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2mo ago

Fratzscher Says More Women Working Full Time Could Shore Up Germany's Pension System

Citing systemic barriers, he argues boosting women's full-time hours would raise contributions and ease pension strain over the next 15 to 20 years.

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Der Ökonom Marcel Fratzscher sieht in einer höheren Vollzeitquote unter Frauen den Schlüssel für eine Stabilisierung des Rentensystems. Das sagte der Präsident des Deutschen Instituts für Wirtschaftsforschung (DIW) dem Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland.

Overview

  • Citing Sunday interviews with the RND, DIW president Marcel Fratzscher warned that Germany’s unusually high female part-time rate is wasting economic potential and weakens the statutory pension system.
  • About half of employed women in Germany work part time, and Fratzscher estimates removing barriers could mobilize several hundred thousand additional full‑time equivalents for the labour market.
  • He singled out four structural drivers that keep women in part time work: too few childcare places, tax rules like Ehegattensplitting, free spousal coverage in statutory health insurance, and the prevalence of low‑hours Minijobs.
  • Fratzscher said higher female full‑time employment would increase pension contributions and could materially ease financing pressure within 15 to 20 years; EU modelling cited by coverage suggests gender equality could raise GDP by up to about 10 percent by 2050.
  • The reports amplify Fratzscher’s call for reform but do not document any immediate government response and note the issue links to Germany’s pay‑as‑you‑go pension design and long‑term demographic decline.