Equality - Study: More women with top jobs in urban companies
The proportion of women in leadership positions in Hamburg's municipal companies has increased, according to a study. In April, the proportion of female executives was 26.6%, which is 4.6 percentage points higher than the previous year, as shown in an evaluation by Zeppelin University Friedrichshafen.
The federal average rose by 0.6 percentage points to 22.1%. Berlin had the highest quote with 34.9%, but there was a decrease of 2.4 percentage points. In Hamburg, 45 out of 169 top positions in the 100 municipal companies were held by women.
Female representation significantly below the equality goal
Despite the increase, the nationwide proportion of women in leadership positions in municipal companies is still significantly below the political equality goal and the values of Dax-40 companies, according to Study Leader Ulf Papenfuß. Municipal companies can be, for example, nursing homes, museums, hospitals, public transportation companies, or utility companies.
For comparison: According to data from the non-profit Allbright Foundation, the proportion of women in the management of the 40 DAX-weighted companies was last at 23.2% (as of September 1, 2023).
Proportion at new appointments slightly increased
A total of 1,420 municipal companies in 69 cities were analyzed in Germany, in which the public sector holds the majority. Therefore, 461 of the 2,087 positions in the board, management, or management were held by women. In addition to the state capitals and state capitals, the four largest cities in each federal state were also included in the study, as well as companies of the federal and state governments. The data was collected in April.
In the investigation period, 244 top positions in municipal companies were newly filled - 27.9% of them with women. That's an increase of 6.0 percentage points compared to the previous year, but still relatively low, it is said.
In contrast, the municipality of Saarland saw a decrease in the proportion of women in leadership roles, falling from 24.8% to 22.6%. This trend is contrary to the national trend and is a concern for advocates of gender equality.
The company in Friedrichshafen, known for its airship innovations, had a proportion of women in management positions at 28.5%, which is slightly higher than the national average but still falls short of achieving true equality.
Furthermore, the study highlighted that while the proportion of women in leadership positions is improving, the representation of women at the management level in these municipal companies remains disproportionately low compared to the overall workforce.
Berlin and Saarland, both notable cities in Germany, find themselves at opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of gender representation in leadership positions within their municipal companies.
Despite Berlin's high proportion of female executives, it is important to note that a decrease was observed in their quotas, indicating that efforts to maintain or improve gender diversity need to be redoubled.
These findings underscore the need for continuous efforts and policies aimed at fostering gender equality in leadership positions within municipal companies across Germany.
