Gender equality

The equality of women and men within GIZ is an integral part of our corporate culture. We also provide our partners with advice on gender issues.

Inside GIZ – one third of our managers are women

Back in the early 1990s, our predecessor GTZ was one of the first major companies to appoint a Gender Equality Officer. At that time we also began reporting regularly on the opportunities open to women and men within the company.

GIZ’s in-house regulations are closely aligned with the German Federal Gender Equality Act, although they have been modified to fit the specific structure of our company. Gender equality plans, combined with measures to improve work-life balance – for our female employees in particular – and our modern talent management system, are having a major impact.

Today, over one third of all GIZ managers are women. Women account for around 50% of our executive managers, one tier below the Management Board. Our systematic efforts to encourage young women to pursue a career within the company are producing results, but we still have a long way to go in domains that have hitherto been traditional male preserves, such as the energy and climate sectors.

In our work – there can be no sustainability without gender equality

When planning programmes and projects, GIZ looks at the impacts its measures will have on the lives of men and women in partner countries. The company’s gender strategy provides the foundation for this.

GIZ is often commissioned to undertake specific measures to improve the situation of women in partner countries. There are a great many options for action, such as extending micro-loans to women so that they can build up a livelihood for themselves. Another field we target is domestic violence, which blights the lives of women in many societies. Targeted reproductive health projects and education for girls also improve the situation of girls and women.