University Commits to Appointing More Women

In May, the General Assembly of the German Rectors' Conference (HRK) passed a resolution which is aimed at further reducing structural gender inequalities. The paper “Auf dem Weg zu mehr Geschlechtergerechtigkeit bei Berufungen – Selbstverpflichtung der deutschen Hochschulen” (“Towards more gender equality in appointments – a voluntary commitment by German universities”) specifies goals and measures that can contribute to cultural and structural changes to reach more gender equality at universities. The University of Mannheim supports the resolution and was one of the first universities to sign the voluntary commitment.

Despite the measures that are already in place, the proportion of women at the highest academic level is only growing very slowly and women are still underrepresented when it comes to appointments to professorships. By joining the voluntary commitment, the University of Mannheim is even more determined to work for more gender equality in appointments. Inter alia, the university actively recruits women to expand the pool of female candidates for appointments. The guidelines on professorial appointments which have already been introduced are another step towards more gender-equality in appointment procedures. Consistent monitoring of these measures ensures that the implementation of the targets will be continuously tracked.