During Corona has far-reaching effects not only on the tourism industry, culture and the economy in general. Understandably, the number of business trips has also decreased significantly. What is particularly striking, however, is that the gender ratio among travelers has changed.

According to evaluations by the payment specialist AirPlus International, the proportion of female business travelers in Germany has fallen from 19 to 12 percent. 300,000 flight bookings by companies in Germany, France, Italy and Great Britain in January and October 2020 were examined. orona, business trips become more a men’s world.

Let’s look at the numbers

Share of female business travelers

In January 2020, the proportion of female travelers was 18.6 percent. This proportion sounds small, but it has been increasing continuously since previous years. In October 2020, however, the figures showed a completely different picture: there was only one woman for every seven to eight male business travelers. According to the AirPlus evaluation, there were only 12.1 percent women that month.

Where did all the women go?

The professional group

Yaël Klein, AirPlus Marketing Manager, reports that “certain professional groups travel more than others because their presence on site is essential to carry out their work on site”. These are, for example, engineers or fitters in the field, who are mostly men.

The industry

On the one hand, some industries are more affected by the pandemic than others and have had to adapt their daily work accordingly. On the other hand, some industries are more dependent on mobility than others. An energy company, for example, travels more than a software company. In addition, the gender ratios also differ in the various industries.

The business traveler as a mother and housewife

Women are mostly the managers of the company “Family”. Due to the school and daycare closings, it was mainly the women who stayed at home and did the household chores. Klein explains: “Very early on, when the first schools closed, we saw a return to traditional patterns. Even after the schools reopened, not much has changed”.

What is the situation like with the European neighbors?

Share of female business travelers

It is even more pronounced than in Germany, with a 7 percent difference, with our neighbors: in Great Britain, with almost 11 percent difference. The proportion of female business travelers fell from 24.5 percent to 13.6 percent. The share in France slipped by almost 7 percent: from 24.6 percent to 17.4 percent. Italy also reflects a similar picture: from 17.5 percent to 10.7 percent.

The experts are not surprised by the difference in Italy, as there is a traditional understanding of roles. However, the trend in France and Great Britain is surprising. “According to our observations, both differences in the application of short-time working regulations and different approaches to closing schools and offices play a role,” explains the AirPlus marketing director.

Will business travel be a men’s business in the future?

The numbers show behavior patterns, but a detailed explanation is only speculation. It is important that after overcoming the international pandemic normality returns and the current trend reverses. Business travel is a means of communication between companies, but especially between people. This personal communication must not be reserved for just one gender.

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