Germany's Gender Gap in Unpaid Work Persists, Women Dedicate Nine More Hours Weekly Than Men
Germany's gender gap in unpaid work remains significant. Nationally, women dedicate nine more hours weekly than men. The government has launched initiatives to tackle this imbalance, focusing on care infrastructure, parental leave, and work flexibility. However, specific details of these measures are scarce. Meanwhile, in Bremen, men's involvement in childcare and family work has stagnated, with only 33.9% taking parental leave.
Experts suggest expanding care infrastructure, reforming parental leave, abolishing the marriage tax split, and introducing flexible work-time models to achieve gender equality. Currently, women's lower earnings often lead them to reduce employment for family care, reinforcing disadvantageous structures. This was highlighted on Equal Care Day on February 29th, which shed light on the inequality between women and men in care work, resulting in more women working part-time and having less wealth in old age.
In Bremen, State Women's Representative Bettina Wilhelm has called for better work-life balance and a fairer distribution of care work. Despite these calls, Bremen has the second lowest rate of men taking parental leave at 33.9%, with Saarland at 20.8% being the lowest.
Addressing the gender gap in unpaid work is crucial for achieving equality. Germany's government has started initiatives, but more specific measures and progress are needed. In Bremen, while awareness is raised, men's involvement in care work has not significantly increased, highlighting the need for further action.
