Library Elise Sutton

Female Supremacy Articles - Page 17

Screen 4 of 25

It is looking as though women’s chances on the labour market will improve even further in the coming years. Ulrike Detmers, 49 (mother of three children, professor of business administration at the University of Applied Science in Bielefeld, part-owner and manager of the Mestemacher bakery group in Gütersloh), has long said: “The elite is turning female.” After all, “40% of jobs in Germany will require higher qualifications by 2010.” This is related to the pressure of international competition, she says, so that Germany will increasingly have to create value-added from areas of activity requiring higher qualifications. The demand for well-trained staff is growing and, as far as women are concerned, meeting with an increasing supply, says Detmers. Progress in education can be seen especially among women under the age of 29. “And these women want a reward for the investment they have made in their education.” Ulrike Detmers is very optimistic as regards the future of female social climbers. She herself has succeeded in doing what many people dream of: she has long-since been well-integrated in the male-dominated world of management – after many years of hard work. She also knows that “It is still difficult to get into these networks, especially for young women. There are still prejudices.” This is why she is personally committed to the idea of a “more female” elite in the future, first and foremost in her own company.