Women hold 28.9% of executive roles in North Rhine-Westphalia

In North Rhine-Westphalia, women represented 28.9% of the approximately 376,000 executives in 2025, according to microcensus data. This figure remains significantly lower than the 47.1% share of women among all employed persons in the region during the same year.

While the proportion of female executives has seen a slight increase from 26.0% in 2015, a notable disparity exists regarding working models. Women make up the majority of part-time executives at 64.9%, whereas they account for only 24.7% of full-time executives.

Demographic data shows that the representation of women varies by age. The share is highest among younger executives under the age of 44, reaching between 34% and 35%. Conversely, the proportion decreases in older age groups, dropping to 23.5% for those aged 55 and older.