IfM Bonn: Despite various efforts, the proportion of women-led businesses has remained constant since 2000
Just under 600,000 of the 3.2 million family businesses in Germany are run by women. This is about every fifth family business. Compared to the number of women in the workforce (46.7%), women-led family businesses are therefore significantly underrepresented. Even more, since 2000, when the number of women-owned businesses was first calculated, the proportion of women-owned family businesses has been nearly unchanged.
Overall, 90% of all businesses in Germany are owned and managed by families. They generate more than a third of all turnover and employ more than half of all employees subject to social insurance contributions.
Small but mighty
All in all, women-owned businesses generate 303 billion euros, nearly 12% of the total turnover of all family businesses (2.6 trillion euros). They are therefore smaller than male-run family businesses. This is also reflected in the fact that almost every fifth micro-company is run by women – and only every twelfth medium-sized or large family company.
Nevertheless, one in twelve employees subject to social insurance contributions works in a women-owned business. However, women-led family businesses are rarely involved in the manufacturing sector. Instead, they are more often involved in other services, which include the economic sectors of "education and training", "hospitality", and "arts, entertainment, and recreation".
