germany is particularly striking given the comparatively high number of women in employment in the country, according to the Federal Statistical Office.

In 2024, women accounted for 46.9% of the total workforce, slightly above the EU average (46.4%).

In comparison, Austria had a similar proportion of women in the workforce at 47.5%, but many more reaching leadership positions at 36.2%.

Meanwhile, fewer women are in employment in Italy, but the share becoming managers is very similar to Germany.

-dpa