At its 2017 General Assembly, the member institutions of the DFG reaffirmed their voluntary commitment to the “Research-Oriented Standards on Gender Equality”

To help establish a sustainable gender equality policy at DFG member organisations, the DFG introduced its “Research-Oriented Standards on Gender Equality” in 2008. A study conducted by the DFG in 2017 analysed the implementation and impact of the equality standards, documenting the positive effects these have had on the German research system. The reports submitted by the member institutions illustrate the positive momentum set in motion by the standards, which can be seen at almost all institutional levels. Gender equality is now seen as a strategic management task and viewed as a sign of quality. The Research-Oriented Standards on Gender Equality have brought about organisational and cultural changes and conditions characterised by increased equal opportunity at the member institutions.

Building on the 2017 study findings, a working group that was instituted by the General Assembly in 2009 convened to discuss and make recommendations regarding the future development of the Research-Oriented Standards on Gender Equality. In addition, they created an updated version of the equality standards. The text, which reaffirms the institutions’ voluntary commitment to the standards, was adopted by the General Assembly in 2017.

• Interner LinkFurther Information on the Study “Research-Oriented Standards on Gender Equality – Implementation and Impact” (July 2017)
• Link auf PDF-DateiStatement and Recommendations of the Working Group on “Research-Oriented Standards on Gender Equality” (February 2017, in German only)

Based on the reports submitted by the member institutions (in 2009, 2011 and 2013), the “Research-Oriented Standards on Gender Equality” working group concluded that a great deal of progress had been made with regard to gender equality at German universities. Many different measures had been implemented, gender equality was predominantly seen as a management-level task, and cooperation between centralised and decentralised levels of administration had improved.

Progress had also been made in the actual proportion of women at all academic career levels, although targets had not always been reached. The effects of the equality strategies were not always clear, which led to additional efforts being needed to reach the targets, particularly with regard to increasing the proportion of women at all academic career levels. On 3 July 2013, the General Assembly therefore adopted a package of measures aimed to set a stronger focus on monitoring statistical trends in this area.

These measures include an annual survey of member institutions on the proportion of women at all academic career levels. The first survey was conducted in 2014.

The quantitative surveys on the proportion of women employed by universities, adopted in 2013 and carried out annually since then as part of the Research-Oriented Standards on Gender Equality, will no longer be used. The universities now supply the data differently in compliance with the Higher Education Statistics Act and the requirements of the Research Core Data Set. The equal opportunity concepts applied by research networks and the development of review criteria of local relevance will be retained in DFG coordinated programmes.

• Interner LinkInformation on the Annual Survey of Member Institutions up to 2016
• Interner LinkReports relating to the DFG Research-Oriented Standards on Gender Equality (2013) (in German only)

In 2008 the DFG’s General Assembly adopted the Research-Oriented Standards on Gender Equality. By entering into this voluntary commitment, the DFG member organisations defined structural and personnel-related standards for a sustainable equality policy in the scientific and university landscape. From 2009 to 2013, a working group set up by the General Assembly of the DFG reviewed the gender equality strategies submitted by the member organisations, facilitated the implementation of these strategies and monitored their progress.

The common goal of the gender equality standards is to significantly increase the proportion of women at all academic career levels. The so-called cascade model serves as a guiding principle in this context. It sets out targets for the proportion of women at each career level based on the proportion of women at the next lowest level.

• Link auf PDF-DateiThe DFG’s Research-Oriented Standards on Gender Equality (version dated: 2008)
• Interner LinkInformation on the Development and Implementation of the DFG Research-Oriented Standards on Gender Equality 2008 – 2013 (in German only)
• Link auf PDF-DateiEvaluation of the Final Reports 2013 – Overview (in German only)