Female ownership

Less women in the driving seat of SMEs in Germany once again: around 15.4% of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have a female leader. The share of women-led SMEs has fallen by 4 percentage points since the high of 2013. The face of SMEs is becoming more masculine again. The very good labour market prospects for women are slowing start-up activity. Women decide against self-employment increasingly often.

Female ownership decreases further in Germany’s SME sector(PDF, 226 KB, non-accessible)

Women are still a rare sight on the executive floors of Germany’s companies. They occupy a mere 28% of middle to upper management positions, which is below average by international standards. In the US that share exceeds 40% and in the EU the average is 31%.

Germany has fewer women in executive positions than the international average(PDF, 327 KB, non-accessible)