The promotion of gender equality and the implementation of gender mainstreaming are key cross-sectional tasks at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (see also the Equality Concept 2023-2027 for the academic staff).
The implementation and monitoring of equality practices are ensured by the work of the Officers for Equal Opportunities for Women in Science and the Arts in all central committees and commissions. Special attention is given to the promotion of female early career researchers and the increase of the proportion of women in academic qualification levels where they are underrepresented.
Further information can be found below and on the website of Officers for Equal Opportunities for Women in Science and the Arts at the Faculty of Business, Economics, and Law: https://www.womens-representative.rw.fau.eu/.
The duties, rights, and obligations of the Officers for Equal Opportunities for Women in Science and the Arts are enshrined in the Bavarian Higher Education Innovation Act (BayHIG) in Article 22. The Basic Regulations of FAU (Grundordnung der FAU) complement the BayHIG and assign the Officers for Equal Opportunities for Women in Science and the Arts a central and formally secured role in monitoring and implementing equality practices within the university’s bodies and committees, as specified in Sections 21 and 22.
The promotion of gender equality and its structural integration is a key cross-sectional task at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg. FAU actively contributes to significantly increasing the proportion of women in the academic sector and strengthening and more effectively utilizing the qualification potentials of women.
The work of the Faculty Officers for Equal Opportunities for Women in Science and the Arts is based on the target agreements to increase the proportion of women in academia, which have been concluded between the university management and the Faculty of Business, Economics, and Law and are currently in effect from 2023 to 2027.
The target agreements focus on the promotion of women in career stages where they are underrepresented and are based on the structural and personnel equality standards of the DFG, faculty- or department-specific statistical indicators, as well as the cascade model. The legal framework is provided by Article 3, Paragraph 2 of the Basic Law and Article 22 of the Bavarian Higher Education Innovation Act. These target agreements are embedded in overarching commitments to the Ministry (Innovation Alliance) and the German Research Foundation.
The specific responsibilities of the Officers for Equal Opportunities for Women in Science and the Arts include, among others:
- Monitoring equal opportunities in appointment procedures
- Participation as a voting member in appointment procedures
- Voting rights in the Faculty Council
- Enforcement and implementation of target agreement measures for equality
- Advise on career issues and crises in the workplace
- Providing advice in cases of sexual harassment
- Advising and supporting new female professors
- Establishment and oversight of mentoring programs for female early career researchers
- Participating in efforts to expand family-friendly offerings at the faculty
Further information: