Birgit Weber is the new university women's representative

The Senate at the University of Bayreuth elected the new University Women's Representative Prof. Dr. Birgit Weber and her deputies Prof. Dr. Karin Birkner, Prof. Dr. Heike Feldhaar and Prof. Dr. Gabriele Schrüfer already in July. They will take office on October 1 and assume a wide range of tasks.

The task of the women's representatives is to ensure that female scientists, artists, female teachers and students are not placed at a disadvantage. According to the law, they are bound to secrecy, are not bound to instructions and support the university in the performance of their duties or in the implementation of gender equality. For this purpose, various measures are offered at the University of Bayreuth through the Equal Opportunity Service Office (for gender), such as the coaching and mentoring program, programs for girls and female students in the natural and technical sciences, and counseling services for academic staff. As the supervisor for this team, the new university women's representative can advance her issues with a great deal of commitment and creativity.

"I am looking forward to the task because already as a young female scientist and especially today as a professor (and mother), I keep noticing that the infamous 'glass ceiling' still exists. Even in the distribution of tasks, people often still think in terms of gender stereotypes. There is still a lot to do before the office of women's representative is no longer needed," says Birgit Weber. She is a professor of Inorganic Chemistry IV and works on the synthesis and characterization of functional switchable molecules and their diverse applications. In the more than twelve years she has already been working at UBT, she has served on many committees and was a member of the Faculty Council and the Senate. With the wealth of experience she has gained, she is well prepared for her tasks as University Women's Representative.

Her predecessor Birgitta Wöhrl, Professor at the Chair of Biochemistry IV - Biophysical Chemistry, looks back on a term of four years as University Women's Representative and previously twelve years as Deputy. She has made a lot of difference at the university. She has established the coaching and mentoring program at the University of Bayreuth, co-authored the Women's Advancement Plan of 2007, the Equal Opportunity Concept of 2009, 2013 and 2018, the internal target agreements for the implementation of equal opportunities for the sexes and, until the last day, advised and drafted the new project application of the Equal Opportunity Service Office on the topic of "Gender Aspects in Research". In addition, Bavaria-wide political work was of great concern to her. In cooperation with Dr. Margit Weber, the then state spokesperson for women's and equal opportunity representatives at LMU Munich, she played a decisive role in ensuring that the advancement of women and their participation in various committees would be enshrined in the Higher Education Innovation Act (HIG), which comes into force in January 2023. She still has a good tip for her successor: "You need staying power, because the stereotypes about women in our society are stubborn, even at universities that are hierarchical systems - but it's worth it!"

The University of Bayreuth can now count on a new dedicated team of women's representatives and continue on the path to more gender equity for its academic staff.