2025 Focus: Gender Inequalities in the World of Work

This year’s Changing World of Work brochure puts its focus on the significant divergences that still exist between men and women’s experiences of employment. These are apparent for example from their career choices, working hours, and earnings.

While approximately half of women in employment work part-time in Germany, this is only true of approximately one in eight men. Results from the 2023 BAuA Working Time Survey (for dependent employees aged 15-65 working at least ten hours a week) show that these differences are even more pronounced among parents who look after children up to the age of 12 in their own household than among childless individuals.
While women with one or more children work approximately five hours less on average than women without children (31.4 hours/week compared to 36.3 hours), men with children work approximately an hour more than men without children (42.2 hours/week compared to 41.3 hours). The proportion of individuals who work at the weekend at least once a month is higher for women without children than for women with children (38% compared to 30%). By contrast, this figure is lower for men without children than for men with children (34% compared to 40%).

The differences in earnings between women and men can be illuminated by calculating what is known as the gender pay gap, which measures the difference between men and women’s earnings in per cent. According to the results from the survey of earnings conducted by the German Federal Statistical Office (Statistisches Bundesamt), the gender pay gap for gross hourly earnings across the whole economy (incl. agriculture, the public sector, and micro-enterprises) amounted to about 16% in 2023. With an average hourly pay rate of 21.39 euros, women consequently earn approximately four euros less than men, whose hourly pay averages 25.49 euros.

On account of the differences in weekly working hours, the gender gaps for monthly and annual earnings are greater than that for hourly pay rates. The pay gap is 32% for gross monthly earnings and 35% for gross annual earnings. These disparities in earnings are reflected in the retirement incomes currently received by women and men and the gender pension gap, as it is termed. Women’s individual retirement incomes are 39 per cent lower than those enjoyed by men.

Gender Inequalities - Figures (selection)

Further information about gender inequalities in the world of work - including issues such as academic and vocational qualifications, working conditions, and managerial responsibilities, as well as downloadable graphics on the topic - can be found in the 2025 Changing World of Work (German).

Gender inequalities are discussed in greater detail in the report Safety and Health at Work - Reporting Year 2023 (German).

About the brochure

The brochure is thematically structured and contains data on the following topics:

• Employment
• Accidents at work
• Occupational diseases
• Working conditions
• Working hours
• Incapacity for work
• Retirement
• Demographic change
• Risk assessment

In addition to these annually updated topics, the brochure contains information on one focus topic each year:

2025: Gender inequalities in the world of work
2024: Working conditions in gender-segregated and integrated occupations
2023: Working conditions of employees, which are registered as disabled
2022: Managing coronavirus in the workplace
2021: Digitization in companies

The print brochure is issued in coat pocket format and can be ordered online, the last five editions are also available for download on our German website.

Download high-resolution illustrations from the brochure

The individual illustrations and tables of the current issue and the last five focus topics can be downloaded on our German website as high-resolution jpg files (3,213 x 2,386 pixels).