Women's Representatives at the OTH Regensburg

The Women's Representatives (representatives for equal opportunity in science and art) ensure that female scientists, artists, female teaching staff and students are not disadvantaged. They are obliged to maintain confidentiality, are not bound by instructions and support the universities in the performance of their duties in accordance with para. 1 (Art. 22 HIG). Accordingly, the universities promote the actual implementation of equal rights for all genders and take this into account as a guiding principle.

The tasks include:

Contact person for academic staff and students
Promoting and safeguarding the interests of female academics, lecturers and students
Representation of women's interests in university committees
Motivating girls and young women to pursue STEM degrees and technical professions
Contact point for scholarships
Coaching female academics with the career goal of becoming a professor at a university of applied sciences
Participation in all measures that enable better compatibility of studies/career with family - for all genders
Support and promotion of women-specific topics in teaching and practice

Women in science

Women are clearly underrepresented in science. They make up just over half of students and more than 45% of doctoral students are female (2022). However, the proportion of women in professorships is only at 27% (2021). At universities of applied sciences and in Bavaria specifically, the numbers are even lower: At Bavarian universities of applied sciences, the proportion of female professors in 2021 was at 22.6%, at the OTH Regensburg at 21.0%.

Consequently, to the OTH Regensburg it is important to encourage more women to pursue an academic career. The Bavarian Higher Education Innovation Act (HIG) also calls for an increase in the proportion of women in all subject groups and on all levels where women are underrepresented. This is to be done on the basis of the cascade model. The cascade model pursues raising the proportion of women to the proportion of women at the qualification level below. The proportion of female students would therefore be decisive for the proportion of female doctorates, while the proportion of female professors would be determined by the proportion of female doctorates.

The Women's Representatives support the university management in this task with various programmes.

The State Conference of Women's Representatives and Equal Opportunities Officers at Bavarian Universities (LaKoF) brings together the Women's Representatives and Equal Opportunities Officers at Bavarian universities. The aim of LaKoF Bayern is to promote equal opportunities in the academic system.

With the programmes BayernMentoring - doctoral scholarships - qualification programme "rein-in-die-hörsäle", LaKoF Bayern/HAW has established three pillars for female career advancement in order to support women sustainably and effectively on their way to an academic career.