Germany’s Luka Döring Calls Upon Companies to Make the First Move

At the end of 2012, only four percent of all seats on the executive boards and just under 13 percent on the supervisory boards of the top 200 companies in Germany were occupied by women and worldwide still 75 million girls have no access to education. These facts are in opposition to the truth that everybody profits when women take part in economy. One example to proof that is Microfinance, which often focus on women. 85 percent of the microfinance borrowers are women. According to the International Labor Office this has economical reasons: “The business case for focusing on female clients is substantial, as women clients register higher repayment rates. They also contribute larger portions of their income to household consumption than their male counterparts.”

Even though women can make a great contribution to our economy it would be the wrong way to apply the same standard on women as on men.

In Germany the society suggests women that they have to work fulltime, but also be a good wife and mother and take care of the household. But women cannot do all of that at the same time. So we have two possibilities: Either we establish a 30-hour-day, or the companies accommodate to the needs of women. We need flexible labor time and more flexible companies in general, so that women have the possibility to take care of their family apart from working. More part-time jobs and the possibility to diversify the labor time depending on individual needs could be a good starting point.

More recently in Germany, men can also take a parental leave to take care of their children, while women work. That could be one step towards more flexibility in society, which gives women the chance to participate in economy. Companies or the state should also establish more child care and playschools, because no women should have to decide between children and career.

Through all the changes considered above women could find the energy and the time to fully devote themselves to their work and also they would get the impression that the economy and the society really want them to work. I believe that more women would think about the possibilities they have to contribute to the economy, if companies start making a step towards them- even meeting them half way - as many of them are. Just take a look at how many organizations are taking interest in the G(irls)20 Summit. Kinross, a mining company. Norton Rose, an international law firm. Google, a technology heavy-hitter. They’re simply paving the way. Companies should take a page from their books.