Women in the trades: smashing stereotypes and finding courage!

Women in the trades: smashing stereotypes and finding courage!

How does gender equality work in the world of work? More and more women are taking the plunge into professions that are traditionally considered male. However, there is still a lot to do, as current figures show. Loud Destatis In 2024, only 10.3 percent of those employed in skilled trades were female. This shows that the gender distribution in many professions is still very unbalanced.

Would you like an example? Hanna Bechtel has been running the Bechtel metalworking shop in Marburg in the sixth generation since the beginning of 2024. Growing up in the family business, she independently decided to become a metal worker. Your experiences are mixed. Bechtel reports on the prejudices she hears from both her team and male customers: “It's a rocky road,” she says, adding that she actively tries to promote women in the trades. The proportion of women in professions such as tailoring is around 83 percent, making a clear difference in another direction.

Looking for balance

While access for women in crafts and industry still proves to be challenging, completely different, positive trends are emerging in the service sector. In 2024, women will be well represented in professional fields such as office workers and commercial employees with a share of 65.6 percent, as well as in service professions with 61.7 percent. So far so good! But is that the end? Unfortunately not, because the categories of craft, industry and agriculture show that women continue to be severely underrepresented. In industry the proportion of women is only 15 percent and in agriculture it is even 19.6 percent Destatis reported.

The obstacles for men are also noticeable, particularly in pedagogy. Mark Hamann is not only a committed educator, but has also experienced the hurdles of his career choice. In 2022, the proportion of men in the teaching staff was just 7.9 percent. He received mixed reactions to his decision: everything from “finally a man” to “men don’t belong there” was there. It is clear that there still needs to be a rethink in these areas.

From stereotypes to perspectives

But what about men in traditionally female jobs? Simon Schubert, a man in the world of fashion and tailoring, sees his career choice regardless of gender. During his time as a vocational school teacher, he saw a growing interest among young men in tailoring training. The proportion of male trainees who were able to start in 2012 was 8.7 percent; In 2022 it was almost double at 16.3 percent. This is clear progress!

Finally, statistics show that over the last 25 years, the employment rate of women in Germany has increased from almost 60 percent to over 77 percent in 2023. The willingness to enter careers with flexible working hours and a good work-life balance is also increasing. Statista shows that the sectors with the highest proportion of women in employment subject to social insurance contributions are health and social services as well as education and teaching, where women make up around 75 percent of employees.

The study carried out in 2024 clearly shows how important flexible working arrangements and support in the area of ​​childcare are. Women also want to get started in leadership positions. The current gender pay gap is 18 percent - a topic that is constantly discussed. The adjusted gap is 6 percent, showing that the causes of the differences are deep-rooted.

In summary, gender-specific career choice remains an important issue. Women in men's playgrounds and men in women's territories? It's time to break these stereotypes and give everyone equal opportunities. There is clearly something going on!