In German households it is still uncommon for the woman to bring in the larger share of the couple’s income. According to data released by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) on Tuesday, only 9.9 % of married or cohabiting couples have a woman whose net earnings exceed those of her partner. In 55.8 % of couples the man is the principal earner, while in 34.3 % the two partners earn approximately the same. The “principal earner” is defined as the individual whose net income makes up at least 60 % of the household’s total.
The disparity is somewhat smaller in households without children, yet it remains clear: 11.4 % of childless couples have a woman with the higher income, 50.1 % have a man, and 38.5 % level the playing field. For couples with children the pattern is even more pronounced. Women are the main earner in only 7.7 % of such households, whereas 64.6 % see the father as the chief income provider; about 27.7 % of couples with children earn roughly equal amounts.
A major factor behind these differences is that mothers with children work part‑time far more often than employed men, while fathers tend to work full‑time more frequently than mothers.
Over recent years the overall gender gap in household income distribution has barely changed. The proportion of women acting as the primary income earner has declined slightly from 10.5 % in 2021 to 9.9 % in 2025, while the share of male principals fell from 58.8 % to 55.8 %. Consequently, couples with nearly equal earnings rose from 30.7 % to 34.3 %. A similar trend is observed among both childless and child‑bearing households.
