Preserved Truths
Gender Gaps
Try our sweet-and-sour sauce if you’re curious about the spiciest gender gaps.
Gender gaps refer to differences or inequalities between genders across various areas of life. These so-called gaps can appear in terms of opportunities, rights, resources, income, education, political participation, and other aspects of social and economic life. Before we explore selected gender gaps that result in significant disadvantages for women, we’ll take a closer look at the roots of gender-based discrimination.
Gender-based discrimination, which occurs both directly and indirectly on a daily basis, remains a pervasive issue.
Direct discrimination happens when rules or practices explicitly target a characteristic such as gender, resulting in intentional unequal treatment. This leads to disadvantages for those affected. Example: A woman is not hired despite being highly qualified because the employer fears a potential pregnancy and resulting absence from work.
There is a close link between direct discrimination and societal structures. We are all shaped by our upbringing, culture, traditions, and stereotypes—factors that directly influence our everyday lives. People are treated unequally due to learned and historically rooted systems. This form of disadvantage, shaped by patriarchal and postcolonial histories, is known as structural discrimination. It occurs when the marginalization of certain groups is embedded in the organization of society.
Indirect discrimination, on the other hand, refers to rules or practices that appear neutral and do not explicitly disadvantage anyone, but in practice consistently have negative effects on specific groups. Example: Part-time positions, which are predominantly held by women, often offer no opportunities for advancement. As a result, women have fewer chances for promotion compared to their full-time, male colleagues, constituting indirect discrimination.
Gender-specific discrimination leads to significant disparities in everyday life: unequal pay, unequal distribution of caregiving responsibilities, differing risks of poverty in old age, medical advantages or disadvantages, and the insufficient collection and consideration of gender-specific data in surveys and research designs. These inequalities result in substantial gaps (known as gender gaps)across various areas of society.
Four particularly well-known and widespread forms of gender-specific discrimination referred to as gender gaps include:
- Gender Pay Gap – the wage gap between genders
- Gender Care Gap – the unequal distribution of caregiving work
- Gender Pension Gap – the retirement income gap between genders
- Gender Data Gap – the data gap that overlooks gender-specific differences
These gaps are explored in more detail below.
The Gender Pay Gap refers to the gender-based difference in earnings.
In Germany, this gap currently stands at 18% unadjusted and 6% adjusted.
The unadjusted pay gap is calculated by comparing the average gross hourly earnings of all employees, regardless of role or background. The adjusted figure, on the other hand, takes into account factors such as qualifications, job types, and employment histories.
On average, men in Germany earn €25.30 gross per hour, while women earn only €20.84, resulting in a difference of €4.46. To raise awareness of this persistent inequality, Germany observes the Equal Pay Day each year.
This awareness day is held on the symbolic date that represents how far into the year women must work to earn what men earned by January 1st. In 2024, this translated to 66 extra days, placing Equal Pay Day on March 6, 2024.
Additionally, only 10% of women in Germany aged 30 to 50 earn more than €2,000 net per month, compared to 42% of men in the same age group.
The Gender Pay Gap varies significantly across industries. Sectors dominated by women tend to offer lower wages than those dominated by men. Regional disparities are also evident: not only between East and West Germany, but also between North and South. Ironically, the economically strongest federal states—Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, and Hesse—show the highest pay gaps, while eastern states tend to have lower gaps, shaped by different historical developments, including more egalitarian gender roles and higher female labor force participation.
In the Munich region, the unadjusted Gender Pay Gap in 2023 was 22.4%, while the adjusted gap was 12%.
Compared to other EU countries, Germany’s unadjusted Gender Pay Gap is relatively high. In the 2023 EU ranking, Germany placed fifth, indicating a significantly above-average earnings disparity between women and men.
Sources:
(1) https://www.equalpayday.de/
https://www.destatis.de/DE/Themen/Arbeit/Verdienste/Verdienste-GenderPayGap/_inhalt.html
https://www.iab-forum.de/graphs/gender-pay-gap-variiert-stark-zwischen-den-branchen/
Unbereinigter Gender Pay Gap (GPG) nach Bundesländern – Statistisches Bundesamt
The Gender Care Gap refers to the disparity in unpaid caregiving work, which is predominantly carried out by women, such as caring for children, dependent relatives, and managing household tasks.
On average, women in Germany spend 44.3% more time per day on unpaid care work than men. That’s 79 extra minutes daily, or nearly 30 hours per week, compared to just under 21 hours for men, regardless of their paid employment status.
In addition, women’s earnings in Germany drop by up to 80% permanently after the birth of their first child, and statistically, they never return to their previous income level. This has a direct impact on access to leadership roles and career progression. Many women fall into the so-called “part-time trap” due to their higher share of unpaid care work, which significantly limits both their earning potential and chances for advancement. Long-term part-time employment has a double negative effect: lower income and fewer opportunities for promotion. Over time, this can lead to reduced pension entitlements and even poverty in old age.
One way to counteract the Gender Care Gap and its impact on women’s employment is for men to take extended parental leave. In heterosexual partnerships, this could enable women to return to work more quickly after childbirth.
Additional resources on this topic are provided by initiatives such as Equal Care Day and Oxfam’s “Who Cares?” campaign, which highlight the value and visibility of unpaid care work.
Sources:
https://www.henrikkleven.com/uploads/3/7/3/1/37310663/klevenetal_aea-pp_2019.pdf
Frodermann, Corinna, Andreas Filser & Ann-Christin Bächmann (2023): Elternzeiten von verheirateten Paaren: Mütter kehren meist schneller auf den Arbeitsmarkt zurück, wenn ihre Partner Elternzeit nehmen.
https://www.bundesfinanzministerium.de/Content/DE/FAQ/reform-der-steuerklassen.html
https://madamemoneypenny.de/moneytalk-ehevertrag.html
https://equalcareday.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/mental-load-work-de_2024.pdf
Lower income and more unpaid care work: The consequences of existing gender-based financial disparities are not only widespread—they also pose a serious challenge to retirement security, known as the Gender Pension Gap. This gap refers to the inequality in financial resources available during retirement.
Marriage also plays a significant role, as the spousal income splitting model in Germany’s tax system favors unequal income distribution within partnerships. By taxing the lower-earning partner—often the woman—more heavily, this system increases the risk of poverty among women.
In addition, 41% of single parents with children under 18 live in income poverty. In contrast, the poverty rate among couples with minor children is significantly lower. Women are disproportionately affected by this issue, as 82.3% of single parents in Germany are mothers.
Existing poverty and pronounced financial inequalities directly impact income after the age of 65. The Gender Pension Gap between women and men stands at 27.1% (including survivor’s pensions) and 39.4% (excluding additional benefits).
The Gender Pension Gap highlights the direct consequences of both the Gender Pay Gap and the Gender Care Gap on women’s financial situation in retirement. It becomes clear: no gender gap exists in isolation. Gender-based discrimination manifests across various dimensions, affecting access to resources, healthcare, and financial stability.
Sources:
https://www.bertelsmann-stiftung.de/fileadmin/files/user_upload/Factsheet_Alleinerziehende_2024.pdf
The Gender Data Gap refers to the lack of statistical and research data that affects fields such as IT, engineering, the automotive industry, medicine, and many others.
For example, medical studies, smartphone product testing, and crash test dummy trials often rely exclusively on cisgender men with standardized body sizes and weights. As a result, individuals who don’t meet these physical norms face greater risks—medications may be incorrectly dosed, diagnoses delayed, or illnesses overlooked. Inadequate data and safety measures in vehicles contribute to the fact that women are 17% more likely to die in car accidents than men.
A closer look reveals that many cited studies rely on binary gender data, meaning only men and women are surveyed or considered. The Gender Data Gap also refers to this lack of inclusive, gender-specific data.
Beyond health risks (even life-threatening ones) poor data collection fuels stereotypes and myths that reinforce structural and gender-based discrimination. Examples include:
- The lack of recognition for Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) and the stereotyping of PMS
- The decades-long misrepresentation of the clitoris, which was only fully reintroduced into school and medical textbooks in late 2022
- The lack of gender diversity in menstrual product advertising—even though trans men menstruate, too
Although public awareness of gender diversity is growing, it will take many more years and extensive educational efforts to close the existing data gap.
Organizations like Queermed Deutschland provide informational materials and resources that can be distributed at universities or used in combination with training and workshops. Their goal is to raise awareness about medical discrimination and establish informed points of contact.
Sources:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0263237322001554?via%3Dihub
Criado-Perez, Caroline (2020): Unsichtbare Frauen: wie eine von Daten beherrschte Welt die Hälfte der Bevölkerung ignoriert, München: btb Verlag, S. 253-260
