Please note that this page includes non-official English translations of German laws. These translations are not legally binding and only the original German version is applicable in official matters.

According to the Bavarian Higher Education Innovation Act (BayHIG), which came into force on January first 2023, the women's representatives are now referred to as Academic Equal Opportunity Officers and are defined as follows:

"Academic Equal Opportunity Officers shall be appointed at the universities to ensure that female scientists, artists, female teaching staff and students are not disadvantaged."

The first paragraph of the article also sets out the requirements for universities as follows:

"In performing their duties, higher education institutions shall promote the effective implementation of equal rights for women and men and take this into account as a guiding principle. They shall work towards the elimination of existing disadvantages. In order to implement equal rights, women are given preference, taking into account the priority of aptitude, ability and professional performance (Art. 33 Abs. 2 des Grundgesetzes, Art. 94 Abs. 2 der Verfassung). The aim of the funding is to increase the proportion of women at all levels of science and art."

The specific tasks of the Academic Equal Opportunity Officers primarily include the following activities in addition to advising on individual cases and pursuing violations of the equal opportunities requirement:

• Coordination of individual programs to promote the proportion of women in research and teaching
• Public relations work in support of the concerns of female students and academics
• Reporting on the situation of female students and academics at the University of Bamberg
• Committee work in all university committees
• Promotion of gender studies in research and teaching
• Advising all members of the university with regard to gender equality work (gender consulting)
• Confidential advice for female students and (junior) female academics with personal concerns

Gender equality work is organized in a variety of ways at the University of Bamberg. The joint body of all stakeholders is the University of Bamberg's Equal Opportunities Advisory Board. In addition to the Equal Opportunities Officer, who are responsible for the academic support area, the Family Office and student representatives, it includes both the Faculty Equal Opportunities Officers and the Academic Equal Opportunities Officers. The Academic Equal Opportunity Office serves as a central point of contact for initial inquiries; the Academic Equal Opportunities Officers can also be contacted directly at any time.