East-West equality: A closer look at the facts and challenges

German reunification was already a topic of discussion here last week—but not exhaustively, because now new data on gender equality in an East-West comparison has been published. A study by the Economic and Social Science Institute (WSI) of the Hans Böckler Foundation sheds light on the current state of gender equality and identifies meaningful strategies for possible progress. It is clear for both western and eastern Germany that women have been able to catch up with men in terms of education, employment, and social security. Nevertheless, progress remains slow, which is why women are still worse off than men in economic, social, and professional terms. WSI Director Anke Hassel also speaks of “clearly discernible gender inequalities to the detriment of women.” However, there are significant differences between East and West. Of a total of 22 indicators examined, 15 showed that the gaps between men and women in the East were significantly smaller than in the West—for example, in areas such as labor force participation, pay, and old-age security. Women are even slightly overrepresented at management level in eastern Germany. However, these similarities are partly due to the fact that male employees in the east are more likely than those in the west to earn only a low income. Therefore, the smaller gap in the east is not always good news.

We were also interested in the following topics:

• Unemployment: Unemployment in the eurozone remains at a low level, according to Die Zeit. Wirtschaftswoche analyzed why unemployment is rising in Germany.

• Real estate prices: Rent prices for real estate are also rising—and not just for private individuals: More and more companies are having to downsize their offices. According to the ifo Institute, 9.1% of companies are planning to reduce their office space, with the trend toward working from home also playing a role.

• Well-being in Germany: Which population groups in Germany tend to be satisfied and which tend to be dissatisfied? The “Monitor Wohlbefinden” (Well-being Monitor) of the Federal Institute for Population Research has now examined this for the first time, based in particular on the indicator of “subjective well-being.” The result: while academics and the over-50s are among the most satisfied groups, single parents in particular are among the least satisfied.

• Communication in everyday working life: More and more communication channels are becoming established in the workplace, especially in the digital realm. It can be easy to lose track of whether communication via chat, email, or video call is appropriate. The Swiss Handelszeitung has created a guide.

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