Würzburg's Physics Faculty: Equality Award for courageous initiative!

Würzburg's Physics Faculty: Equality Award for courageous initiative!

A team of lecturers, employees and students from the Faculty of Physics and Astronomy at the Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg was awarded the Equality Prize 2025. uni-wuerzburg.de informed that the ceremonial handover will take place on May 12, 2025 as part of the foundation festival. The university awards this prize every two years to recognize outstanding commitment to equal opportunities in science.

The award goes to the Equality in Physics Taskforce, which was founded in 2024 to bundle existing equality measures at the faculty. The initiative aims to develop new projects to strengthen FLINTA* people (women, lesbians, inter, non-binary, trans and agender people) in the field of physics. The concerns of young women in science receive particular attention.

Important measures to promote equal opportunities

The task force is led by lecturers, academic staff and students. Important members include Romana Ganser, Helena Hollstein, Professor Adriana Pálffy-Buß, Katharina Klug and Alina Markova. Together they have launched several initiatives aimed at increasing the visibility of female role models and promoting equal opportunities.

• FLINTA*-Grillen und das Professorinnen-Frühstück „Triff dein Vorbild“ bieten Einblicke in Karrierewege.
• Eine Vortragsreihe mit dem Titel „Frauen – Physik – Karrierewege“ zeigt weibliche Vorbilder in der Physik auf.
• Die Ausstellung „Rethinking Physics“ porträtiert Physikerinnen weltweit und fördert deren Sichtbarkeit.

Particular attention is paid to the physics summer school, which particularly appeals to young women. In 2024, the proportion of female participants was over 57 percent, underscoring the task force's efforts to recruit girls into science fields.

Challenges and successes

The task force is also committed to improving everyday student life. This includes equipping the women's toilets with hygiene products and planning a FLINTA* poster exhibition. The first successes are already noticeable, as positive reports have been received from students and the physics department has nominated the task force. The work is often carried out on a voluntary basis and is carried out parallel to your studies or work.

However, the challenges for women in science remain great. There are many well-educated women in Germany today, but the proportion decreases with each academic level. According to the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), the proportion of women among doctoral students is 46%, while it is only 28% among professors. bmbf.de With initiatives such as the female professor program, the BMBF aims to counteract this “leaky pipeline” and promote parity in science.

In industrial research in Germany, where around 735,000 full-time employees work, the proportion of women was extremely low at 14.8% in 2019. The need for action is particularly great in the automotive industry, which has a predominantly male-dominated corporate culture. However, there are also positive trends: 41% of full-time employees in the pharmaceutical industry are already women, and one in three managers is female. academics.de

Further measures are required to promote diversity in science and research. The BMBF has therefore launched initiatives such as “MissionMINT” and “Girls’ Day” to get girls interested in scientific careers and to take gender aspects into account in research processes. bmbf.de