The German population is almost evenly split by gender, though as of 2019 there were more women than men. 24 percent of German women earn between 500 and 1,000 euros in net income. Encouragingly so, the unemployment rate for women in the country has been dropping year after year since 2005, with 5.5 percent recorded in 2020. This was an increase on the previous year, most likely due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Germany still has some catching up to do, though, in terms of the share of women in leadership positions. Just one industry got close to a 40 percent rate in 2018, namely health care. In fact, when comparing countries globally, Germany had one of the lowest shares of female entrepreneurs.
Based on surveys conducted in recent years, women and girls in Germany list various issues they face as important, even vital. These issues include, but are not limited to, equal pay for men and women, sexual harassment and different types of violence. Germany is among several European countries believing that domestic abuse is one of the leading problems women face, with increasing rates reported in 2019.
Romantic relationships are no longer dominated by the idea of marriage and children, or at least events are not expected to take place in that order. Many women may find themselves in long-term relationships and have children with their partner down the line, possibly getting married afterwards, to make just one example. On average, women in Germany got married at 32 years old, based on recent data. While in the 90s most women got married in their twenties, this figure steadily went up in later years. Most women have their first child around their thirtieth birthday. Around 50 percent of singles in Germany are female. These developments are all part of a broader change in demographics that has been taking place in Germany, as well as increasing diversity in how gender roles are perceived and lived.
