Gender Equality
For us, gender equity means ensuring that all genders and gender identities can participate equally in university life, regardless of sexual or romantic orientation. This includes promoting equality for women, trans*, inter*, and non-binary persons—especially in fields where they are underrepresented—as well as giving greater consideration to their perspectives in both academic and administrative contexts.
Free period products to promote greater equality
Bild © Universität Bonn / YouTube
What is gender equality?
As part of its promotion of EDI, UoB is working to realize the goal of equitable participation of all genders and gender identities. This means acknowledging discrimination and disadvantage based on gender and allocating resources in such a way that all people, regardless of their gender or sexual/romantic orientation, can participate in university life safely and with a sense of well-being.
Together with the team at the Gender Equality Office, the Central Gender Equality Officer supports the University of Bonn in fulfilling its statutory equality mandate. She plays an active role in structural and development processes, as well as in appointment and personnel decisions – with the clear aim of increasing the visibility of women* in academia. As the central point of contact, the Gender Equality Office advises all members of the university on issues of (gender) equality, as well as on gender-based discrimination and sexualised discrimination and violence. A particular focus is also placed on individual career advice for female* academics. In addition, the Gender Equality Office offers training for female* academics in the early stages of their careers, as well as a wide range of further training opportunities for staff and students.
What we are doing to promote gender equality?
As part of its diversity strategy the University of Bonn has committed to continuously address issues of gender equality through structural changes by 2030.
Higher Proportion of Women
Through support programs such as STEP and more gender-equitable hiring procedures, the goal is to increase the proportion of female professors to 33%.
Safe Environment
Awareness-raising measures, such as language guidelines and the revision of forms, as well as all-gender restrooms and contact options for queer people, aim to provide a more inclusive infrastructure.
Career Development
In collaboration with the Gender Equality Office, the Rectorate and the Central Administration, support programs and gender mainstreaming processes are implemented.
Gender Research
Supporting gender research in the field of female immunity through the establishment of a W1 professorship and the provision of gender and diversity consulting services aims to promote more equitable academic practices.
Gender Equality in practice means...
Free menstrual products
The University of Bonn offers free menstrual products to students. The dispensers are located in 34 restrooms at 20 central locations. You can find an overview of all locations here.
Guidelines for Gender-Sensitive Language
You can read the University of Bonn’s recommendations on gender-sensitive communication in writing and speech here.
LGBTQIA* contact point
The LGBTQIA* contact point offers counseling, networking and discussion opportunities for members of the University of Bonn who identify as LGBTQIA* or who wish to learn more about the topic.
Resources for LGBTQ* persons
We’d like to introduce you to various resources in Bonn and the surrounding area that enable LGBTQIA* persons to network, support one another and get involved.
(Early) Name change
Are you trans*, inter* or non-binary and would like to change your name and/or civil status? You can find all the relevant information here.
Frameworks for Gender Equality
Here you will find an overview of all the faculties’ gender equality plans, as well as the University of Bonn’s 2022–2026 framework plan.
Gender Equality Office
The Gender Equality Officer promotes gender equality at the university and is available to advise you in cases of (sexual) discrimination or other concerns related to equality and gender.
Center for Theological Gender Studies
The Center for Theological Gender Studies (ATG) explores the significance of gender studies for Catholic theology.
All-Gender Restrooms
You can find a list of the locations of all all-gender restrooms at the University of Bonn here.
MeTra Mentoring Program
The MeTra program is aimed at female* researchers at the early stages of their careers and offers a support program that includes training sessions, the assignment of a mentor, and regular networking meetings.
STEP
The university-wide program “Strengthening the Equal Opportunity Process” (STEP) is designed to provide targeted support to female researchers and professors at all stages of their careers.
Offers on the topic of gender equality
Here you can find various resources offered by the University of Bonn for students, teachers and staff on the topic of gender equality.
Offers for students
FLINTA* Counseling
FLINTA* Counseling is intended for women, lesbians, inter*, non-binary, trans* and agender persons.
Website: https://asta-bonn.de/de/referate/fug
Counseling for people affected by sexual violence and sexist discrimination
Peer Counseling by the Queer Department
The Queer Office offers counseling for trans* students and the “Tell Mom” counseling service.
Website: https://asta-bonn.de/en/departments/queer-department
The ELVIRA program at the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Bonn is a peer mentoring program specifically designed for female students* (or those identified as female) with a non-academic family background, aiming to support them in their future professional and career planning (whether within or outside academia).
The Gender & Diversity Course Catalog has been published at the beginning of every term since Winter 2021/22. It gathers in one place all courses taught at the University of Bonn touching on issues of gender and/or diversity. Here you can download both the current catalog and previous issues.
To promote the visibility of gender studies and queer studies at the University of Bonn, the Gender Equality Office awards an annual prize for outstanding final theses and doctoral dissertations drawing on the methods and topics of these disciplines.
The Maria von Linden Prize was created in 2022 to honour extraordinary commitment to the cause of gender equality at the University of Bonn. It will be awarded annually. Candidates (individuals or groups) must be nominated by another member of the University.
With this program the Center for Theological Gender Studies is launching the first academically rigorous, interdisciplinary degree program in the field of gender studies at the University of Bonn. The Faculty of Philosophy, the Faculty of Protestant Theology, the Old Catholic Seminary, and the Equal Opportunity and Diversity Unit are also collaborating with the Center for Theological Gender Studies.
The certificate program is open to students in all degree programs across all faculties at the University of Bonn and consists of four components totaling 16 ECTS credits.
SWANS is a non-profit (post-)migrant self-organization that supports female students and academics with an immigrant background who grew up in German-speaking countries, as well as Black women and women of color (BIWOC) in their professional pursuits. Similar to a scholarship over 1500 “swans” benefit from a free support program and a comprehensive networking platform.
The Hildegardis Association not only promotes women’s studies but also offers mentoring programs and networking events for female academics and students, as well as inclusion projects and grants for professional development initiatives for women at various stages of their careers.
Click here to visit the Hildegardis Association website (German)
Offers for female* researchers and staff
The Argelander Competence Center offers a comprehensive range of support services for early-career researchers. The various units of the Competence Center jointly offer the Argelander Program for Early-Career Researchers, which is aimed specifically at doctoral candidates and postdocs.
Each year the Gender Equality Office awards grants to support three projects focusing on intersectionality, with the aim of strengthening the structural embedding of gender equality within the faculties. Eligible applicants include faculties, individual institutes, departments, academic groups and other units and departments of the University of Bonn.
The Maria von Linden Prize was created in 2022 to honour extraordinary commitment to the cause of gender equality at the University of Bonn. It will be awarded annually. Candidates (individuals or groups) must be nominated by another member of the University.
The MeTra program is aimed at female* researchers at the early stages of their careers and offers a support program that includes training sessions, the assignment of a mentor, and regular networking meetings.
The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences supports the continued participation of early-career female researchers in academic activities during pregnancy and breastfeeding by funding additional measures to lighten their workload.
Through its range of workshops, the Gender Equality Office offers all members of the University of Bonn the opportunity to take part in workshops and training sessions designed to help them develop their skills. The focus is on career development for women, self-confidence and empowerment, and gender competence.
Esther Kilian (she/her)
Dechenstraße 3-11
53115 Bonn
Katharina Gahbler (she/her)
Dechenstraße 3-11
53115 Bonn
Read also
Diversity Strategy
Here you can find an overview of the University of Bonn’s diversity strategy until 2030.