Overview

The country selected is Germany. Germany is situated in the centre of Europe and is Europe's
most industrialised, influential and populous country. It is one of the world's wealthiest nations,
and the goods it produces are popular globally. A multitude of famous artists, scientists and
philosophers are German, such as Albert Einstein. The German flag consists of three coloured
bands, representing Germany's national colours. These national colours of black, red and gold
represent unity and freedom, as shown below. As a nation, German individuals are industrious,
energetic people, with a love of both work and play. According to (“Current Population,” 2021),
the women population of Germany is 42.2 million, and the men population of Germany is 41.1
million. This demonstrates that there is a similar percentage of people in Germany of men and
women. Germany has been significantly influenced by gender resulting in specified gender roles
and family roles. These gender roles have manifested through the historical development of
gender in Germany as well as religion.

Gender roles

In modern society, the gender roles in Germany have evolved drastically within the past century.
In the past, women were expected to stay home and clean for their husband and the husband
was expected to work, however, this has completely changed and evolved. For the most part,
equality between male and female genders is prevalent throughout Germany, however, it is still
not perfect and there is certainly room for improvement. This room for improvement of gender
roles in German society can be done through employment and stereotypes. In employment,
despite increased female workforce participation in Germany, women are paid less than men,
receive fewer promotions, and are underrepresented at the highest levels of organisations.

This is reflected through the statistics of how even though women hold 29.4 percent of
leadership positions, the higher the position, the lower the representation of women. Women are
represented on supervisory boards (32%), general boards (12.3%), but only 3.75 percent are
led by a woman (Healthcare business association, 2021). This is particularly alarming as these
statistics demonstrate the inequality between men and women in regards to leadership positions
in employment. Men have been discouraged from employment in the childcare industry.
Additionally, stereotypes have become prominent in Germany merely based on gender.
Examples of the stereotypes include women are perceived to have more communal
characteristics than men, such as warmth or understanding, whereas men are perceived to
have more agentic characteristics, such as leadership ability or dominance. It is clear that
through these stereotypes, this is why women have a devastatingly low number of leadership
roles in employment. Overall, gender roles are still currently impacting men and women in
Germany, through employment and stereotypes.

Historical development of gender

Germany has a vast history associated with gender and has shaped gender into what it has
become in modern times. This is particularly evident through Germany’s tragic history of what
occurred in Nazi, Germany. The Holocaust began in Germany in the 1930s and later expanded
to all areas of Europe during World War Two. Nazi propaganda was utilised by the National
Socialist Women's Union and the German Women's Agency to encourage women to focus on
their roles as wives and mothers. In addition to increasing the population, the regime sought to
improve its "racial purity" through "species upgrading," most notably by enacting laws prohibiting
marriage between "Aryans'' and "non-Aryans," as well as preventing those with handicaps and
certain diseases from marrying at all. This is depicted through the image displayed below, which
highlights a German propaganda photograph of a kindergarten for German newborns promoting
women's nurturing roles at home (1941). The photograph elucidates just how conformist women
were forced to be in regards to the ideal of taking on the motherhood role. Furthermore, men
were viewed as the superior gender during World War 2 as they were the ones to participate in
the war, hence, the role of women throughout this period is significantly overlooked. Ultimately,
the historical development of gender in Germany is accentuated through the tragic events of
WW2, especially the holocaust.

Family roles
There are only a few family roles in contemporary Germany. The man has traditionally been the
family's head; however, this hierarchy has evolved. Gender no longer determines a person's
role or duty to the family as it once did. Women have equal rights and the ability to choose how
they contribute to the household dynamic. They also typically share decision-making authority in
the household. However, once children are born, a German mother is statistically more likely
than a German father to stay at home and forego a career. East German families use child care
facilities far more than those in the West. Family roles in Germany are significantly influenced by
the country’s history that revolved around gender, especially the holocaust. Hence, this is why
German society has become accepting of women’s independence and choices. This is evident
through the fact that women give birth at an average age of 29.4 years old, as many prefer to
establish themselves professionally in their twenties before starting a family. This fact
encompasses that women in Germany are going against old-fashioned stereotypes. As for the
men, more of them are taking on the role of looking after their children and staying home with
them. Overall, there are not many family roles put in place anymore in Germany.

Religion

Germany is a multi-cultural and religious country. It is critical to understand that, in addition to

the major Christian religions (Protestantism and Catholicism) and several minority beliefs,
approximately one-third of Germans are atheists. Germany's dominant church is the Christian
church, which includes both Catholicism and Protestantism. Nonetheless, many other religious
practices are popular in Germany, including Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, and Hinduism. Hence,
religion merely impacts the gender roles in Germany and it depends on the rules of each
religion. For example, in Islam, women are frequently expected to be obedient wives and
mothers who stay within the confines of the familial environment. Meanwhile, men are expected
to protect and care for their families. Overall, religion in Germany merely impacts gender roles in
Germany.

Concerns/issues
A major concern that people in Germany have in relation to gender is the gender pay gap. The
gender pay gap, also known as the wage gap, is the average difference in pay between men
and women who work. Some women in Germany are still receiving less wages than men who
do the same job. Fortunately, the German government, for example, has set two gender parity
goals: to reduce the gender pay gap from 18 percent in 2021 to 10 percent in 2030, and to
increase the proportion of women on leadership boards to 30 percent by 2030. Though, it is
unclear of the procedures that will be put in place by the government to ensure that the gender
pay gap is ameliorated.

Bibliography

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