Despite the narrowing gender pay gap, women still face significant losses
According to the State Statistical Office, the gender pay gap, the difference in earnings between men and women, was 14 percent in the state of Bremen last year (compared to 17 percent the previous year), while the nationwide pay gap is 16 percent. Despite this progress, women remain structurally disadvantaged in the labor market. In comparison to other German states, Bremen has the lowest rate of female employment: only 67.2 percent.
Lowest female employment rate nationwide
This makes Bremen the only German state with a female employment rate below 70 percent, with more than half of employed women working part-time. Women earn an average of €24 per hour, four euros less than men. The Bremen labor market remains static in terms of gender representation across various sectors and their earning potential. The traditional division between paid and unpaid work persists. The male norm is full-time employment in the automotive, metal, or construction industries, or in IT. The female norm is part-time employment in the social or healthcare sectors.
Problem: Joint taxation of married couples cements role division
On the occasion of Equal Pay Day, Deputy State Women's Representative Katharina Kunze stated: "The joint taxation of married couples has cemented traditional gender roles since the 1950s, as it favors one spouse as the primary earner through tax incentives. In practice, this is usually the man. It leads to financial dependence for women and can result in them being trapped in part-time work or mini-jobs, as it is not financially worthwhile to work more hours. Joint taxation of married couples should therefore simply be abolished. Mini-jobs should only be retained as a supplementary income for students and retirees."
Better conditions are needed in nursing and care professions
Katharina Kunze from the ZGF adds: “Furthermore, we urgently need better conditions in the demanding nursing and care professions. Many employees work part-time because they couldn't manage the job otherwise, or because inadequate care structures don't allow for longer working hours. The state of Bremen is already making efforts to break down the entrenched structure of inequality, first and foremost with its state strategy for gender equality and equal pay, which will soon be updated, hopefully with sufficient funding. However, the extent to which these measures improve women's opportunities in the labor market needs to be examined. So far, there is no reliable data on this.”
Cuts in employment promotion at the state and federal levels: Will women be left behind?
Katharina Kunze sees particularly negative consequences for women as a result of the massive restrictions on integration courses by the Federal Ministry of the Interior and the cuts to low-threshold programs for preparing people for the labor market in the state of Bremen. Kunze: "Support for entering the workforce is decreasing, and the tone in public debates is becoming harsher – keyword: lifestyle part-time work. Both are counterproductive to equal participation in working life."
Will the gender pay gap increase again in the future?
Currently, employment promotion programs in Bremen, meaning publicly funded measures for qualification and career entry, are being restructured. "Women, as a target group in their diverse life situations, have been included in the labor market strategy with the involvement of the ZGF (Center for Gender Equality). Now they must be adequately considered in the support programs, despite increasingly scarce resources. Otherwise, we may even see a larger gender pay gap again in the coming years," warns the Deputy State Commissioner for Women.
Source: Bremen Central Office for the Realization of Gender Equality ( ZGF ), press release, February 27, 2026