It’s the same every year: On March 8th, people stand in front of offices, supermarkets or train stations and press a rose into women’s hands, accompanied by a heartfelt “Happy International Women’s Day!” Women would probably rather have the men’s salary – on average around 18 percent more – instead of a flower.
It’s very easy to laugh at International Women’s Day: what’s the point of just one day? At the same time, it offers an opportunity to take stock: How equal are men and women in Germany really?
Depending on which standard you use, this somewhat slow day also offers good news: Today it would be unthinkable that a state naval academy would designate a woman as a “mascot” (see photo 7). And while the right to vote for women was called for 110 years ago on March 8th, the word Chancellor now flows smoothly from the Germans’ lips. But the bad news doesn’t stop there: This single day of action is like a single woman in a group of men – a nice symbol, but not proof of equality. For something to change, more is needed. For example, more commitment from men.
A cycle against women
The stories accompanying the photos show how much women’s success depends on the men around them. In 1903, Marie Curie received the Nobel Prize only after her husband insisted that his colleague and wife also be honored. In 1963, Katharine Graham only became editor of The Washington Post because her father and husband were no longer alive. In 1969, JoAnn Morgan only sat in the control center during the launch of the Apollo 11 lunar mission because her boss fought for her presence. In the 1980s, Mia Westerlund Roosen primarily received scholarships and prizes after the legendary art dealer Leo Castelli discovered her. Former Chancellor Angela Merkel was long considered “Kohl’s girl” – but she later broke away from him.
There is a term that explains why women’s success is often in the hands of men, the “Thomas cycle.” This is illustrated by an example of a report from 2019: Until then, there were more men with the names Thomas or Michael on the boards of the listed German companies examined than women. This has consequences because boards of directors usually hire applicants who are similar to themselves. This is how one Thomas hires the other – the result is a cycle that only Thomas can break. This still applies at other levels today: in 2023, there were more managing directors named Christian than female managing directors in the companies examined.
Women among men: famous photos from history
These figures were published by the German-Swedish Allbright Foundation, which advocates for more women in leadership positions. The managing director of the German branch, Wiebke Ankersen, has positive news: “There are now at least more women than men with the name Thomas on the boards of stock exchange companies,” she says with a laugh. Nevertheless, she sees room for improvement – even though, according to a study from January, the DAX has never been so female. Almost every fourth board member is a woman. Ankersen’s main criticism: Most of them only have one woman. She sees calculation behind it: “Companies often only use this one personality to fend off public criticism.”
From her perspective, a woman on the board is often “just a commitment to the minimum.” In order for a departure to really begin, it shouldn’t just remain with this single line-up. But that’s exactly what it often does for years. “For example, since Volkswagen brought the first woman onto the board in 2015, despite many new appointments, there has almost always been only one woman,” says Ankersen. The car company is not alone in this. According to a report by the Allbright Foundation from last fall, only five of 40 DAX companies have three or more women on the board.
More female bosses also benefit companies – mixed management teams are demonstrably more profitable. The different perspectives of the genders alone ensure better decisions. But whether this potential is used is still in the hands of men: “Women cannot promote themselves to the executive chair,” says Ankersen. Once women are in the management ranks, they would be under much higher pressure and much more closely observed than men. “Men fail as individuals, women always fail as women.” Under such circumstances, women are likely to remain lonely at the top.