“Elite Monitor”
East Germans in executive chairs: the proportion is only increasing slowly
Mural by Caspar Kirchner in Berlin. photo
© picture alliance / dpa
East Germany is underrepresented in the executive chairs of politics, media, justice and culture. Although the proportion has increased slightly, it remains at a very low level.
The proportion of East Germans in the executive suites of politics, media, Justice or culture has increased somewhat within five years, but is still very low. This emerges from the “Elite Monitor” by researchers from Leipzig, Jena and Görlitz/Zittau, which was published by the Eastern Commissioner Carsten Schneider.
In 2018, the proportion of “elites” with East German origins was 10.8 percent, and in 2022 it was at least 12.2 percent. However, the scientists put the population proportion of people of East German origin at 20 percent. It is also too early to speak of the increase as a trend, according to the “Elite Monitor”.
Disappointment in the region
Schneider has long complained that East Germans are too rarely in leadership positions, which causes disappointment in the region and the feeling of not being sufficiently involved. The “Elite Monitor” refers to publicly available biographical information about around 4,000 people who were in 3,000 “elite positions” between 2018 and 2023. The scientists also conducted interviews.
They cite, among other things, the “long-term effects of the GDR system” as the cause of the lack of representation, such as the lack of recognition for academic degrees acquired in the GDR in “state-related” subjects such as law, economics or social sciences. English is also considered important for management positions, but language skills are unevenly distributed. There is no special support for East German students. And fewer people among East Germans could imagine taking on a leadership position themselves than among West Germans.
Even in East Germany, East Germans are underrepresented in elite positions, the researchers note. They demand: “Accompanying measures are necessary so that elite positions in East Germany are also taken over by East Germans.”