Hohenheim: Women bring a breath of fresh air into research!

Hohenheim: Women bring a breath of fresh air into research!

There has recently been a remarkable upswing in gender equality in research and teaching in the education sector in Germany. According to the latest developments in the CEWS university ranking, Baden-Württemberg has recorded a sharp increase in the country ranking since 2021 and is now in the upper midfield. This has a positive impact on universities in the country, particularly the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart, which has achieved outstanding results in several areas. The university placed in the top group in four of six indicators of the gender equality study, while it was in the middle in the other two categories. These differences are based on a comprehensive evaluation of the proportion of women in 2023 and the relative increases from 2018 to 2023 conducted by the CEWS, as University of Hohenheim reported.

The current figures from the University of Hohenheim will be published in the annual report of the Equal Opportunities Officer on July 18, 2025. The statistics show that in 2023, almost every second doctoral position at the university was held by a woman - the proportion of women in doctoral positions was an impressive 48.55%. In addition, 28.57% of the habilitations were completed by a woman, and the proportion of female professors among junior professorships was 50%. Over the period from 2021 to 2023, female scientists represent 43.24% of the scientific staff with doctorates, compared to 41.16% in 2018. It is worth noting that the proportion of women professors at the University of Hohenheim in 2023 is 30.51%, which is above the national average.

Equality at the federal level

Equality between women and men at universities continues to be viewed critically throughout Germany. While Baden-Württemberg is reporting progress, Berlin and Bremen lead the Germany-wide ranking, followed by Hamburg. According to information from Research and teaching The best universities in the ranking, such as the Hertie School in Berlin and the universities of Duisburg-Essen and Hildesheim, have an almost perfect score. The ranking's methodology has also changed this year, so that threshold values ​​are now used for evaluation, which is intended to create new incentives for equality policies.

Despite progress, significant challenges remain. The proportion of women in research and development (R&D) remains underrepresented in Germany, as the data from Federal Statistical Office prove. In 2021, the proportion of women in the R&D sector was only 29.4%, which is one of the lowest levels in the EU-27. While the EU average is 33.7%, Germany is showing a slow increase, rising from 26.8% in 2011 to the current 29.4%. Women are particularly underrepresented in the research departments of German companies, where their proportion was only 15.6% in 2021.

In summary, it can be said that despite positive developments in certain universities and federal states, the overall equality landscape in Germany still offers room for improvement. It remains to be seen how efforts towards equality will develop in the coming years.