The Coordination Office for Gender Equality

The coordination office for gender equality acts as a networking agency between the Equal Opportunity Office and the Cluster of Excellence MMCI. It serves as a point of contact for all gender issues in the domain of mathematics, computer science, natural science and technology.

Despite excellent conditions and high qualifications, only relatively few female students choose to study STEM-related subjects (mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and technology). Why is that? And how are these decisions made? The recently established Coordination Unit for Gender Equality is dealing with this subject. It acts as a link between the university’s Office for Gender Equality and the Cluster of Excellence MMCI, and serves as a point of contact for gender issues in STEM areas.

In close cooperation with the equal opportunities officer, Dr. Sybille Jung, and the Cluster of Excellence MMCI's team working with Kristina Scherbaum, Stephanie Vogel will analyze the reasons that influence the decision to study a STEM-related field. The active acquisition of young scientists is one of the high-priority issues on their agenda. Various events and projects will help to attract new students. In particular, Saarbrücken computer science will be highlighted with respect to its excellent location and outstanding career prospects.

Family-Friendly University

Saarland University already offers many opportunities for its employees to bring to their everyday work and family life into harmony. The measures are centralized as audit - family-friendly university (audit familienfreundliche universität). These will be expanded in the coming years, improved and supplemented by new initiatives and measures.

Implemented Measures

Giving advice and information for employees with or without children through personal consultation, and furnishing a website with current information and links about family and compatibility
Flexible working hours as part of a flex-time system in the administrative area
Vertrauensarbeitszeit system for more flexible working hours in the scientific field
Promotion of part-time employment
Advice on the compatibility content of work and family through the Equal Opportunity Office of the University
Consideration of the family situation in the design of work processes and measures to create equal opportunities (e.g. the University's women's advancement plan)
Basic equal rights of employees or applicants with family responsibilities
In cooperation between the Student Council and the audit familiengerechte hochschule, the Babysitter Online Platform provides for secure, convenient arrangement of contacts between parents and certified student babysitters

Planned Measures

Family-friendly personnel policies

Patchwork biographies and active parenthood are accepted for all categories of employees
Construction of a relocation service
Awareness of managers on issues of reconciling work and family

Promoting family-friendly working hours

Appointments take family obligations into account
Family-friendly arrangements for committee meetings in the new basic regulations
Requests for part-time working hours will be accepted for all groups of employees

Flexible Workplaces

For suitability of the workplace, the possibility of alternating telework

Childcare

Expansion and flexibility of childcare facilities on the Saarbrücken campus: hourly child care, holiday care
Childcare for employees at the Homburg campus