Women are in general severely underrepresented in management positions. This applies to technically-oriented companies in particular, and is also related to the low number of female graduates in technical and science subjects. At Continental, the proportion of female managers in Germany in 2007 was approximately 5.6 percent, and for those exempt from collectively agreed terms, 7.5 percent. The Corporation has set itself the goal of better promoting the potential offered by women, and to make use of this potential. Support for female executives and prospective female managers has been initiated as part of the strategic human resources initiative.

In 2004, the Corporation launched its “Diversity” project. The aim of the project is on the one hand to identify framework conditions such as cultural and social structures, working conditions and laws which currently influence the situation of women in the world of work. On the other, already existing initiatives are being further developed, and new instruments are being created in order to improve the support and development of talented female employees at Continental.

Various measures have already been taken:

• A talent pool which incorporates all corporate divisions, and which is integrated into the human resources development process
• The formation of career support networks
• The extension of the mentoring program for female talent
• Female ambassadors
• A database containing all female management and junior employees who are currently pregnant or who are taking childcare leave, in order to plan for their employment when they return in good time.
• Working time models such as part-time, home office, job sharing
• Support with combining job and family
• The specification of target corridors up to 2007 for the proportion of women in management functions in the future
• A quarterly edition of an information sheet on “Diversity”.
• Girls' Day