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Wachsende Bedeutung der Frauen auf dem Arbeitsmarkt

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  • Karl Brenke

Abstract

An increasing share of the working-age population is active in the German labor market. In particular, the number of women participating in the labor force has grown. The more highly qualified they are, the greater their participation in the labor market — and the level of qualification among women has increased considerably, now approaching that of men. Regardless of their qualifications, women’s willingness to participate in the labor market has risen appreciably in all age groups. Among men, this was largely only the case in older age groups. The number of female employees has increased almost constantly and is hitting record highs. For men, the progression was more variable and the number of individuals employed since the middle of the last decade is only slightly higher than in the early 1990s, despite notable increases. Nevertheless, there are still fewer women overall: in 2013, women made up 46 percent of the whole labor force; their share of total work volume is even smaller at 40 percent. This is mainly due to the fact that almost half of women in Germany work part-time. This strong increase in female participation in the workforce is largely due to sectoral changes. Employment in Germany has increased considerably, particularly in sectors where comparatively more women work. Conversely, in sectors such as manufacturing, which is generally a predominantly male field, the development of jobs has been less favorable. Ein immer größerer Teil der Bevölkerung im erwerbsfähigen Alter ist auf dem Arbeitsmarkt. Vor allem bei den Frauen hat die Erwerbsbeteiligung zugenommen. Je besser die Qualifikation ist, desto höher ist auch die Beteiligung am Erwerbsleben – und bei den Frauen ist das Qualifikationsniveau deutlich gestiegen und hat sich dem der Männer angenähert. Aber auch unabhängig von der Qualifikation hat die Bereitschaft der Frauen zur Teilnahme am Erwerbsleben in allen Altersgruppen erheblich zugenommen. Bei den Männern war das im Wesentlichen nur bei den Älteren der Fall. Die Zahl der weiblichen Beschäftigten ist nahezu stetig gestiegen und hat immer neue Höchststände erreicht. Bei den Männern war der Verlauf wechselhafter, und die Zahl der Erwerbstätigen ist trotz deutlicher Zuwächse seit Mitte der letzten Dekade nur wenig höher als Anfang der 90er Jahre. Dennoch liegen die Frauen zurück: Im Jahr 2013 stellten sie 46 Prozent aller Erwerbstätigen; noch kleiner ist mit 40 Prozent ihr Anteil am Arbeitsvolumen. Das hängt vor allem damit zusammen, dass fast die Hälfte der Frauen einer Teilzeittätigkeit nachgeht. Begünstigt wurde der kräftige Anstieg der Frauenerwerbstätigkeit in erheblichem Maße durch den sektoralen Wandel. Denn die Beschäftigung in Deutschland hat gerade in denjenigen Wirtschaftsbereichen stark zugenommen, in denen vergleichsweise viele Frauen tätig sind. In Sektoren wie dem produzierenden Gewerbe, in denen vor allem Männer zu finden sind, entwickelte sich dagegen die Zahl der Arbeitsplätze weniger günstig.

Suggested Citation

  • Karl Brenke, 2015. "Wachsende Bedeutung der Frauen auf dem Arbeitsmarkt," DIW Wochenbericht, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research, vol. 82(5), pages 75-86.
  • Handle: RePEc:diw:diwwob:82-5-1
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Sierminska, Eva & Piazzalunga, Daniela & Grabka, Markus M., 2018. "Transitioning towards more equality? Wealth gender differences and the changing role of explanatory factors over time," GLO Discussion Paper Series 252, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    2. Bachmann, Ronald & Stepanyan, Gayane, 2020. "It's a woman's world? Occupational structure and the rise of female employment in Germany," Ruhr Economic Papers 889, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    3. Martin Abraham & Natascha Nisic & Miriam Trübner & Hanna Walch & Anja Wunder, 2024. "The role of generalized trust and control in the employment of domestic help – An experimental case study for Germany and the UK," Rationality and Society, , vol. 36(2), pages 230-253, May.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Women in the labor market; labor force participation; employment;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply

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