Gender Equality Plan
Preamble
Wissenschaft im Dialog is committed to promote gender equality in its areas of work. Wissenschaft im Dialog is constantly revising processes to recognise and eliminate structures and practices that enhance inequality. The General Act on Equal Treatment (AGG) obliges Wissenschaft im Dialog to promote gender equality as an organisation and employer. The purpose of the AGG is to protect all genders against discrimination, including women, men, transgender and intersex persons.
Prevention of Discrimination
To prevent gender discrimination, the Human Resource Management at Wissenschaft im Dialog is sensitised in gender expertise. Additionally Wissenschaft im Dialog gets, if needed, external advice by the Human Resource Management of the Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft.
Additionally, Wissenschaft im Dialog will introduce a Mental Health Team in 2022, which is the advisory board on gender issues and is consulted whenever questions concerning equal opportunities arise. The work of Wissenschaft im Dialog consists of a collaborative, interdisciplinary and motviated exchange regardless of heritage, gender, sex, disabiltities, skin color, religion or family and/or educational background.
Monitoring and collection of gender-disaggregated date
Wissenschaft im Dialog collects disaggregated data on gender and has started to publish it in 2020. In 2021 70% of the project leaders at Wissenschaft im Dialog were female and 30% of the project leaders were male. Wissenschaft im Dialog counts 65% women and 35% men as project managers within the organisational structure. Concerning the gender disaggregation data on top level-management positions, two women and three men have been appointed to the management board.
Promotion of equality and non-discrimination
Awareness raising/training on gender equality and unconscious gender biases for staff and decision-makers
Wissenschaft im Dialog was a rather small organisation before Corona, with limited financial and personnel resources. Since 2021 Wissenschaft im Dialog is in a situation having the financial resources to enhance internal workshops. As of 2022 Wissenschaft im Dialog is planning to provide annually at least one internal workshop on gender equality to avoid unconscious gender biases for staff and decision makers.
Concrete measures and targets
Work-life balance and organisational culture
Generally speaking, Wissenschaft im Dialog is organised democratically and every opinion is respected and taken into account. To make an equal environment possible, it is important to ensure a healthy work-life balance. Therefore, the management provides a system of completely flexible working hours. Moreover, every employee is allowed to work four days per week from home to ensure an optimal balance between private and working life. In case one’s child is sick, employees can take fully paid five days off per year in order to take care of their sick child. Fully paid days off are not legally compulsory in germany.
Gender balance in leadership and decision-making
As mentioned above the management board shows an almost gender-balanced representation. In regards to the personnel gender structure, Wissenschaft im Dialog has more women in project lead positions than men (70%:30%). Wissenschaft im Dialog is constantly trying to provide a gender balance in leadership and therefore in decision-making.
Gender equality in recruitment and career progression
Wissenschaft im Dialog has elaborated a general guideline on recruitment and career progression that is compulsory for every project leader. According to the guideline on career progression, Wissenschaft im Dialog is aiming at balanced gender distribution on every organisational level. In recruitment processes invitations to job interviews should always be gender balanced and the recruiter should always try to get a gender balance in their project teams. In general, applications are very welcome from all genders, cultural backgrounds and physical limitations.
Integration of the gender dimension into content
Wissenschaft im Dialog organizes various participatory formats, e.g. discussions, school projects, exhibitions, and competitions across Germany and provides online portals about science communication. So far, Wissenschaft im Dialog is addressing all genders by using a gender inclusive language. Further, the projects within the organization are being urged to screen gender statistics within the individual projects to make sure to reach all genders equally. In case any project observes extreme gender imbalance within any formats, it is recommended to work on its concepts to address all genders appropriately. When hiring freelancers and/or moderators for different events, Wissenschaft im Dialog avoids gender imbalances and to promote young talents of different genders. Additionally Wissenschaft im Dialog provides workshops for science communicators on how to conceptualize gender balanced events.
Measures against gender-based violence including sexual harassment
The planed Mental Health Team of Wissenschaft im Dialog will be educated in issues concerning sexual harassment. If any individual at Wissenschaft im Dialog feels that he*she is being exposed to any form of sexual harassment of any character, he*she can contact someone on the following list:
Mental Health Team
Management Board
Human Resource Management
The Mental Health Team will have the competency to contact the management board whenever they need to. The management team must take action immediately. Furthermore the gender diversity within the management board means that there is a sounding board for matters regarding gender-based violence.
September 2021
Download Gender Equality Plan (pdf)