Study - Hanover has the most women in the management of municipal companies
Hannover has the highest percentage of women in leadership positions in municipal companies nationwide, according to a study. Half of the leadership teams are female, as shown in an evaluation by the Zeppelin University in Friedrichshafen. A total of 69 cities were analyzed. Weimar came in second with 44 percent female representation, and Jena was third with 42 percent. A year ago, the percentage in Hannover was still at 37.5 percent.
The other analyzed cities in Lower Saxony perform significantly worse: Oldenburg ranked 20th with 27 percent female representation, Wolfsburg had 12 percent, and Braunschweig had 9.5 percent. Osnabrück and five other cities took the last place. In the last-placed cities, researchers did not find a woman in the leadership of a municipal company.
Municipal companies can be institutions such as nursing homes, museums, hospitals, public transportation companies, or utility companies.
Bremen with the strongest decline in female representation
In the comparison of the 16 federal states, Lower Saxony ranked last with only 15 percent female representation in the leadership teams of public companies. Bremen came in 16th place with 29 percent female representation. Bremerhaven was in the middle with 16 percent. In the federal state comparison, the Two-City State ranked 5th with 25 percent. A year ago, Bremen was still in second place with 31 percent. According to the study, the smallest federal state experienced the strongest decline.
Nationwide, the percentage of female leadership in municipal companies increased slightly and was at 22.1 percent in April. This was 0.6 percentage points higher than the previous year. A total of 1,420 municipal companies were analyzed, in which the public sector holds the majority. 77 of these companies were in Lower Saxony, and 62 were in Bremen.
Communal companies behind DAX corporations
Despite the increase, the percentage of women in the leadership teams of communal companies is still significantly lower than the political goal of parity and the values of DAX corporations, said study leader Ulf Papenfuss. For comparison: The percentage of women in the management boards of DAX corporations, according to data from the non-profit Allbright Foundation, was recently at 23.2 percent (as of September 1, 2023).
The differences can mainly be explained by legal requirements. Stock market-listed and parity-co-determined companies with more than 2000 employees and more than three managing directors must ensure that at least one woman is represented in the management board when filling new positions.
Clear regulations for the filling of leadership positions could help, according to Papenfuss, to further increase the percentage of women in communal companies. He recommends aligning with the requirements of stock market-listed companies.
- In Hannover, women hold half of the leadership positions in municipal companies, making it the city with the highest proportion of women in leadership roles nationwide.
- Weimar comes in second with 44% female representation in municipal companies, while Jena follows closely with 42%.
- Contrarily, Oldenburg ranks 20th with only 27% female representation, followed by Wolfsburg with 12% and Braunschweig with 9.5%.
- The study from Zeppelin University in Friedrichshafen analyzed a total of 69 cities across Germany, including Bremen, Oldenburg, Wolfsburg, and Braunschweig in Lower Saxony.
- Bremen has seen a significant decline in female representation, falling from 31% a year ago to 29%, placing it 16th in the federal state comparison.
- The municipality of Wolfsburg, known for its automobile manufacturing company, has the lowest percentage of women in leadership positions among the analyzed cities in Lower Saxony.
- The city of Osnabrück, along with five other cities, did not have a woman in the leadership of a municipal company according to the study's findings.
- Ulf Papenfuss, the study leader, recommends implementing clear regulations for filling leadership positions in communal companies, aiming to align with the requirements of stock market-listed companies for parity.
