Taking the Chair: Women Professors at Mannheim
Recently, to mark International Women’s Day, we asked students across campus which women at the University of Mannheim inspire them. Quite often, the names they mentioned were those of the very six women profiled in this edition. We were delighted to hear that, because that is exactly what we hoped these portraits of women professors would do: show just how many inspiring women are at the forefront of research at this university.
We have placed them in the spotlight deliberately, presenting them as sources of inspiration and as role models. Their paths are different, as are their disciplines: one professor from each of our six schools and departments is featured here. Yet they all share one thing: they belong to the 24.5 percent minority of W3 professorships at our university held by women.
That this figure falls short of the university’s own ambitions is something our two Equal Opportunity Commissioners, Karin Hoisl and Christiane Koch, make clear in their interview, where they discuss the barriers, possible solutions, and the goals ahead. We also look back and introduce the University of Mannheim’s first two women to hold chairs: Gudrun Höhl and Elfriede Höhn. And then we look ahead: thanks to the federal and state government’s competitive program for women professors (“Professorinnenprogramm 2030”), the university has been able to appoint three new women professors — an important step on the road to parity.
This issue of FORUM highlights progress while also making clear how much remains to be done. It tells stories of commitment, resistance, and success — and of women who are shaping this university.