Equal opportunities for women 4.0
Did you know?
... that 96% of Covid 19 clinical trials make no reference to sex and gender, even though coronavirus affects women and men differently?
... that only 60 % of couples who shared care responsibilities equally before the coronavirus pandemic continued to do so during the crisis?
... that over 70% of female professors with minor-aged children say that they were unable to complete as much as they had planned during the pandemic, but only 54% of fathers (7% of fathers were even able to publish more than planned)?
Equal opportunities for women 4.0
"Gender equality 4.0 - why we urgently need new ideas!" is the motto for International Women's Day at the University of Oldenburg on 8 March 2023. contributions to the current discussion on the topic of Gender equality at universities. In particular, we have explored the question of how future gender equality measures can be made more sustainable.
Gender equality 4.0 - why we urgently need new ideas
The coronavirus pandemic has presented us with a wide range of challenges and has acted like a magnifying glass. Existing inequalities have been exacerbated and have thus become more clearly visible. Traditional gender roles have re-emerged within families: mothers have often found themselves taking on care work once again whilst nurseries and schools were closed – even in families where parents had previously shared childcare equally. Clinical COVID studies generally did not make any distinction based on gender, even though it was clear very early on that the coronavirus affects women and men differently. Female scientists, too, were often more severely restricted in their professional activities during the coronavirus crisis for various reasons. All of this serves as a clear example that current gender equality measures are not sustainable enough.
Today, as the COVID-19 pandemic draws to a close, some memories of this period are beginning to fade. Therefore, to mark International Women’s Day 2023 at the University of Oldenburg, we would like to look back with you once more, record the key developments and use them to develop ideas for shaping Gender equality at universities in the future.
To this end, we have asked women from various departments at the University of Oldenburg to share their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic (→ Statements: Gender Equality during the COVID-19 Crisis) and have compiled interesting research findings on current developments in gender equality for women in science, technology and administration (→ Gender Gaps: Old Gaps Persist, New Ones Emerge).
Recent publications by the HRK, the GWK and the Leopoldina also demonstrate that we urgently need ‘Gender Equality 4.0’. Based on statements from these and other renowned academic institutions, we have outlined a possible future model for gender equality under → Gender Equality 4.0 .
As the University Senate is holding a public meeting on the morning of 8 March this year and we are unable to organise a parallel event to mark International Women’s Day, we have decided, for the sake of family-friendliness, to compile the content on our websites. This means it can be read at a time that suits you. Please feel free to email me your experiences and suggestions regarding Gender Equality at the University of Oldenburg at . I will then raise them with the relevant university committees.
Yours,
Anne G. Kosfeld (Chief Gender Equality Officer)
Why do we celebrate International Women's Day?
In Europe, the first International Women's Day was celebrated on 19 March 1911. At that time, women were mainly fighting for the right to vote. In 1975, the United Nations chose 8 March as the date for International Women's Day.
This year's motto for UN Women's International Women's Day is:
The intention of International Women's Day explicitly refers to the situation of women. This also includes women who are affected by multiple forms of discrimination. This is also how the legal mandate of the Chief Gender Equality Officer is to be understood (see Involving the Chief Gender Equality Officer as an expert).
Many people do not identify as either a woman or a man and therefore experience multiple forms of discrimination, including in the academic system (Leopoldina 2022). In addition, there are many discriminatory structures in which people find themselves at universities. A good overview is provided by the
All these structures of discrimination need to be addressed in greater depth. We are pleased that the University of Oldenburg recently successfully completed the diversity audit. In cooperation with the Diversity Committee, we will work to ensure that discrimination is analysed and tailored countermeasures are developed. We therefore ask for your understanding that we are focussing on the situation of women as part of International Women's Day.