What is the proportion of women in specific occupational groups? Differences in the female share may indicate both the discrimination of women in specific occupational groups and different preferences when choosing an occupation. Even though the share of women in all persons in employment has markedly increased, women still often choose their occupation within a limited range of activities.
The percentages of women in the various occupational groups have not changed much since the early 1990s. Choosing typical female or male occupations frequently involves differences in earnings and careers.
Women are found most often in service and office jobs
In 2023, women were significantly over-represented in office and service occupations. 65.5% of all office workers and commercial employees were women. For employed persons in service occupations women were represented with a share of 61.9%.
Men dominating in crafts and industry
Women were strongly underrepresented in crafts as well as in industry and agriculture. Only 10.2% of the employed persons in craft occupations were women. Work in the industry (for example operating of machines as well as assembly works) was carried out only to 15.3% by women. The percentage of women employed in agriculture was 20.7%.
Information on the Indicator
Description or definition
Percentage of women and men in economic activity (aged 15 years and older) by occupation (ISCO major groups) in all persons in employment (aged 15 years and older).
ISCO is the International Standard Classification of Occupations.
Source
Labour Force Survey
Information for interpretation
A break in the time series is visible in 2012 due to the introduction of the new International Classification of Occupations (ISCO).
The information on craft and related trades workers refers to the 7th major group of the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO). The craft and related occupations differ from the occupations of the German Handicrafts Regulation Act.
The microcensus with the integrated European labour force survey has been redesigned in 2020. The list of questions and the concept of the sample survey were modified, and with the introduction of an online questionnaire, the form of data collection were also changed. The results from survey year 2020 onward are therefore comparable with those of previous years only to a limited extent.
Further methodological changes affecting the results were performed in 2005, 2011 and 2021. Consequently, the results for those years can be compared with the results for previous years to a limited extent only.
The extrapolation of microcensus data uses the population figures from the 2011 Census, which was conducted as at 9 May 2011. The results have been revised from 2010 onwards. With effect from the year 2016, the sample is based on the 2011 census data. This transition affects the comparability of the results with previous years.
For more information please refer to Methods: Quality Reports and Explanations (only in German).
Further information
Redesigned microcensus as of 2020