Are women in the skilled trades on the rise?

More and more women are taking master craftsman exams and taking on management positions, and 22 percent of business owners in the skilled trades are already female. Are women on the rise?

This article is part of the special topic women in crafts

Most still receive Women obtain their master craftsman certificate in typically female professions such as hairdressing: 2171 hairdressers passed their master craftsman examination in 2013. The following Opticians with 402 masters and the Hearing aid acoustician with 240 womenwho graduated in 2013. The proportion of women on Master's examinations In 2013, according to statistics from Central Association of German Crafts (ZDH) with a total 18,3 percentBy comparison, in 1992 the proportion was still eleven percent. Business owners in the craft sector are now 22 percent womenIs craftsmanship becoming more female?

The craft magazine dedicates the cover story of its April issue to the topic. According to the magazine, Lack of young talent and skilled workers in the craft sector that the pressure on the craft sector is increasing, on the potential of well-educated womenFounders and successors will have their own ideas about Bring leadership style, corporate culture and organization into the company, predicts the handwerk magazine. When running a business, they place particular emphasis on open communication, work-life balance, a network of external experts and a careful growththat increases employee engagement.

Female founders demonstrate self-confidence

In male-dominated trades, women continue to face the challenge of to assert themselves against traditional structuresThis is only possible with the necessary self-confidence. But women do not seem to lack this: according to current KfW Mittelstandsbank start-up monitor was in 2013 with a 43 percent share of female founders than ever before in the history of the Federal Republic. 76 percent of them said Reason for taking the step into self-employment to: "Transparent, independent and professional appointment of supervisory board members win", 58 percent love the "professional challenge" and 54 percent are looking for self-realization.