Women are main earners in just 10% of heterosexual German households

Women are the main earners in just 10% of heterosexual households in Germany, survey data showed.

The Federal Statistical Office said the proportion of households in which a woman earns 60% of the heterosexual couple's income has dropped from 10.5% in 2021 to 9.9% in 2025.

Men are the principal earners in more than half of heterosexual households, or 55.8%, down from 59% in 2021.

"Overall, gender inequality in terms of income distribution has changed little in recent years," the Wiesbaden-based agency said.

In just over one in three couples (34.3%), the man and woman had roughly equal incomes. The proportion of such households has risen from 30.7% in 2021.

Among heterosexual couples without children in the household, the imbalance between women and men was somewhat less pronounced. In 11.4% of cases, the woman had the higher income, compared to 50.1% where men were the main earners.

However, women were even less likely to be the principal earner among heterosexual couples with children, at just 7.7% of cases, compared to 64.6% for men.

The figures are taken from the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) annual survey. They were released ahead of International Women's Day on March 8.