What really helps parents to balance family and career
(Frankfurt/Berlin, September 23, 2025) Today, the pme Familienservice Group, together with the non-profit management consultancy Väter gGmbH with its two brands conpadres and conmadres, the VereinbarkeitsIndex and the Bundesverband Vereinbarkeit, presented the comprehensive Forsa study "Zukunftsstudie Vereinbarkeit - was Mütter und Väter stärkt, sichert den Unternehmenserfolg".
The study sheds light on the current situation of working mothers and fathers, shows progress, existing burdens and provides concrete options for action for companies and political decision-makers.
"Work-life balance is no longer a 'nice-to-have' - it determines the health, motivation and loyalty of employees and therefore the future viability of companies. However, without the backing of the company management, the measures for reconciliation, the added value of which managers see almost 100 percent and consider to be useful, often remain ineffective in everyday life." - Volker Baisch, founder and managing director of Väter gGmbH.
Fathers on the path to equal parenthood
The study confirms a change in society: 76% of the parents surveyed stated that they mainly shared childcare responsibilities. Both mothers (44%) and fathers (42%) now feel similarly supported by their employers in balancing work, family and private life.
While 86% of fathers consider the division to be (very/rather) fair, the figure for mothers is only 70%. Mothers therefore recognize that fathers are much more involved in caring for their children, but that they themselves still do a much greater share of the care work. Despite substantial progress, there is still a lot to be done to achieve a fairer division of family work.
High mental strain due to double workload - support from employers is crucial
More than half of mothers (51%) and 41% of fathers feel under a lot of mental stress. The stress has a negative impact on health (44%/39%) and personal satisfaction (55%/51%) as well as the relationship (46%/41%). Support from the employer is also crucial here: 35% of the parents surveyed who felt supported by their employer stated that they were mentally stressed . In contrast, the mental strain is significantly higher among parents who do not feel supported by their employer (62%).
Family-conscious corporate culture is key
While most companies now offer flexible working time models, part-time and mobile working, many employees do not feel that these measures are sufficient: a particularly clear discrepancy between the needs of parents and the support options actually provided to parents is evident in childcare options: 42 percent of parents surveyed stated that childcare options were highly relevant for work-life balance, but only 21 percent of employers offered support in this area.
It is not enough for employers to focus on individual measures. Rather, a variety of different measures are required that are interlinked and tailored to the needs of working parents. The management culture plays a decisive role in the actual use of family-friendly measures: For 78 percent of women and 70 percent of men, the behavior of their superiors is the decisive factor in whether measures to reconcile work and family life are used.
However, the respondents Managers are not sufficiently supported by their companiesto promote the work-life balance of their employees: 61 percent of female managers and 51 percent of male managers see an urgent need to catch up here.
"Reconciling family and career presents parents with a variety of challenges. We therefore recommend that employers provide their employees with a wide range of tailored support services for parents and children. It is particularly important that companies continuously communicate their offers and take the needs of their employees into account." - Dr. Daniel Erler, Head of Corporate Communications at the pme Familienservice Group.
Political framework conditions must be improved
Above all, parents are calling for the further expansion of high-quality childcare, legal regulations for working from home and flexible working hours, as well as an adjustment of parental allowance in line with inflation. The results of the study show that despite important reforms in Germany, there is still a lot of catching up to do in order to reflect the realities of modern families and promote equality.
"We need family-conscious structures in order to become more competitive again as a country. This study shows very clearly which adjustments need to be made." - Nicole Beste-Fopma, Chairwoman of the Bundesverband Vereinbarkeit
Companies such as ERGO, Uniper and OMR 5050, which sponsored the study, have therefore been focusing on the issue of compatibility for a long time.
"The study confirms our strong commitment to reconciling work and family life for more than 20 years. Work-life balance succeeds when managers actively exemplify it. This authentic example, clear guidelines, an open management culture and our flexible working time models will continue to make us an attractive employer in the future." - Bianca Boudein, Diversity Manager ERGO Group AG
Conclusion: Compatibility as the basis for social and economic success
The study makes it clear that reconciling work and family life is a central key to securing skilled workers, gender equality, mental health and the future viability of society. Companies and politicians alike are called upon to create sustainable framework conditions and a family-conscious culture.
