Share of men in government, North Rhine-Westphalia
Share of men in government, North Rhine-Westphalia stood at 57.1 percent in 2025, according to Federal Ministry of Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMBFSFJ) – Digital Gender Equality Atlas. It is one of the indicators in the Women and men in politics and administration table (Value · Annual), with a complete series running from 2008 to 2025. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Women and men in politics and administration table
| Indicator | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2019 | 2017 | 2015 | 2011 | 2008 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Rhine-Westphalia | |||||||||||
| Men, share | 57.1 | 53.8 | 53.8 | 53.8 | 61.5 | 69.2 | 69.2 | 61.5 | 50 | 75 | |
| Total | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 |
Understanding share of men in government, North Rhine-Westphalia
Ratios of male executive mandate holders relative to the complete cabinet bench in North Rhine-Westphalia form the basis of this metric. Included in the calculation are the minister-president and every portfolio minister presiding over a state ministry. Administrative staff, political state secretaries, and ordinary parliamentary deputies are excluded from the scope. In contrast to the absolute headcount of male ministers, this series adjusts for expansions or contractions in the total number of government ministries. It represents the inverse complement to the female percentage row within the same regional breakdown, tracking how ministerial portfolios are allocated along gender lines.
Interpreting this series requires an awareness that ministerial rosters are observed at an annual reporting cut-off date rather than across calendar averages. Routine seasonal adjustment is unnecessary, and retroactive revisions do not happen because cabinet appointments are matters of official publication. A core analytical pitfall stems from denominator sensitivity; because the executive cabinet contains few members, appointing or replacing one male minister generates a pronounced change in the resulting percentage. Consequently, tracking trends across entire parliamentary election cycles is more informative than focusing on single-year fluctuations caused by portfolio reorganizations. This measure should not be confused with civil service leadership metrics, where promotion procedures follow administrative hierarchies rather than cabinet negotiations.
Frequently asked questions
- Can the male percentage share in North Rhine-Westphalia change if no male ministers leave office?
- Yes, creating a new ministry or appointing an additional female minister enlarges the total cabinet, which automatically reduces the male proportion.
- Does this indicator cover department heads within the state ministries of North Rhine-Westphalia?
- No, the series accounts exclusively for politically appointed cabinet members holding ministerial rank, excluding career civil servants and department directors.
- Why is an annual comparison across legislative periods preferable to year-on-year evaluation?
- Executive composition is largely determined during coalition formation at the start of a legislative term, making term-to-term comparisons a clearer indicator of political shifts than minor mid-term reshuffles.