Living equality and diversity

For the third time in a row, the University of Freiburg’s efforts to ensure equal opportunities for women and men have been honored with the TOTAL E-QUALITY award, this time along with the Diversity award, which was given this year for the first time. “The fact that we have been given the TOTAL E-QUALITY award for the third time is a great affirmation of our long-standing and wide-ranging work on equal opportunities and diversity,” says Prof. Dr. Gisela Riescher, vice president for research integrity, gender, and diversity. “The university’s submission and the decision of the jury show that we are on the right path with our broad-based, cross-sectional work including clearly-defined roles.”

Alongside the University of Freiburg, 59 other organizations from business, academia, administration and associations received the award, which they hold for three years, on the basis of submission of their forward-looking gender equality policies. 22 organizations received the Diversity award. “The equal opportunities directive and, increasingly, diversity matters too are comprehensively institutionalized in the university structures, established in processes and integrated in the organizational culture,” said the jury when honoring the University of Freiburg.

The University of Freiburg signed the diversity charter in 2010 and since 2012 has organized a day of diversity focusing on one of the six aspects of diversity – origin, gender, ideology, physical and mental condition, age and sexual orientation – each time adopting a different format.