The Career "Bump" of Having Children

In 2006, this study presented the most comprehensive investigation to date on women with leadership responsibilities and children in Germany. The research was commissioned by the Bertelsmann Stiftung and the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs (BMFSFJ) as part of the flagship project "Balance between Family and Working Life." The study focused on the following questions: Why do so few women succeed in combining a top-level career with raising children? What are the success factors for these women, and why do they represent such important potential for companies? What needs to change in corporate culture to better reconcile children and careers? What can policymakers contribute?

For the study, EAF Berlin, in collaboration with the consulting firm people & process Consulting, surveyed nearly 500 mothers in leadership positions. The respondents held prominent roles in large and medium-sized companies or were entrepreneurs themselves. The nationwide study combined qualitative and quantitative research methods (exploratory in-depth interviews followed by an online survey).

The study, published in 2006, was presented to the public at a conference in Berlin attended by the then-Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Ursula von der Leyen. The recommendations for action developed in the study received significant attention. They helped to firmly establish the underrepresentation of women in leadership positions within the German economy on the political agenda.

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