Describing how American professional women enter the German business community and the living conditions of German professional women, he said: "Although more and more women are starting to work, Germany is still a country ruled by men. Therefore, you need more time to gain the respect of your German colleagues. " The writer and anthropologist Edward T. Hall painted the same picture: "German women are inferior to American women in business. German married women rarely go out to work, and the employment rate of German women is much lower than that of American women. " In 1995, German women occupy less than 5% of manager positions. Therefore, American and Canadian women who work and live in Germany will feel dissatisfaction from their colleagues in the industry, and they also lack social contact and social support. In the German government, women occupy only 25% of administrative positions, which is one of the lowest in Europe. Although the government has also enacted some laws to protect women's rights and interests, the prospects of German women are still bleak. Nevertheless, more and more North American women went to Germany, because Germany is one of the most developed countries in Europe. Fortunately, English is widely used in Germany, especially near Frankfurt, because the US military has been stationed there for 50 years. Of course, as in other countries, it is much more convenient to speak the local language. As Dr. Knorst said, even if you make some mistakes, speaking the local language will still build a bridge of friendship for you. "I took a bus from Dü sseldorf to Cologne with two German businessmen. The driver drew my attention to the names of roadside towns. 10 minutes later, I saw a sign on the side of the road, which said that the town of Umliton had arrived. But later I learned that the word on the sign meant' detour', which made me feel very embarrassed. But it also made us laugh and feel relaxed. We became good friends after this trip. " Business code of conduct Business code of conduct and etiquette are very important in Germany. Although they don't necessarily require elegant manners like the French and Italians, by contrast, they respect and expect people to "obey the rules". German companies are proud of their efficiency and reliability, so it is not surprising that they have formal norms for business practices. Dr Claudia A. Banquer, a German, is the head of the German language and business planning research project at Illinois State University in Chicago, USA. She suggested that when attending business meetings, you should be positive and decisive, not just bored and passive. Take sitting in a meeting as an example. Older people need more respect and can sit at the end of the table, while women should not be looked down upon by others. Other women who have worked in Germany warned not to be too aggressive, which would damage the relationship between business partners. A woman put forward the following strategy: before the meeting, ask your trusted and experienced German colleagues where you will sit at the meeting. When you enter the meeting room, politely ask other people attending the meeting if they can sit in your favorite position. Few people will refuse your request, because it is very impolite to refuse such a request. Dr Banquer warned that compared with the United States and Canada, the pace of establishing business partnerships in Germany is relatively slow, so we should not rush for success. German men usually don't fully accept a female colleague, even if other conditions are the same. How do you build your own credit? Professional women should be strong and don't sell themselves short. At the beginning, make clear the purpose of this meeting and emphasize the significance of your action. Make clear your intentions and conditions, and make clear your bottom line when negotiating. When there is an argument, you should stick to your point of view. However, people don't appreciate extremely active businessmen. State your views clearly and emphasize them when necessary. Watch your tone. In Germany, women who talk loudly are more disgusting than men who talk loudly. Don't brag about compliments. Germans think it is superficial and unreliable. Don't be too impatient when discussing the plan in the meeting, but learn to be patient. In Germany, the most important thing is how to finish the work well, instead of emphasizing that "time is money". The German Constitution clearly stipulates equal pay for equal work. However, the German weekly Star recently organized experts to analyze the statistical data of 250,000 salaries. It shows that the wage income of female employees is 30% less than that of men. The higher the position, the greater the wage scissors difference between men and women. The results of the survey are a scandal for Germany, which advocates gender equality and has a very active feminist movement. But the reality is so grim. As a 37-year-old mother of a son, Bertenland, who has been a director of the Munich Stock Exchange, has long been aware of the reality of different pay for equal work between men and women in Germany through her own experience. Recalling that year, after graduating from high school, she worked as an apprentice in a bank with a boy of the same age, studied economics at the same university, studied for a doctorate, and obtained a doctorate at the same time. Coincidentally, they went to the same enterprise to seek the same position. She was even assigned to talk to the personnel manager before the boy, and both of them were hired. However, bertram Laner didn't expect that the male classmate who has now become a colleague, from the first day of employment, his salary was higher than his own, and today his salary has not caught up with this colleague. Maria Schmidt, a 32-year-old who now works for the famous Berlin School of Economics, described her similar experience with bertram. Five years ago, she got a doctorate in economics and worked as an assistant to the chairman of a large company. At that time, a colleague who was doing the same job with her earned at least 80 thousand marks a year, mainly because this colleague was a man. Ms Clover, 40, was a little unconvinced when she told her story. She grew up at home like a boy, helping her father chop wood for the fireplace, while her brother likes to help her mother cook in the kitchen. After getting married and starting a family, she is not interested in general housework, but she knows more about the performance of cars than her husband. She started working in a laboratory in Bavaria on 1990. At that time, her salary was 3500 marks per month. Later, she learned that her male colleagues earned at least 1000 mark more than her. She thinks this is unreasonable, and she continues to fight for her due interests. She fought for a raise, the right to use the company car, and later for a mobile phone. The content of her life seems to be inseparable from "struggle". 12 years of uninterrupted struggle, changed three employers, she still can't achieve the goal of equal pay for equal work with men. She is tired. As a skilled engineer, she had to make up her mind to go it alone two years ago. The higher the position, the greater the income gap between men and women. Generally speaking, the higher the education level and position of German women, the greater the income gap compared with men at the same level. If a department manager who leads 30 employees in an enterprise is a woman, her annual salary is about 77,500 euros, while the annual salary of a male department manager is114,000 euros. The latest survey by the German Institute of Economics shows that the average income of female government officials and professional public officials is at least 28% less than that of men in the same position. The annual salary of a 45-year-old female auditor is 42,500 euros, and that of a 45-year-old male auditor is 6 1800 euros. In the enterprise consulting industry, the annual income of 35-year-old female analysts is 48,300 euros, while the annual income of male analysts can reach 68,900 euros. The questionnaire survey of personnel managers in Star Weekly shows that 36% of personnel managers admit that women's income in the same position is lower than that of men, and 17% of the interviewed personnel managers even think that women's income will be less and less under the same conditions. In European countries, the average income gap between men and women in Germany is 24%, and the income gap between men and women in France, Italy, Spain and Greece is much smaller than that in Germany. Who is to blame for the income gap? Although everyone knows that it is unreasonable to get different pay for equal work, it seems that no one wants to touch this sensitive topic, and it is even more difficult to change this situation. There are many reasons for this. First, Germans are forbidden to talk about wage income, and between specific people, they don't talk about income or compare with each other. Second, the personnel manager of the employer has always kept the labor situation strictly confidential. Third, female employees are ashamed to ask the personnel department for a reasonable salary, and often don't understand the actual value of their work. In addition, people who set wages and define the nature of work have always been men. They pay special attention to the means of production such as machinery and neglect the factors of serving people. For example, secretaries are mostly women, earning less than warehouse keepers, who are mostly men. The fundamental reason is the traditional idea that women do nothing but type and listen to the phone, while men are guarding the fashionable assets of enterprises. Maria Schmidt of the Berlin Institute of Economics still has some regrets. When she works in that big company, if she asks for a raise, maybe her request will be met. However, she chose silence at that time. Her boss actually knows her ability to work, but as long as she doesn't object to her salary, her boss won't take the initiative to give her a raise. Gbagbo Cook, a female professor of economics in the United States, believes that men and women have fundamentally different attitudes towards careers and wages. After receiving the first salary, 57% of male employees will ask their employers for a new salary, while only 7% of female employees will ask for such a salary. According to women's thinking, as long as you work hard, your work will be recognized and your salary will naturally increase. This typical female work attitude makes their expectations low and their satisfaction rate high. Men regard the capital increase negotiation with their employers as an arena struggle, which is exciting. Professor Gbagbo Cook urged women to have the courage to go to the dentist and talk to their employers about capital increase. Although I felt uncomfortable at first, I have to say it. German women are highly educated, with high school graduates accounting for 53%, college students and college graduates accounting for 48%, and this proportion is on the rise. According to a special study, female students are self-disciplined, diligent and resilient. It can be seen that women's employment, promotion and capital increase opportunities are not worse than men's. If a woman doesn't realize this and fight for her rights, she is not only lowering her own value, but also lowering the labor value of other women. "They are more like men in the process of rising, and job competition often makes them heartless and unsympathetic." International Herald Tribune Recently, a questionnaire survey commissioned by German Business Daily showed that 45% of employees-9% of them are women in leadership positions-obviously have reservations about female bosses. Because they think that under the leadership of a female boss, their chances of promotion are far worse than under the leadership of a male boss. Women are once again negatively evaluated in their careers. In contrast, few subordinates distrust male bosses. The survey involving more than 65,438+0,000 German employees shows that the distrust of female bosses is not expected to change in the new generation: among young people under the age of 25, 72% even have opinions on female bosses. In addition, respondents also agreed that women face more difficulties in their work. 70% of the respondents believe that it is not so easy for women to succeed in their careers. This may be one reason why people have doubts about female bosses. Michael foerster, head of the survey, said: "Women are always discriminated against at work. They will spread this unpleasant feeling and make others feel uncomfortable at work. " Uwe Schuricht, president of a headhunting company in Berlin, revealed another reason. He said: "The contact between women and male colleagues will not exceed the scope of official duties, nor will they join the network of men." Personal relationships can pave the way for subordinates' promotion. "Women rarely become close friends," Schuricht said, but he did not doubt the quality of women's work. He said, "The few women in leadership positions are really excellent. They know their direction, but they must overcome many obstacles to achieve their goals. " The prejudice and pressure of the patriarchal society make some women go too far. Psychologist Mechtilde Erpenbeck said: "In the process of rising, they are more men. "Competition for jobs often makes them heartless." Compassion is exactly the quality that every leader should have. An unsympathetic boss can't expect his subordinates to be loyal to him-and without the loyalty of his subordinates, no achievement can last long. According to Erpen Baker's experience, the female boss who "gives up her children's hard work and climbs to a higher position" is the most unbearable. "They are often too sensitive to the common words and deeds of female colleagues with children." In addition, "when a woman is promoted to a senior position for the first time, she tends to exclude other women from her circle." Unlike men, women will achieve their goals without scruple. Why do we have to do that？ Psychologist Uppenbeck says this is because women are always either one or the other: friends or enemies-there is no other possibility. It is worth noting that 97% of women always think that they are victims of conflicts between women. Sonia Bischof, a professor at Hamburg University of Economics and Political Science, holds the same negative view. She said: "Women have a strong sense of competition-this stems from evolution and competition for men. This kind of competition does not allow any form of * * *. " Therefore, "the higher the proportion of female employees in the company, the more contradictions among colleagues." Because women lack the ability to objectively evaluate other women. These German scholars believe that the female managers of several famous American companies, such as Microsoft, Apple Computer, Intel and Hewlett-Packard, have a bad relationship with their employees, so they are sent to receive special training in order to make employees put up with their leadership. This seems to be no accident.