Implementation of Diversity Management and Gender Mainstreaming in Organisations – A Content Analysis of Corporate Reporting in Germany and France

The study presented in this paper explores the role of diversity management and gender main-streaming in German and French companies. The research is based on a content analysis of 53 sustainability reports of German and French companies that respect Global Reporting Initiative guidelines. Our results show that in both countries social commitment to diversity management and gender mainstreaming is an inevitable reporting element for companies and all reports in-clude parts on gender and diversity. The share of women in management or supervisory board positions seems to be generally higher in France than in Germany. Though firms in both countries are confronted by a lack of representation of female workers in the total workforce, our research also reveals that age diversity and demographic change is a very important reporting topic in Germany, while in France disability seems a very important subject for sustainability reporting.