German universities win major gender‑equality awards

The University of Bielefeld was honoured by the European Union with the Sustainable Gender Equality Champion award, becoming the first German university to receive the distinction. The prize was presented in Brussels by EU Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva to Pro‑Rector Prof. Dr. Michaela Vogt and deputy gender officer Siân Birkner. The university highlighted a rise in female professor representation from 16 % in 2003 to 38 % in 2023, a long‑standing mentoring programme and dedicated gender research chairs.

At the same time, the Bergische Universität Wuppertal received the 17th Gleichstellungspreis, a €5,000 German equality prize, for two projects: a prevention strategy against sexualised violence in sport and the “Baulöwinnen” initiative promoting women in construction engineering. The awards were handed to Pro‑Rector Prof. Dr. Gertrud Oelerich. The construction‑engineering project produced a travelling exhibition, “Entgegen aller Wahrscheinlichkeit – Frauen, die bauen”, to showcase female engineers across Germany.

Both recognitions underscore a growing emphasis on gender‑equality policies and programmes within German higher‑education institutions.