Equal employment opportunities

Promoting equal participation and development for women and men at all hierarchical levels is an integral part of our strategy and an important company objective. Since 2012, we have been rigorously pursuing this objective with targeted, mutually compatible measures that comply with the overall policy. Through a variety of measures and programs, such as the Fraunhofer family logo and the TALENTA program, we are promoting equal career and development opportunities across all career stages and driving cultural change toward greater gender equality.

Recruiting female scientists

We focus on recruiting female students and graduates through a variety of measures, such as the Science Campus event and Student Research Assistant Day, in order to encourage more young women to develop an interest in doctoral studies and starting their careers at Fraunhofer Institutes.

Career development

Advancing the careers of female scientists and managers is particularly important. The TALENTA career program, which facilitates structured career development, makes an important contribution toward increasing the proportion of women in management positions.

Work-life balance

Through a variety of support measures for childcare, and through the Fraunhofer family logo, which is awarded to Fraunhofer Institutes that provide outstanding conditions for reconciling career and family life, we create attractive working conditions for men and women so they can achieve a good work-life balance.

Monitoring

Regular reporting on current gender distribution figures at individual management levels, combined with the development and implementation of guidelines on equality support the achievement of Fraunhofer-specific cascade models.

Networks and committee work

It is also important to us that equal gender participation should be made visible in committee and stakeholder work, in networks — for example, the “Chefsache” initiative — and in internal and external communication.

Cultural transformation

Raising awareness on topics such as unconscious bias and gender-sensitive language also supports the entire organization and helps to create a more equitable culture.

The comprehensive implementation and integration of the overall policy for promoting gender equality in the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft has been underway since 2013. This process has been supported by regular evaluations, monitoring and further development, as well as amendments to individual elements of the overall policy and dialog with various stakeholders.

“Equal opportunities and diversity must be integrated strategically into the organization, in order to ensure effectiveness and a long-term impact. That begins with communicating company values, continues in the area of organization and HR development, especially of executives”, and ends with tailoring roles to fit individual needs.”