Women Dominate Germany's Pharmacies but Still Face Pay Gaps and Unpaid Care Burdens

Germany's pharmacy sector remains overwhelmingly female, with women filling nearly nine in ten jobs. New figures from 2024 show 162,000 people working in pharmacies nationwide, the vast majority of them women. The trend spans all roles, from trainees to licensed pharmacists and support staff.

Women dominate every level of the profession. Among licensed pharmacists, 74.1 percent are female. For pharmacy technicians (PTA), the figure rises to 96.6 percent, while pharmacy assistants (PKA) are 97.5 percent women. Even in training, the gender split is stark: 74.8 percent of pharmacist trainees (PhiP) are female.

Daily tasks in pharmacies include patient counselling, ensuring medication safety, and managing organisational duties. Yet despite their central role, women in Germany still face a 16 percent gender pay gap. On average, they earn €4.10 less per hour than men for comparable work.

Beyond the workplace, women shoulder most unpaid care responsibilities. They handle roughly two-thirds of childcare, spend more time on household chores, and take on the majority of eldercare. Calls for reform have grown louder, with demands for better part-time work protections and fairer pension recognition for care work. Flexible hours are also seen as key to improving work-life balance for pharmacy staff.

The data confirms women's strong presence in Germany's pharmacy workforce, from trainees to senior roles. Yet pay disparities and unequal care burdens persist. Addressing these issues will require policy changes, including stronger part-time rights and fairer pension rules for care work.