(Reforms; 04-03; p.5)

Income is not equally distributed in united Germany, one finds specific differences e.g. depending on education and profession. The following figure gives a detailed picture:

graphics of income by classes

If one divides the population by its numbers, other differences and their continuity become visible:

graphics of distribution of income

Apart from income, fortune is another criterion to define a respective social position. Geißler states for 1998 in Western Germany that differences in fortune are considerably larger than differences in income (cf. ibid., p. 104). In regard to Eastern Germany, he finds that East Germans had in 1998 only about a third of their Western counterparts, but that this third was distributed significantly more uneven (cf. ibid., p. 108).
It has to be said, however that these data is rather incomplete and open to interpretation: wealthy people usually dislike speaking out about their financial circumstances and e.g. a fortune of money can easily be interpreted as more useful than say, possession of machinery in a small firm.

 

All suggestions for reforms in the system of social security will have to take into account this fundamentals, and every suggestion should be weighed in regard to the change, it brings to that system. Then, it is a political question, whether or not these changes will be welcomed and find a majority.

(end of article)