Credit: Anna Logue
Gender equality action at SFB 884
The Collaborative Research Center SFB 884 “Political Economy of Reforms” strives to support female researchers in their academic career paths and facilitates the integration of family and work for parents of all gender with a variety of measures.
For the upcoming years, researchers will be supported with a variety of measures in the areas of role models and networking, support for parents, trainings, information and communication, support for female committee members as well as quality assurance. Please find more detailed information below.
Role models and networking
- In a series of events, senior researchers narrate about their careers, challenges and solutions and thus serve as role models.
- To foster (interdisciplinary) exchange among female researchers of all projects, they can meet in Female Faculty Meetings.
- In 2019, the SFB 884 organizes the first All Female Workshop at the University of Mannheim. Leading female researchers in the field of Political Economy present their work and make it possible for female researchers to discover new ways of social interactions in their professional surroundings.
- Interested female researchers can take part in an International Mentoring. Mentoring with an international professor will be combined with the possibility of a research stay abroad.
- Reaching out to potential female applicants is thought to increase the share of female applicants.
Support for parents
- The SFB provides a parent-child-office, which is separated but connected to the parent-child-office of the Department of Gender Equality and Social Diversity.
- Researcher of all genders have the possibility to receive child care for special circumstances, e.g. in case of emergency or child care outside the usual opening hours.
- Child care is also available for guest researchers during SFB conferences.
- The child care facility provides a holiday program for children during school holidays.
- If needed, the Dual Career Network will be supported actively.
- The members’ meeting will consider the usual opening hours of child care facilities.
Trainings
- The English-spoken program for career development “Take off – Women in Academic Leadership” for researchers of SFB and other DFG-funded institutions will potentially continue in a new format, again tailored to the needs of ambitious female researchers.
- Coaching is offered to female researchers, in particular to more advanced researchers, to ensure support in specific questions.
- PhD students are encouraged to take part in university-wide trainings and programs such as the WOVEN-program or the Baden-Württemberg Mentoring and Training Program (MuT).
Information and communication
- All SFB members receive a Welcome Brochure, which informs about support for parents among others.
- The brochure about all regulations for (future) parents, such as maternity protection, parental leave, Home Office and other support by the SFB is handed out to all new SFB members.
- Female researchers receive a yearly brochure about offers for trainings on career development and social skills. In addition, the SFB management reaches out individually and provides counselling on personnel development. The participation costs are covered by the SFB.
- In a special event, female researchers were informed about possibilities of support by the SFB.
- The communication about gender equality measures will be improved to raise visibility and use of the gender equality measures. Gender equality measures are now presented on the website as well.
Checking support for female committee members
- If applicable, it will be checked whether female board members can receive a special leave term without teaching obligation or other support.
Quality assurance
- The Gender Monitoring will be further developed. Beside the share of female SFB members, the number of parents and the participation in trainings and involvement in SFB-internal requests will be monitored. In combination with the planned inquiry on demand and the continuous evaluation of measures, the monitoring will be central for quality assurance and will allow target-oriented communication and measures.