When the world gets closer.

We help you see farther.

Sign up to our expressly international daily newsletter.

Already a subscriber? Log in .

You've reached your limit of one free article.

Get unlimited access to Worldcrunch

You can cancel anytime .

SUBSCRIBERS BENEFITS

Exclusive International news coverage

Ad-free experience NEW

Weekly digital Magazine NEW

9 daily & weekly Newsletters

Access to Worldcrunch archives

Free trial

30-days free access, then $2.90
per month.

Annual Access BEST VALUE

$19.90 per year, save $14.90 compared to monthly billing.save $14.90.

Subscribe to Worldcrunch
Germany

Capitalism's Original Sin: Gender Distribution Of Work

Men do not do their fair share of housework and childcare. And companies still discriminate against female employees. And it's not looking any better for the digital economy.

The gender gap at work
The gender gap at work
Meredith Haaf

MUNICH — Just imagine, the Global Gender Gap Report is published and everyone is equal: women earn the same amount as men, and they occupy half of the seats in boardrooms and parliament. There are no notable differences when it comes to the amount of housework and childcare that men and women undertake. Wouldn't that be lovely, if the new decade began this way?

It would be lovely, but the reality is a very different picture. The authors of the 2019 Equality Report, published by the World Economic Forum, estimate that it will take another century for women to be on an equal footing with men worldwide. German women will have to wait over 250 years if there is no increase in the current rate of change. The only issue that we humans seem to be slower to address is the destruction of the planet.

However, it would be much easier to achieve gender equality than it would be to stop global warming. We can see that from the very real progress that has been made over the past century, both globally and in Germany. Women's access to healthcare and education has improved markedly, as has their political representation. In these areas, they are coming close to equality.

There's no country in the world where men take on their fair share of housework and childcare.

The problem is the economy — and how work is divided up under capitalism. In this regard, the situation in Germany is especially bad. Although women make up half of the work force, they are underrepresented in management positions and among higher earners.

There are two important reasons for this. Firstly, there is no country in the world where men take on their fair share of housework and childcare. In Germany they do 60% less than women. This means that overall women do more work, but earn less and have less influence over the economy. This is especially true when they have children. It may be more comfortable to divide the tasks in this way, but as long as domestic work is shared out so unevenly, as long as fathers and partners do not take on their fair share of the burden, the prospects for their partners — and according to forecasts, also for their daughters — are limited.

The second issue is that employers and companies still discriminate against women. Women are less likely to be promoted and, according to the World Economic Forum, they are at risk of being left behind by the digital revolution. They are shockingly underrepresented in these new industries. It's a systemic problem, as journalist Caroline Criado Perez shows in a new study, published in January. Tech companies hire very few women, investors are reluctant to offer female-led startups money, and data-based services tend not to take gender differences into account. The new generation behind these tech companies prefer colleagues who look like them: young, dynamic and masculine. In the digital economy, women are becoming invisible.

In a fair society, work is shared out equitably, and so are its benefits. It is not only the responsibility of politicians and women to make this ideal reality – it is also up to those who have so far been reluctant to relinquish their comfortable, traditional gender roles.

You've reached your limit of free articles.

To read the full story, start your free trial today.

Get unlimited access. Cancel anytime.

Exclusive coverage from the world's top sources, in English for the first time.

Insights from the widest range of perspectives, languages and countries.

Society

Feminists Infiltrate The “Incelosphere” — Where Toxic Content Warps Modern Masculinity

An increasing number of male teens and young adults who've experienced feelings of rejection wind up in what's been dubbed the “incelosphere,” a place where they can find mutual understanding in a world they think is against them. Two women Polish journalists spent two years on the online servers these “beta males” are flocking to in ever greater numbers.

Illustration of a man wearing a hoodie looking at a laptop, with two women watching over his shoulder.

Watching over "beta males" and their online toxic masculinity

AI-generated illustration / Worldcrunch
Patrycja Wieczorkiewicz

In her book For The Love Of Men: From Toxic To A More Mindful Masculinity, Canadian feminist writer Liz Plank explained that the struggle of women can never be one without confronting the crisis of manhood.

Plank is part of the forward-thinking feminist researchers and authors who've dedicated a significant amount of their work to the problems of men and masculinity, always sure to arouse suspicion. In reality, from a young age, we are forced into one of two oppressive patterns – masculinity and femininity – which in turn shape our behavior and our choices.

Keep reading...Show less

The latest