Gender Equality Commissioner

Her range of responsibilities is regulated in Art. 15 to 19 BayGIG. The Equal Opportunities Commissioner monitors and promotes the law, which includes the following objectives:

• The realisation of equality between women and men in the public service.
• The increase of the proportion of women in areas in which they are employed in significantly lower numbers than men
• Ensuring equal opportunities for women and men
• A better reconciliation of family and work
• The equal participation of women and men in committees.

The Equal Opportunities Commissioner is also responsible for:

• Supporting the university in the implementation of the equal opportunities concept
• Participating in regular meetings between the department and the staff council ("monthly meetings")
• Own initiatives for the
  • Implementation of the Bavarian Equal Opportunities Act
  • Improving the situation of women
  • Better reconciliation of work and family life for women and men
• Participation in all matters of importance to gender equality (this area is much broader than many assume, as the implementation of gender equality extends into almost all areas of life and work)
• Participation in all matters of importance to the reconciliation of work and family life for women and men and to ensuring equal opportunities
• Advising on gender equality issues and supporting employees in individual cases

The University's institutions support the Equal Opportunities Commissioner in the fulfilment of her tasks, inform her comprehensively and at an early stage of processes relevant to equal opportunities and involve her in these processes.

The Equal Opportunities Officer of the University of Passau is a member of the following networks:

• State Conference of Women's and Equal Opportunities Commissioners at Bavarian Universities (LaKoF) (German)
• Federal Conference of Women's and Equal Opportunities Commissioners at Universities (BuKoF) (German)
• Working Group on Addiction Prevention and Assistance and Health Promotion at the University of Passau (German)

According to Art. 5 of the Bavarian Gender Equality Act, the gender equality concept is the basis for a description of the situation of female employees in comparison to male employees. For this purpose, gender equality measures and data relevant to gender equality are evaluated in each case.

Existing differences in the comparison of the proportions of women and men, in particular with regard to full-time and part-time employment, leave of absence, recruitment, application, further training, promotion, higher grouping and performance pay are presented and explained in the equality concept. In order to increase the proportion of women in areas in which they are employed in significantly lower numbers than men, measures should be developed to implement personnel and organisational improvements on the basis of time-related targets as well.

In addition, initiatives to ensure equal opportunities for women and men and the compatibility of family and employment, especially structural measures, should be developed and presented.

(German language only)

University of Passau

• Gleichstellungskonzept für das wissenschaftsunterstützende Personal 2020
• Gleichstellungskonzept für das wissenschaftliche Personal 2011
• Gleichstellungskonzept für das wissenschaftsunterstützende Personal 1997

Reports of the Bavarian State Government

• Erster Bericht der Bayerischen Staatsregierung zur Umsetzung des Bayerischen Gleichstellungsgesetzes (Berichtszeitraum: 01.07.1996 bis 30.06.1999)
  Der Bericht steht elektronisch nicht mehr zur Verfügung

• Zweiter Bericht der Bayerischen Staatsregierung über Umsetzung des Bayerischen Gesetzes zur Gleichstellung von Frauen und Männern 
  (Berichtszeitraum: 01.07.1999 bis 30.06.2002)

• Dritter Bericht der Bayerischen Staatsregierung über die Umsetzung des Bayerischen Gesetzes zur Gleichstellung von Frauen und Männern
  (Berichtszeitraum: 01.07.1996 bis 31.12.2004)

• Vierter Bericht der Bayerischen Staatsregierung über die Umsetzung des Bayerischen Gesetzes zur Gleichstellung von Frauen und Männern
  (Berichtszeitraum: 01.01.2005 bis 31.12.2009)
   
• Fünfter Bericht der Bayerischen Staatsregierung über die Umsetzung des Bayerischen Gesetzes zur Gleichstellung von Frauen und Männern
  (Berichtzeitraum: 01.01.2010 bis 31.12.2014)
   
• Sechster Bericht der Bayerischen Staatsregierung über die Umsetzung des Bayerischen Gesetzes zur Gleichstellung von Frauen und Männern
  (Berichtzeitraum: 01.01.2015 bis 31.12.2018)

Bavarian State Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs, Science and the Arts

• Gleichstellungskonzept 2009 bis 2014
• Gleichstellungskonzept 2014 bis 2018
• Gleichstellungskonzept 2019 bis 2023

Bavarian State Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Family and Integration

• Gleichstellungskonzept 2003
• Gleichstellungskonzept 2008
• Gleichstellungskonzept 2013

• Bayerisches Gesetz zur Gleichstellung von Frauen und Männern (Bavarian Equal Opportunities Act - BayGlG) of 24 May 1996, last amended on 23 May 2006.
  The aims of the Act are to achieve equality between women and men in the public service, to increase the proportion of women in areas where they are employed in significantly lower numbers than men, to ensure equal opportunities for women and men and to aim for equal participation of women and men in committees.

• Arbeitshilfe zur Umsetzung der Art. 16-19 des BayGlG  (Work aid for the implementation of Art. 16-19 of the BayGlG - published by the Office for Gender Equality).
  The working aid specifies the tasks and powers of the equal opportunities commissioner and provides application instructions for the BayGlG. With the help of examples from practice, measures and initiatives are also to be encouraged.

• Gesetz über Teilzeitarbeit und befristete Arbeitsverträge  (Part-Time Work and Fixed-term Employment Contracts Act/ Teilzeit- und Befristungsgesetz - TzBfG) (Source: Federal Ministry of Justice) Part-Time Work and Fixed-term Employment Contracts Act of 21 December 2000, last amended by Art. 1 of the Act of 19 April 2007.
  The aim of the Act is to promote part-time work, to define the conditions for the admissibility of fixed-term employment contracts and to prevent discrimination against part-time and fixed-term workers. The Part-Time and Fixed-term Employment Act contains the general statutory provisions on the promotion of part-time work, the conclusion and termination of fixed-term employment contracts and the protection of part-time and fixed-term workers against unjustified discrimination. It transposes the EC Directives on part-time work (97/81/EC) and on fixed-term work (1990/70/EC) into national law.

• Altersteilzeitgesetz 
  Partial Retirement Act of 23 July 1996, last amended on 31 October 2006 (Source: Federal Ministry of Justice).
  Partial retirement is intended to enable older workers to make a smooth transition from working life to retirement.

• Gesetz zur Durchsetzung der Gleichstellung von Frauen und Männern 
  Gender Equality Enforcement Act (Gleichstellungsdurchsetzungsgesetz - DGleiG) "Federal Equality Act for the Federal Administration and the Federal Courts" (Source: Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth)

• Das Allgemeine Gleichbehandlungsgesetz  (AGG)
  The General Equal Treatment Act (AGG)
  (Source: Federal Ministry of Justice)
  The aim of the law is to prevent or eliminate discrimination on grounds of race or ethnic origin, gender, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual identity. Several EU directives were implemented in the AGG.

Gender Mainstreaming

The term " Gender Mainstreaming" refers to the decision to enforce gender equality at all levels of society and is mostly used in public institutions.  In contrast to explicit women's policy, gender mainstreaming includes both genders equally in the conceptual design.

The word " Gender" describes the societally, socially and culturally shaped gender roles of women and men.  Unlike biological sex, these are learned and can therefore be changed. "Mainstreaming" refers to the attempt to bring disadvantaged or marginalised groups into the centre of society, i.e. into the normal "mainstream".Thus, Gender Mainstreaming can be defined as " universal gender equality orientation" or "gender equality policy".

Based on the fact that there is no gender-neutral reality, gender mainstreaming is thus the mandate to the top of an administration and to all employees to take into account - from the outset - the different interests and life situations of women and men, namely: 

• in the structure of the administration
• in the design of processes and workflows
• in the results and products
• in communication and public relations

Gender Budgeting

"Gender Budgeting" refers to the establishment and implementation of measures within the process of drawing up public budgets of the German Federal Government, the German Federal States and local authorities with the aim of promoting and ultimately achieving actual gender equality. "Gender Budgeting" is seen as a sub-strategy of gender mainstreaming in order to achieve gender equality through appropriately designed budget management.

Historical Development

At the 1995 United Nations World Conference on Women in Beijing, gender mainstreaming was established as a policy method and guideline to be translated into national activities by participating countries. The Amsterdam Treaty appointed the concept of gender mainstreaming as an official objective of the European Union's gender equality policy in 1997/1999. In a cabinet decision of 23 June 1999, the Federal Government recognised equality between women and men as a universal guiding principle of its actions and decided to promote this task by means of the strategy of gender mainstreaming. In 2002, the Bavarian State Parliament decided to anchor Gender Mainstreaming in all policy areas and to provide further training for managers. On 1 October 2002, the Bavarian State Government announced the amendment of the Rules of Procedure of the Bavarian State Government and the Organisational Guidelines with the aim of promoting a gender-sensitive perspective (AllMBl. No. 13/2002, p. 891f).

Further information on Gender Mainstreaming

• Bundesministerium für Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend: Gender Mainstreaming (German)
  Current news and numerous links referring to Gender Mainstreaming

• The GenderKompetenzZentrum (Gender Competence Centre) supports the implementation of Gender Mainstreaming. It is an application-oriented research institution in the Centre for Transdisciplinary Gender Studies (ZtG) at the Humboldt University of Berlin. The GenderCompetenceCentre offers a wide range of advisory services. In addition to a comprehensive range of information on the internet, for example, initial advice on the implementation of Gender Mainstreaming, research and events.

• The Center of Excellence Women and Science is the national hub for the realisation of equal opportunities for women and men in science and research in Germany. As a knowledge and research-based service institution, the CEWS is available to female scientists, universities, research institutions, science organisations and political bodies with its services.

• Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung (bpb): Gender Mainstreaming (German)
  Federal Agency for Civic Education (bpb): Gender Mainstreaming
  List with further literature on gender mainstreaming, gender budgeting, gender equality/equal opportunities, gender research, etc.

• The TOTAL E-QUALITY Deutschland e.V.  has set itself the goal of establishing and sustainably anchoring equal opportunities for women and men in business, science, politics and administration and thus bringing about a paradigm shift in human resources policy. The association awards the TOTAL E-QUALITY award for exemplary action in the sense of equal opportunities-oriented personnel management. The award recognises companies, organisations, universities and research institutions that pursue a personnel policy oriented towards equal opportunities.

Gender-sensitive Language

On April 9, 2013, the University of Passau adopted guidelines on gender-sensitive language, which come into force with immediate effect. The University of Passau is thus making its contribution to the realisation of the organisational guidelines on linguistic equality issued by the Bavarian State Government in 2003.
Richtlinien zur geschlechtergerechten Sprache  (German)

Further information on gender-sensitive language

• Freundlich, korrekt und klar: Bürgernahe Sprache in der Verwaltung (German) published by the Bavarian State Ministry of the Interior.
  Chapter 4 "Women and Men" is intended to serve as a guide for the linguistic equal treatment of women and men in public authorities. Numerous examples show how gender differences can be made clear in both spoken and written language and how they can be adapted to the respective situations.

• Sprachliche Gleichbehandlung von Frauen und Männern (German) published by the Federal Office of Administration - Federal Office for Office Organisation and Office Technology, 2nd ed. 2002.
  This leaflet describes the possibilities of designating persons in the German language if masculine personal designations are to be avoided as a generic term for male and female persons.