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.

The responsibilities of Women’s Representatives at Bavarian universities are defined as follows by the Bavarian Higher Education Act (Bayerisches Hochschulgesetz 2006): 

"Women's Representatives are interested in counteracting disadvantages faced by female researchers, teachers, and students; they further support the university ithrough the tasks set forth in paragraph 1." (BayHschG, Art. 4, Abs. 2, Satz 1)

The aforementioned paragraph 1 reads as follows:

“Universities promote the effective implementation of equality between women and men in the performance of their tasks and consider this to be a guiding principle; they work toward eliminating existing disadvantages. In order to achieve equality between women and men, the university provides women with support to improve their skills, qualifications, and professional performance (Article 33 (2) of the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany [Grundgesetz]). The goal of this support system is to increase the proportion of women at all levels of German academia.”

In addition to advising individuals and taking appropriate action against discrimination violations, the responsibilities of the Women´s Representatives include but are not limited to:

• Coordinating programs to promote women’s participation in research and teaching
• Sharing the concerns of female students and researchers through public relations
• Reporting on the statistics of female students and researchers at the University of Bamberg
• Accomplishing committee work in all university committees
• Supporting gender studies in research and teaching
• Advising all members of the university on gender equality work (gender consulting)
• Confidentially counseling students and (early-career) researchers with personal and university-related concerns

Gender equality work is organized in a variety of ways at the University of Bamberg. The administrative committee for women's issues at the University of Bamberg is the Women's Affairs Advisory Board (Frauenbeirat). In addition to the Equal Opportunity Officers (Gleichstellungsbeauftragten), who are responsible for administrative staff, this council also includes the Family Ombudswoman, female student representatives, and both the Women´s Representatives of the Faculties and the University-wide Women´s Representatives. The Women's Office serves as a central point of contact for initial inquiries, but all Women's Representatives can also be contacted directly.