The proportion of women in leadership positions in Germany increased slightly over the past 20 years, according to a study from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis).

In 1997, 26.6% of all executives were female, compared to 29.2% in 2017, a 2.6% increase. The increase is surprisingly low given the increased focus on women in management.

Destatis added that the proportion of women at the management level remains significantly lower than women’s share of all employed persons, which currently stands at 46.5%.

Depending on the industry, the proportion of women varies greatly. While in the education (64.6%) and health and social work (61.3%) sectors the majority of executives were female, the proportion of women was much lower in construction (11.0%) for example.