In the state of Bremen, only half of all mothers with a child between three and six years old are employed. This is the result of a new analysis by the Bremen Chamber of Employees on the compatibility of children and career.
For comparison: On average across Germany, three out of four mothers with at least one child in daycare are employed; in Bavaria and Saxony, the figure is even higher, at four out of five. While Bremen has made some progress in comparisons with other German states and city-states, it still lags significantly behind. "Childcare responsibilities are a major reason why women don't enter the workforce. To change this, we need adequate childcare – especially here in Bremen," says Elke Heyduck, Managing Director of the Bremen Chamber of Employees.
Women are primarily responsible for children
Women remain primarily responsible for children. While the expansion of childcare in recent years has improved the compatibility of family and career and enabled more women to achieve greater economic independence, this development initially appeared entirely positive: more daycare centers, more children in care, more staff. However, the expansion of childcare facilities is now reaching its limits, and the unmet needs of parents, particularly in Bremen, are becoming increasingly apparent: there is a shortage of qualified staff and local places for reliable and high-quality early childhood care and education. A survey of employees conducted by the Bremen Chamber of Employees shows that mothers are primarily responsible for the care of children under 14. In Bremen, half of these mothers work part-time, compared to just eleven percent of men. When asked about the reasons for working part-time, it becomes clear that the lack of childcare options or insufficient hours plays a significant role for Bremen employees.
Fathers in Bremen rarely take parental leave
Furthermore, fathers in Bremen take parental leave even less frequently than elsewhere in Germany: While the national average is one in two, in Bremen two out of three fathers take no parental leave at all. The remaining third mostly interrupt their employment for only two months. "We are wasting potential skilled workers because the tasks are not distributed more fairly between mothers and fathers. Many mothers are solely responsible for childcare and therefore cannot go to work," says Heyduck. "The political and company frameworks still do far too little to encourage the active participation of fathers in care work."
Low female employment rate = lower parental allowance
Sixty percent of mothers in Bremen are financially dependent. The low employment rate among women directly impacts the amount of parental allowance they receive. Before the birth of their child, 43 percent of mothers had no earned income at all, meaning they only received the minimum amount of 300 euros – compared to just nine percent of fathers. Overall, around 60 percent of mothers in Bremen enter the child-rearing phase with so little money that they cannot secure their economic livelihood independently. They are financially dependent on their partners or on social welfare. "Massively rising prices for rent, food, and transportation are currently overwhelming many young families. However, the parental allowance rates have not been increased since 2007. They urgently need to be raised," demands Heyduck.
Largest childcare gaps nationwide
A good work-life balance is achieved primarily when parents can find reliable and flexible childcare places. However, in Bremen alone, 3,600 places for children under three were lacking by 2025. For children under six, the gaps in childcare provision are significantly smaller. Nevertheless, twelve percent of children in Bremen still do not attend daycare before starting primary school. The national average is only eight percent. For all children under six, Bremen has the largest gaps in childcare provision compared to other German states – regardless of whether it's nurseries or kindergartens. In eastern Germany, as well as in Hamburg and Berlin, the gaps are the smallest. "We need to accelerate the expansion of childcare facilities in Bremen, provide reliable childcare centers, and offer longer opening hours so that more mothers, in particular, can work," said Heyduck. "For many parents in Bremen, an earlier start in the morning or an additional hour in the afternoon would already provide significant relief."
Demands of the Chamber of Employees
- Equalize parental leave and increase parental allowance: The federal government must promote the equalization of parental leave for mothers and fathers. The partner months should be extended from two to at least four – so that fathers can take on more responsibility and mothers can participate more fully in the workforce. The wage replacement rate must also be increased from the current 67 percent to 80 percent if the freely divisible months are shared equally between both parents. The parental allowance rates must be adjusted overall to reflect the massive price increases since the introduction of parental allowance: both the minimum and maximum amounts.
- Ensuring and making childcare more flexible: Flexible and extended childcare hours must be offered in at least two daycare centers in every district. For greater reliability, dependable substitute systems are also needed, meaning an increase in existing substitute staff pools at larger providers and overarching substitute pools for smaller facilities.
The Chamber Compact “Children and Career – Still Difficult to Reconcile” can be downloaded here: www.arbeitnehmerkammer.de/politik/publikationen-stellungnahmen
Source: Bremen Chamber of Employees, press release and ChamberKompakt: Nowhere are fewer mothers employed than in Bremen | Bremen Chamber of Employees, June 11, 2026
