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Business Focus Sino - German Business Holding up Half the Sky Female Managers in China Chinese tradition promotes equality, including gender equality. Chairman Mao himself noted, “women hold up half the sky,” emphasizing the importance of their contribution to society. Leading business magazines including Time, Fortune and The Wall Street Journal have reported difficulty for female expat managers in China. In general, fewer expat women than men are working in China. Many of the women working here are younger or do not have children, most likely because of the concerns and challenges presented by moving overseas. However, due to the convenience of having an ayi and the family-friendly nature of Chinese culture, many expat women find a stay in China to be comfortable once they’ve arrived. The managers GC Ticker interviewed all find the environment in China to be more favorable for and respectful of female managers than many studies have demonstrated. Expat women in China even tend to look at their Chinese counterparts with a bit of envy. More Chinese women study subjects which are traditionally male-dominated, such as physics, engineering and machinery where the gender ratio is much closer to 50:50. While programs exist to do the same in Germany, societal constraints have not yet been overcome. More Chinese women are able to stay in the workforce due to childcare infrastructure, not to mention they only have one child. This greatly affects the amount of time they need to take off from building their career compared with Germans. Despite the increased presence of women in these fields, these gains do not translate into increases in income. According to the World Economic Forum 2007 survey, Chinese women make roughly 66% as much as Chinese men in the same field, while German women earn 76% of the salary their male counterparts take home. What challenges remain for both expat and local women in China? Five female senior managers of German companies share their experiences and opinions on the advancement of women in China. August - September 2008 | 12 Terese Bareth CEO & Principal Consultant Bareth Management Consultants In 1982, Terese Bareth began taking Chinese courses, which brought her to Beijing for study from 1986-1989. Upon graduation, she returned to China as Manager of Controlling and Company Development for a major German automotive supplier. Afterwards, she founded her own consulting company in Shanghai. When asked about her experience in China, Bareth commented: “I feel like a human being here, with equal rights and opportunities and this is a great feeling.” She finds less gender discrimination here than in Germany, citing the high numbers of women studying machinery or physics in China. “It’s easier here for professional women, grandparents are willing to take care of the children. In Germany, grandparents are more independent so they are willing to help on occasion, but not every day.” Chinese women generally also receive much more equal treatment in the workplace when compared to Germany in her opinion. However, promotions can be problematic when a woman is promoted above her male peers. However, she notes this happens in many situations when one employee receives a promotion, not only because of gender. Over the past 20 years, Bareth has noticed a lot of very positive changes. Now, Chinese women can go anywhere, the world is open for them. In major cities, some can decide to have a career instead of children, and although still rare, Chinese parents and husbands are slowly beginning to accept this. The biggest challenge Bareth sees for women managers in China is for Chinese female managers working in global companies. While they may achieve high-ranking positions here, it is very difficult for them to be sent to Europe or North America as a female Asian manager. This puts a limit on their advancement in a company headquartered in Germany. A second challenge is the wage gap. A former manager once remarked to her, “Hire a woman who will work harder than two men for half the price.” The German Chamber of Commerce in China Katrin Braun Managing Director, Asia Machwürth Team International (MTI) Katrin Braun took advantage of her electrical engineering background to climb the career ladder at Siemens in Germany before moving to China three years ago. She pushed for the change after experiencing the rewarding work climate on business trips. She acknowledges that for most women who already have or are planning to have families, working abroad proves difficult. However, the support of her husband and their two children made the move possible. After her subsidiary was sold, she decided to take up Mandarin study and considered starting her own business. During her transition, former colleagues referred her to her current position at MTI. The opportunity came at the right time, as services are expanding in MTI’s realm of organizational development. When asked about how she perceives gender relations here in China, she remarked that the situation is more relaxed than in many Western countries. Professionally, women have much more say than in Germany, and are equally respected by male colleagues. However, the private vs. professional spheres contrast each other greatly. In the household, Chinese women still run the show, playing the role of executive by day and homemaker by night. As far as management strategy is concerned, Braun doesn’t feel as though she had to adjust her plans to consider potential gender conflicts. Instead, she was able to focus more strongly on the barriers created by linguistic and cultural differences. She emphasizes, “In China, you have to check progress more often, and give positive feedback. Many German managers give negative feedback without positive reinforcement, but in China you need to consider that professional relationships are much more personal.” Compared to German women, Braun notes that Chinese women have several advantages. Chinese women only have one child, and ayis and grandparents help. As a result, Chinese women continue working, and don’t lose the 5 to 10 years that German women do when having children.
The German Chamber of Commerce in China Britta Ingenwepelt General Manager GEZE Industries (Tianjin) Co. Ltd. Britta Ingenwepelt’s father always wanted her to be an engineer. She found the profession suited both her temperament and interests. In China, she says, customers often first shake hands with a male staff member travelling with her, but she attributes this more to her youth than her sex. All in all, she adds, being a woman in the manufacturing industry has drawn greater attention to her, and that has been an advantage. The one thing she doesn’t regularly do here in China however, is the dinner and karaoke circuit. Quite often, she says, she isn’t even asked to join, while male employees are. As a German, she would have no problem with a beer or two at dinner time, she argues. In the end, not being a part of the ‘smoker’s club’ doesn’t hurt her, though. When sent to China by GEZE, Ingenwepelt recalls, there was a single General Manager handling everything. Then business expanded rapidly, so the position was divided. To her surprise, she was immediately recommended for the GM Production position. As she had already established credibility with her colleagues at work, there was no question about their accepting her ideas or directives. Soft spoken, but precise, Ingenwepelt says that China requires a more emotional leadership style. “At your wedding in Germany, perhaps 3% of your guests will be from work. In China, it’s 80%,” she says. This may be an advantage for women. Additionally, the help of ayis, grandparents and drivers help working moms have more free time. Asked for a further comparison, she found both production and sales culture to be very similar, and China to be much more open than expected. One telltale sign that China offers true quality of life reveals itself at the spa: men are assigned a masseuse, and ladies are assigned a handsome masseur. Sometimes, it’s not hard to be a woman. Michaela Stolz-Schmitz Vice President of Siemens Ltd. China Director of Corporate Marketing and the 2008 Projects Department Michaela Stolz- Schmitz first came to China nearly 15 years ago as the Chief Representative of a German specialty steel manufacturer. Having studied economics, political science and sinology, she was prepared for China’s culture. Years as an international journalist (Süd-West Funk, ARD) made her aware of political and economic issues in Asia. She says there are more women in the ranks of the technical professions in China, even at higher levels. This helped her to gain acceptance with clients. As for gaining acceptance with employees, Stolz-Schmitz maintains that in China success very much depends on a manager’s ability to be better than the team, to further the team’s learning and to enable the team to win. However, it also depends on the ability to take an interest in individuals, strengthening their relationship with both the team and company by showing concern for their personal and professional well-being. While the ability to do this isn’t necessarily male or female, it is important to success. Perhaps women, she says, are quite adept at feeling the pulse of a team. From her first position, Stolz-Schmitz moved through the founding of a JV in steel, and a Chief Representative position in the medtech field, which led her to her appointment at Siemens. Returning to China in her current position at corporate marketing, she also took charge of the ‘2008 Project Office’ in 2005. It aimed to support the many projects China was planning to execute for the big event in 2008. In all, Siemens gained more than EUR 1bn in business. As a great contributor to this success, Stolz-Schmitz seems to be a textbook case of the talented executive for whom China is a significant part of an international career. At Siemens China, by the way, the malefemale ratio is 63:37 overall, and 69:31 at the management level, a fact Michaela feels makes her proud. Sino - German Business Ms. Renate Tietjen Chief Representative C. Melchers GmbH & Co. KG Guangzhou & Chongqing Ms. Renate Tietjen has been working in China for C. Melchers GmbH & Co. KG since 1997. Additionally, she is active as a long-term GCC • Guangzhou board member and the organizer of Women in Business in Guangzhou. When asked “Why China?” she responded: “By accident I learned about the university program in my hometown “Economics & Chinese” and within 2 weeks I was enrolled. Afterwards C. Melchers GmbH & Co. KG offered me the position of Purchase Manager in Shanghai. The Melchers Group sponsors the Economics/ Chinese faculty at Bremen University and over the years they have employed many female graduates in their overseas branches.” Tietjen feels that not only a stay in Asia but even frequent business trips here are beneficial to career development. She has noticed many female managers in high positions in US MNCs in the Pearl River Delta, but only a handful of German female managers are in the region. “In general, I believe that an increasing number of women - if given the opportunity - will consider an overseas stay more seriously. The question is how many will really commit themselves and head out,” she said. Based on her experience, there is more gender equality in the workplace here than in Germany. “Indeed it surprised me that the Chinese are not as gender minded as Germans…women do hold up half the sky. I am fully accepted in my position as a female Chief Representative…for German female managers the greatest challenge [in China] is to prove to their German counterparts that they are just as capable as men.” GC Ticker asked Tietjen if she had a particular female entrepreneur she admired. The answer: Anita Roddick, Founder of The Body Shop. “Against all odds and far earlier than all other cosmetic companies she stressed environmental protection and no animal testing but still managed to establish a world-wide renowned brand and company.” www.china.ahk.de 13 | August - September 2008 Business Focus
Page 1: Beijing • Guangzhou • Shanghai
Page 4 and 5: GCC Board Beijing * All-China Board
Page 6 and 7: Preface The GC Ticker is the intern
Page 8 and 9: Chamber Teams Join Our Growing Netw
Page 10: Business Focus Chamber Notices Augu
Page 13: The German Chamber of Commerce in C
Page 17 and 18: The German Chamber of Commerce in C
Page 19 and 20: The German Chamber of Commerce in C
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