Germany, Austria and France: 26 women, one single voice (Part 1)

The professional environment for women varies greatly from one European country to the next

When it comes to the issues facing women in the professional world, no two countries are exactly alike and every culture seems to have its own particularities. These societal and structural barriers are compounded by prevailing mindsets that stigmatize mothers who choose work over staying at home and raising the kids, regardless of the fact that these women may need to work out of economic necessity. For Kirstin Schwedt, “my impression is that the UK is slightly more advanced than Germany in terms of diversity, at least in the big law firms. And France seems to be more advanced when it comes to the provision of all-day childcare options. In Germany, we still suffer pretty much from the ravenmother syndrome.”

For Alice Fremuth-Wolf, in Austria, especially in rural areas, there is no adequate childcare provision in the afternoons and during vacation time (which is nine weeks in summer). The maternity-leave system incentivizes women to take up to two years of leave and thereafter only work part-time, both of which are detrimental to career momentum. At the same time, women working full-time are getting asked “why they are putting up with this.” 

Society at large is only slowly accepting that the burden of childcare should be shared equally among parents. Julia Luksan thinks that lack of progress on this issue in her country goes a long way to explaining why, at 25%, the proportion of female lawyers in Austria is the lowest in the DACH region. 

For Bettina Knoetzl “In Austria, there is a lack of facilities designed to take care of children after business hours, or in cases of emergency.” In response to this, her firm, KNOETZL, has put in place very flexible rules, prioritizing the needs of the new parents and of their new child. “Men and women have the same rights and they take advantage of them, equally.” 

Niamh Leinwather thinks Austria is “to a certain extent similar to Germany, in that there is still quite a traditional expectation of a woman’s role should be when they become a mother, I think it is improving slowly but is still a thing. The state provides the option of various types of parental leave, one of the most popular ones is up to 14 months leave and the parents can divide it between them, the minimum the man can take is two months so often it is divided as twelve months for the woman and two for the man. However, it is becoming more common for parents to divide it more evenly. If you choose this model, you receive maximum €2,000 per month from the state. There are, of course, other models but this is the one that is most familiar to me and the one I availed of.” 
“Parental leave is part of the Swiss system and every employee is entitled to it,” says Isabelle Berger. 

Nevertheless, Austria and Switzerland are both highly conservative countries, where women in business are hindered by the lack of affordable childcare facilities, and where mothers who continue to work are pejoratively labelled ravenmothers.

Childcare options are much better in France than in Germany, according to Lucie Gerhardt who looks with envy at the French system. She was surprised that children there had lunch in the school cafeteria and attended afternoon classes, “It is disappointing that all-day schooling is still not the norm in Germany.” 

For Frenchwoman Bérénice Alisch, the professional environment is different for young mothers in France and in Germany, since, although progressive fathers in the latter nation do take parental leave and work part-time, progressive fathers in France take paternity leave and organize child-care. 

Kathrin Bürger also feels that, in Germany, stereotypes for working women are at least partially alive. Childcare and working part-time are still a huge issue. Andrea Leufgen agrees: “In France it is very natural for women to be a mother and work full-time, while in Germany the majority of women seems to switch to part-time work after having children. Certainly, childcare services are much better in France than in Germany. However, in Germany, societal norms also often still uphold traditional roles, expecting women to prioritize childcare.”

Elizabeth Hincapié Hincapié adds, “this perspective is further reinforced by society valuing women taking extended leave from work post-childbirth, typically transitioning to part-time roles thereafter. Compared to Spain or Colombia the parental leave is shorter, and mothers are not judged negatively for leaving children under one in daycare. In Germany, on top of society’s judgment, it is extreme hard to find adequate childcare for children under one. Moreover, infrastructure such as daycare centers and schools don’t adequately support full-time working parents, with most daycare facilities closing by 5pm and schools lacking comprehensive afternoon childminding programs. When I lived in France, daycare was available until 7pm, and this was normal, and society did not believe this was a punishment for the child, as is the case in Germany.”

Kathrin Asschenfeldt explains that in France, parental leave is shorter than in Germany. “What looks like a big plus for women is actually detrimental to the careers of women of a certain age, because, although companies have to keep a job open for up to three years, women in Germany still have to justify themselves if they return to work early, which, when combined, puts the brakes on the careers of many women.”
Annekathrin Schmoll puts things in a wider European context: “While countries like France, the Netherlands and Denmark have fostered more progressive attitudes towards gender roles within the workforce, particularly in supporting mother’ return to full-time employment shortly after childbirth, such practices are less prevalent in Germany. This discrepancy can be attributed to various factors, including differences in parental-leave policies, availability of childcare services, and societal perceptions of gender roles. However, it’s important to recognize that the situation in Germany is improving, with increasing awareness and initiatives aimed at enhancing gender equality in the workplace. Despite these efforts, the pace of change and the degree of acceptance of these norms can vary significantly across different regions and sectors within the country.”

To conclude today’s subject, let’s take the words of Wajma Mangal, “Progress, particularly in the area of employment, is in line with European legislation, but Germany lags behind other EU-Countries in terms of gender equality. There are still challenges, including the underrepresentation of women in positions of influence, gender pay-gaps and issues of balancing work and (family) life. The biggest obstacle for me is that a day only has 24 hours. Therefore, prioritizing is key.”

Tomorrow (05/3): How women are still treated differently than men in the legal world

Thank you to the inspirational women who contributed to this feature:

Bérénice Alisch, Qivive, Cologne, Germany

Kathrin Asschenfeldt, BAUMANN Resolving Disputes, Hamburg, Germany

Christine Beneke, Qivive, Paris and Cologne, France and Germany

Isabelle Berger, Chief Investment Officer, Nivalion AG, Steinhausen, Switzerland

Tina Bieniek, Friedrich Graf von Westphalen & Partner, Freiburg, Germany

Svjetlana Bulic-Keseljevic, Head of Legal AT, Vienna, Austria 

Kathrin Bürger, Partner, Seitz, Munich, Germany

Irène Cevlovsky, Banking Regulation expert, Paris, France

Alice Fremuth-Wolf, Nivalion AG, Vienna, Austria

Lucie Gerhardt, Noerr, Frankfurt, Germany 

Ulrike Gantenberg, Gantenberg Dispute Experts, Düsseldorf, Germany

Elizabeth Hincapié Hincapié, Toshiba Railway Europe GmbH, Düsseldorf, Germany

Meike Kapp-Schwoerer, Friedrich Graf von Westphalen, Freiburg, Germany 

Bettina Knoetzl, KNOETZL, Vienna, Austria 

Niamh Leinwather, VIAC - Vienna International Arbitral Centre, Wien, Austria

Christiane Lenz, Qivive, Cologne, Germany

Andrea Leufgen, Gleiss Lutz, Frankfurt, Germany

Julia Luksan, Luksan Law, Vienna, Austria 

Wajma Mangal, MANGAL LEGAL, Hamburg, Germany 

Katharina Müller, Müller Partner, Vienna, Austria 

Jasmina Prpić, Anwältinnen ohne Grenzen e.V., Freiburg, Germany 

Hanna Shalbanava, Gantenberg Dispute Experts, Düsseldorf, Germany

Annekathrin Schmoll, Gibson Dunn, Frankfurt, Germany

Katrin Schröder, BCLP, Frankfurt, Germany

Kirstin Schwedt, SCHWEDT dispute resolution, Bad Homburg, Germany

Kathrin Walbeck, BODENHEIMER, Cologne, Germany

Compiled and edited by: 
Sophie Stevenard, senior editor DACH, and Simon McGeady, copyeditor, Leaders League