On January 9, 2013, I gave the keynote talk at the “Meet the Female Faculty” Event at the Ruhr-University of Bochum. The Equal Opportunities Office and the Internal Continuing Education Office at Bochum team up to offer a special program for women scientists to meet each other and talk about their careers. I’ll present the …
All Posts Tagged
Tag: ‘gender equality’
Glass ceiling, labyrinth, or just a question of time? Women in leadership in Germany and the USA
Why are so few women in leadership positions? Is it because of a glass ceiling, a labyrinth, or is it just a matter of time until women reach the top? In the speaker series “Women and Leadership,” cohosted by the German-American Center and the Division for individual Equal Opportunities of the State Capital in Stuttgart, …
Four reasons why women are underrepresented as leaders
We know that women are underrepresented in leadership positions. But why? Here are four reasons. Effective solutions need to consider all four aspects. The first barrier is: 1. “The circle of women’s disadvantage” Women are the ones most often and most intensively responsible for caring for their family and children, though this trend is stronger …
The Employer’s Association for Insurance Firms in Germany is interested in Women in Leadership
The Employer’s Association for Insurance Firms (AGV) in Germany is the top political organization of the German Insurance Branch. Over 216,000 workers are working in firms represented in this organization, and 99% of all insurance firms are in this organization, according to Simone Rehbronn, AGV. On March 27, 2012, the AGV hosted a seminar day …
This semester: teaching on gender and work
Did you ever wonder why there aren’t more women professors, doctors, or world leaders? Or why there aren’t more men who stay home to care for their children? Did you wonder why there are more women than men studying German or English but more men than women studying Physics? The topic “Gender and Work” is …
Career Woman, Career Man?
Yesterday I visited a new doctor in Frankfurt. I had chosen her based on her excellent reviews in the on-line platforms that keep track of these things. In her office, there was a large beautiful framed photograph of two children. I asked, “are they your children?” “Yes. My second job, so to say.” And then, …
Leaving RWTH Aachen University
Today was my last day at RWTH Aachen, the place I held my first tenured professorship. After four years and five months, I can leave knowing that I worked hard and had an impact. We built an amazing science team, two of my team members became professors themselves, all have presented research internationally, all have …
How Political is Science? And how do we feel about that?
ecently I met a young scientist so full of energy and enthusiasm for her dissertation ideas, it got me to thinking about how enthusiastically many young people begin a dissertation project or a career. I was also reminded of the line between science and politics, and I was drawn to reflect on that line. Research …
The Leaky Pipeline
n a pipe, water has to pass through one part before it reaches another part. Similarly, in careers, a person has to pass one point before he or she can go to the next stage. The stages of a career are often described as a pipeline. A person must be a student before he or …
Should Germany have a Quota for women in leadership, and if so, which?
oday in the news, the difference of opinion between the Work-Minister von der Leyen and the Family-Minister Schroeder has been highlighted repeatedly. The debate is about whether or not Germany, as a nation, should set a minimum percent of women in the leadership of the companies based here, and if so, what form it should …
