Brain City Berlin – pioneering in equality issues

10.07.2019 | The capital city fills almost half of the professorships with female scientists: 48 percent of the calls for professorships made by Berlin universities in the first half of 2019 went to women. Brain City Berlin is thus well above the national average.   

The rainbow flag blows colourfully in front of the Berlin City Hall. Until the Christopher Street Parade on 27 July 2019, it will flutter in the wind - as a symbol of diversity, equality, acceptance and tolerance. A current figure proves that these words are also lived in the capital Brain City Berlin: a total of 55 female scientists successfully applied for a professorship in Berlin this year. That is almost half (48 percent) of the calls made in the first half of 2019 by the 115 state universities in Berlin, as the Berlin Senate Chancellery announced on Monday.
 
Berlin is thus continuing its positive development and at the same time playing a pioneering role in terms of equality. According to Statistisches Bundesamt (Federal Statistical Officeomen only accounted for 24 percent of all professorships in Germany in 2017. In Berlin it was 32 percent in 2017, in 2016 it was only 29 percent.
 
The city is becoming more and more attractive for outstanding female researchers, said Michael Müller, Governing Mayor and Senator of Science in Berlin. At the same time, he underlined: "As long as it is not a matter of course that women are just as often to be found in professorships or executive positions in science as men, we have obviously not yet reached our goal.“
 
By the way: The distribution of calls and the acceptance of calls for professorships are often delayed. They do not necessarily have to fall in the same year. At the end of June 2019, the proportion of women scientists accepting professorships in Berlin was therefore only 43 percent. (vdo)

55 calls to female scientists for professorships at Berlin state universities (first half of 2019):

• 8 Humanities
• 21 Law, Economic Sciences and Social Sciences
• 7 Mathematics and Natural Sciences
• 6 Human Medicine/Health Sciences
• 3 Agricultural, Forestry and Nutrition Sciences, Veterinary Medicine
• 7 Engineering Sciences
• 3 Arts and Art Science

*Source: Press Release Berlin Senate Chancellery, 08.07.2019