More women in Bavaria want to become funeral directors

RTÉ News · RTÉ News · 2026-10-29 11:32 UTC

The funeral industry is booming. Across Germany, there are more apprentices than in previous years. Most notably, more than half of these trainees are women. Here is how the profession has evolved - moving away from dusty clichés toward something akin to event management.

The funeral industry is booming. Across Germany, there are more apprentices than in previous years. Most notably, more than half of these trainees are women. Here is how the profession has evolved—moving away from dusty clichés toward something akin to event management.

"I am very proud to be training as an undertaker," says Sonja Joschko. The 27-year-old originally studied midwifery before beginning an apprenticeship as a funeral director in Würzburg. She is now in her second year of training—and was initially surprised herself by how varied the profession is, a role that, as she puts it, "used to be filled by an old white man in a village."

At the end of last year, there were 900 trainees like Sonja Joschko in Germany – according to the Federal Statistical Office, a new record. Of the trainees, 61 percent are female nationwide, according to the agency. In Bavaria, in the current training year, 2026 with 55 percent, also more than half of the trainees are female.

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