Creditreform: Mehr Frauen leiten eine mittelständische Firma

In Deutschlands Mittelstand haben mehr Frauen als früher das Sagen. Lag ihr Anteil bei kleinen und mittleren Unternehmen im Jahr 2011 nur bei 18,9 Prozent, so sind es inzwischen 22,8 Prozent, teilt die Wirtschaftsauskunftei Creditreform in Neuss mit. Dabei bezieht sie sich auf Daten von 664.000 Unternehmen.

In Eastern Germany, a higher proportion of women are leading companies. In Saxony-Anhalt, 25 percent of small and medium-sized businesses are led by women, while in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern it is 24.7 percent and in Berlin it is 24.3 percent. However, the percentage is lower in Baden-Württemberg (21.8 percent), Bavaria (21.7 percent), and Bremen (21.6 percent).

Economist Patrik-Ludwig Hantzsch explains the nationwide development as a result of the overall increase in women’s participation in the workforce. They are now more likely to choose the path of self-employment and entrepreneurship than before. „Having a female boss in small and medium-sized enterprises is no longer uncommon,“ he says. This refers to companies with less than 250 employees.

However, the situation varies in different industries. The highest percentage of female executives is found in the healthcare and social services sector (51 percent), followed by „other services“ which includes hairdressers and opticians, with a rate of 47.3 percent, and the hospitality industry with 30.4 percent. In the „arts, entertainment, and recreation“ sector, it is 29.7 percent. On the other hand, in the manufacturing industry, it is only 12.5 percent, and in the construction industry, it is merely 7.3 percent. „The reality in these sectors often still reflects the traditional gender-based career choices,“ summarizes Hantzsch.

Quote für größere Unternehmen

The proportion of female leaders is increasing in German corporations. It appears that women are being increasingly considered for top positions in the German economy. According to an analysis by the non-profit Allbright Foundation, which was published in June, the largest publicly traded companies have selected female managers for nearly half of all newly available executive board positions between September 2022 and March 2023. The authors of the study noted that this is an unusually strong trend.

On average, about a hundred top positions in the 160 companies are newly filled each year. This trend is also related to the fact that publicly traded and co-determined companies with more than 2000 employees and more than three board members must now ensure that at least one woman is in the executive level when filling vacancies in the board. This minimum participation requirement applies to new appointments starting from August 1, 2022. This regulation does not apply to smaller companies.