Office of the Vice-President for Early Career Researchers and Diversity Management

Gender equality has been a legal norm since 1949, enshrined in Section 3, Subsection 2 of the German Basic Law (Grundgesetz), the General Act on Equal Treatment (Allgemeines Gleichbehandlungsgesetz) and the Thuringian Gender Equality Act (Thüringer Gleichstellungsgesetz). The equality principle works to bring about more equal living conditions: it is defined accordingly in Section 3, Subsection 2, Sentence 2 of the German Basic Law:  ‘The state shall promote actual implementation of equal rights for women and men and take steps to eliminate existing disadvantages.’

Achieving gender equality in education and employment is a guiding principle of Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena’s key regulations and management instruments. For more than a decade, we have worked towards this goal in our management and across all divisions and departments. These concentrated efforts form part of our overall strategy and include in-process monitoring for quality development in six of the university’s action fields.

Efforts of gender and diversity inclusion, greater gender equality, family-friendliness and diversity form some of the objectives, independent action fields and shared goals inside our central responsibilities to promote early career researchers and foster staff development.

• Graduate Academy Framework and Evaluation Regulations
• Staff Development Scheme ‘Knowledge and Growth’ (Wissen und Wachsen) for early career researchers at Friedrich Schiller University Jena.
• General Staff Development Scheme of Friedrich Schiller University Jena

Gender identity is a fundamental part of an individual’s self-perception, which includes how one’s gender is perceived by a social environment. This is why gender equality has been included in our diversity strategy since 2017 across the entire university and all diversity contexts.

In accordance with Section 4 of the Thuringian Gender Equality Act (Thüringer Gleichstellungsgesetz, ThürGleichG) effective from 6 March 2013 and Section 6, Subsection 1 of the Thuringian Higher Education Act (Thüringer Hochschulgesetz, ThürHG) effective from 10 May 2018, Friedrich Schiller University Jena will further develop its Gender Equality Plan every six years. Amendments are made every three years.

You can view the current version here:  University of Jena Gender Equality Plan 2020-2026 (Gleichstellungsplan 2020-2026 der Universität)pdf, 656 kb · de.
In 2024, the Senate approved the Adjustment (2023) of the Gender Equality Plan 2020-2026pdf, 711 kb · de based on the statistics in accordance with Section 5 (1) ThürGleichG.

In accordance with criteria from the European Commission’s Horizon Europe Guidance on Gender Equality Plans, we have published an overview of our gender equality strategy: "Strategy for Gender Equality 2021-2026 - Horizon Europe"pdf, 999 kb · de

Promoting gender equality is a task shared by our management and across all divisions and departments. It involves regulated responsibilities, as well as horizontal and vertical bridging cooperation structures.

Strategic Planning

The Vice-President for Early Career Researchers and Diversity Management 

oversees main strategic developments. This position also develops key measures and is responsible for managing quality and gender diversity. Incorporating the responsibility for diversity, including the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, supports the systematic inclusion of intersectional perspectives in gender equality management.

The Strategic Steering Committee for Gender Equality gathers experts and data on gender equality from different areas of the university. The committee consists of chairs and managers of relevant university divisions and departments (academics and human resources), faculty representatives and the university’s Equal Opportunities Officer.  The Strategic Steering Committee is led by the Vice-President. This committee advises the Vice-President and helps implement equality measures across all relevant areas.

At a decentralized level, strategic planning is overseen by the faculty management teams. The Deans’ Offices Equal Opportunities Forum is led by faculty representatives and forms part of the Strategic Steering Committee for Gender Equality. It serves as a platform to exchange information and discuss gender equality issues. The university’s Equal Opportunities Officer and Vice-President for Early Career Researchers and Diversity Management are regular guests of this forum.

Advice and representation

The university’s Equal Opportunities Officer acts as a central contact point, providing advice and representing the interests of all university members both individually as well as globally in the university’s central steering committees.  The Equal Opportunities Office supports and is led by the Equal Opportunities Officer.

At a decentralized level, advice and representation are offered by various equal opportunities officers representing different faculties, student bodies as well as technical and administrative staff. They are organized in the Equal Opportunities Advisory Committee which is chaired by the Equal Opportunities Officer and supported by the Equal Opportunities Office.

Implementation

Equality measures are implemented by the respective university divisions and departments. They receive advice and support from the Equal Opportunities Office, the Office of the Vice-President for Early Career Researchers and Diversity Management and from the Thuringian Competence Network for Equality.

Integral part of the University of Jena’s overall equality strategy is the monitoring of its gender equality performance, measured in-process and supported by data-based research.  Serving as an information and guiding system for quality assurance and development, it forms the foundation for an evidence-based advancement of our Strategy for Gender Equality. To achieve this, we use the following instruments: To achieve this, we use the following instruments:

•  Gender equality monitoring across the entire university. We have been monitoring gender equality at our university in regular intervals since 2009, part of the legally required development of the University of Jena Gender Equality Plan  (Section 4 of the Thuringian Gender Equality Act [Thüringer Gleichstellungsgesetz, ThürGleichG]).
• To further develop and specify our monitoring, we implemented gender equality monitoring in the areas of academics and research resulting in regular monitoring reports.  Subdivided into faculties and departments, this data-based monitoring analyses the development of gender equality across the entire university and considers especially our strategic goals in five of the university’s action fields.
• Based on this data, each dean’s office prepares a faculty gender equality plan to strategically lead decentralized gender equality efforts.

The University of Jena is an active member of the Network for gender equality controlling at higher education institutions—Netzwerk Gleichstellungscontrolling an Universitäten (DE) de. This network is a nationwide association of experts from seven universities that combines many years of experience in the conception and implementation of steering strategies and monitoring instruments for the promotion of gender equality policies.

To implement quality exchanges to improve gender equality, the University of Jena cooperates with the following associations (listed in alphabetical order):

• Nationwide conference of women’s and equal opportunities officers at higher education institutions—Bundeskonferenz der Frauen- und Gleichstellungsbeauftragten an Hochschulen e.V. (BuKoF) (DE)External linkThe University of Jena is a member institution of the BuKoF.
• Mentoring association—Forum Mentoring e.V. (DE)External link. Federal association for mentoring in academia.
• Thuringian conference of equal opportunity officers at higher education institutions—Landeskonferenz der Gleichstellungsbeauftragten an Thüringer Hochschulen (LaKoG) (DE)External link The LaKoG is an association of equal opportunity officers working at higher education institutions listed in Section 1, Subsection 2 of the Thuringian Higher Education Act (Thüringer Hochschulgesetz, ThürHG).
• Network for gender equality controlling at higher education institutions—Netzwerk Gleichstellungscontrolling an Universitäten(DE) de This network is a nationwide association of experts from seven universities that combines many years of experience in the conception and implementation of steering strategies and monitoring instruments for the promotion of gender equality policies.
• Network for gender consulting in research neworks—Netzwerk GenderConsulting in Forschungsverbünden (DE)External link This network is an association of equal opportunity stakeholders consulting research networks and higher education institutions on methods to improve gender equality.
• Thuringian competence network for equal opportunities—Thüringer Kompetenznetzwerk Gleichstellung (TKG)(DE)External link. The Thuringian Competence Network for Equal Opportunities is a joint academic institution of higher education institutions in Thuringia. Its head office is located at Friedrich Schiller University Jena.

2023

• Policy for the Protection Against Discrimination, Harassment, and Violence at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena pdf, 302 kb · de
• University jena participates in the research project "Politiken der Gleichheit - Eine Ethnografie zur Gleichstellungspraxis im Feld der Wissenschaft." (Politics of Equality - An Ethnography of Equality Practices in the Field of Science; project term untel 2027)

2021

• Total E-Quality AwardExternal link — Sustainability Award ‘Equal Opportunities’ with an additional award in the category ’Diversity’.
• Jena Family Seal  (Jenaer FamiliensiegelExternal link), renewed certification.

2019

• Top position in the nationwide "University Ranking by Equality Aspects 2019" (CEWS) in the overall evaluation of 63 universities. The ranking compares key figures on the equality situation in various areas. Friedrich Schiller University Jena achieved the highest score alongside the universities of Bielefeld and Potsdam. It received top scores for the proportion of women in doctoral degrees and in mid-level academic staff, as well as for the increase in the proportion of women in mid-level academic staff and professorships since 2012. (more informationExternal link)

2018

• Awarded with Jena Family Seal (Jenaer FamiliensiegeExternal link) of the Jena family alliance (Jenaer Bündnis für Familie)
• The University of Jena's equality concept was awarded the title "Gleichstellung: Ausgezeichnet" ("Equality: Excellent!")External link, combined with the funding commitment to participate in the Professorinnenprogramm III of the federal and state governments (application round 2018) to a special extent. The assessment was carried out by an independent panel of experts.

2017

• Total E-Quality award for "exemplary personnel and university policy oriented toward equal opportunities" (awarded for the 4th time in a rowExternal link)

2014

• Successful application to participate in the Federal and State Women Professors Program II based on the university's submitted Equal Opportunity Concept.
• Total E-Quality award for "exemplary personnel and university policy oriented toward equal opportunities" (awarded for the 3rd time in a rowExternal link)
• Classification of the University of Jena as a best-practice example of equality-oriented organizational development within the framework of the BMBF project ""Equality Implementation Standards for Universities" (EQUISTUExternal link).

2013

Best possible evaluation of the University of Jena's final report on the implementation of the German Research Foundation's research-oriented equality standardsExternal link (stage 4 of 4).

2011

• Total E-Quality award for "exemplary personnel and university policy oriented toward equal opportunities" (awarded for the 2nd time in a rowExternal link)

2011 - 2014

• The University of Jena participated in a study on promoting family-friendly working conditions at German higher education institutions run by the GESIS Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences—Center of Excellence Woman and Science (CEWS) with the aim to create a web-based consultation and information platform for universities:  Family Friendly AcademiaExternal link
• The University of Jena participated in a study on the impact of funding measures that encourage women to re-enter academia, run by TU Dresden and the Institute for Regional Innovation and Social Research: "Wiedereinstieg von Frauen in Wissenschaftskarrieren – Untersuchung des Beitrags von Förderprogrammen aus Lebenslaufperspektive" (Women re-entering academia. A study on the impact of funding programmes from a professional point of view).

2008

• Total E-Quality award for "exemplary personnel and university policy oriented toward equal opportunities" (first awardExternal link)
• Membership invitation from the best practice network ‘Families in Higher Education Institutions’ (Robert Bosch Foundation), today an association for families in higher education institutions—Familie in der Hochschule e.V.External link