This year, ‘perspektive promotion’ is celebrating its 10th birthday. With the programme, the Unit for Equal Opportunities at the University of Bremen successfully offers workshops and individual consultation for female PhD students in the humanities and social sciences. The offer is now being extended to the STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).
In the last ten years, perspective promotion has established itself as both an important part of early-career support and of the University of Bremen’s gender equality concept: “geschlechtergerecht 2028”. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) awarded the university the “Excellence in Gender Equality!” distinction for this. The support on offer aids graduates on their path to a PhD – doctoral students are helped with their work processes. Numerous studies have shown the gender-specific discrimination of women in science, which starts with a PhD but can be found on all career levels.
Analysis Shows Programme Is Needed
A 2019 evaluation concluded that there is a big demand for the well-accepted programme. ‘perspective promotion’ has welcomed over 800 workshop and course participants. The interviews with those who took part, the trainers, and equality officers from the university make it clear how important it is to strengthen the confidence of female early-career academics. Especially workshops that support the writing process and networking are constantly well visited and received extremely positive feedback.
New: Offer also for STEM Subjects
In the third project phase which is currently starting, the perspektive promotion programme is being expanded to include offers for doctoral students of STEM subject. It remains the case that the number of female students in these degree programmes is lower than in the humanities and social sciences and that the number decreases considerably for further career levels. Amongst other things, workshops on having a self-confident manner at work, as well as conferences and subject-specific seminars are planned, for example on more effective designing of laboratory work. In light of the growing internationalization of the University of Bremen, there will be a greater focus on English-language offers.
The Administrative Unit for Equal Opportunities was able to win the toxicologist Kathrin Faber in April 2020 for the expanded orientation focus. Together with Dr. Lisa Spanka, she will design the programme and its further developments.
Further Information: www.uni-bremen.de/chancengleichheit/training-und-beratung/perspektive-promotion.html (in German only)
Contacts:
Dr. Lisa Spanka (Projektkoordinatorin für den Bereich Geistes- und Sozialwissenschaften): chancen@uni-bremen.de
Kathrin Faber (Projektkoordinatorin für den Bereich MINT): chancen@uni-bremen.de
Cover picture copyright: Matej Meza
