Background
The focus on female researchers with care responsibilities stems from empirical reality: socially, women continue to shoulder the bulk of care work. For female researchers, this has significant implications for visibility and equal opportunities, as the academic system is heavily geared towards mobility and constant availability (see Acker, 1990, pp. 146–148).
This structural inequality became particularly evident during the pandemic: in over 50 per cent of households, women took on the entire burden of childcare alone, whereas this was the case for men in only 24 per cent of cases (see Möhring et al., 2020, p. 12). This project aims to investigate the specific effects of this multiple burden on the visibility, productivity and career trajectories of female researchers at HU.
| The focus is on | We are looking for |
|---|---|
| the impact of the pandemic on the balance between academic work and care responsibilities | female researchers (postdocs, junior lecturers) with care responsibilities |
| the pandemic-related impacts on the career development of the target group, | HR managers and equality officers, or senior staff who have supported pandemic-related developments at an institutional level |
| existing structural gender equality gaps that have become more visible through the ‘magnifying glass’ of the pandemic | |
| as well as institutional responses and measures during and after the crisis |
Funding
The project is based at the Centre for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging within the Office for Gender Equality and Equity and will run until the end of 2026. It is funded by the Berlin Equal Opportunities Programme (BCP).
Contact
Eleana Athanasiadou
