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Hochschule, Wissenschaft
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Veranstaltung
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Wissenschaftler:innen

Empowerment-Tag - Darum geht es

In Baden-Württemberg ist rund die Hälfte aller Studierenden weiblich, doch nur wenige Professuren und Führungspositionen innerhalb und außerhalb der Wissenschaft sind von Frauen besetzt. Um diese Geschlechterungleichheit sichtbarer zu machen und Frauen aus der Wissenschaft zu motivieren, ihre Karriereplanung in die Hand zu nehmen, veranstaltet die Stiftung jährlich den Empowerment-Tag.

Next Empowerment Day on 12th of November 2025 - will be held in English!

The next Empowerment Day will take place on Wednesday, 12th of November 2025 and will focus on the question

Does background matter? (In)equal opportunities in academia.

Despite decades of expansion in higher education, academic careers remain marked by strong social selectivity. Taking up this question, the day will begin with impulses from Dr. Maria Keil on the topic Merit and inequality: How social background shapes academic careers in Germany. She is acting professor in Socialization and Education at the University Gießen focusing on social inequalities in educational and academic contexts. In her talk Dr. Keil will address how academic strategies vary across social class backgrounds and, in addition, she examines the extent to which professors' conceptions of academic performance contribute to processes of social closure. Dr. Keil thus raises the question if a more socially diverse professorial body will automatically lead to greater social openness within academia. Dr. Maria Keil will be joining us online.

In addition, there are five exciting workshops to choose from, each focussing on a different aspect of the day's motto. The day offers you the opportunity to meet other researchers, exchange ideas, and develop your skills. The full programme can be found here.

Only female students, doctoral candidates and postdocs from Baden-Württemberg universities and non-profit, non-university research institutions based in Baden-Württemberg can participate. All individuals who identify as women and find themselves in this reality are warmly invited.

 

November 12, 2025
EMPOWERMENT DAY

Workshops for the Empowerment-Day

In academic careers, networks matter – but how we build them, maintain them, and show up within them is deeply personal.

This workshop invites early-career researchers to explore and develop their own approach to professional networking in academia. Beyond formal structures and conventional advice, we focus on the human side of connection: visibility, authenticity, and creative strategies that align with individual goals and values. Through a mix of reflection, interactive exercises, and peer exchange, participants gain insights into academic networking cultures, discover new ways of engaging with others, and build confidence in their own presence – whether at conferences, in committees, online, or in spontaneous conversations.

Participants leave the workshop with:

  • a clearer sense of their networking style,
  • inspiration for future connections,
  • and concrete steps toward a more intentional and sustainable networking practice.

This workshop is not about being louder – it’s about becoming more you in academic spaces.

Your trainer: Dr. Julia Rathke, Life / Science /Coaching

Dr. Julia Rathke is a freelance coach and trainer specialising in visibility, career paths and communication in academia. For many years, she has been helping people on their journey to authentic presence. She also works as a research assistant at the Ludwigsburg University of Education and IU International University. Previously, she conducted research at the German University of Administrative Sciences Speyer on career paths in science management and the visibility of female scientists.

How can you plan and pursue your career in academia or beyond? What are opportunities and challenges for female researchers? Which resources do you already have, and which would you like to build? How can you do things your way so you strengthen your resilience and can be authentic?

This workshop is for doctoral candidates from all disciplines who want to actively shape their professional future and prepare strategically for their next career steps in academia and beyond. This workshop is designed for participants to explore a range of career perspectives, and to strengthen their decision-making capacity. In guided reflections, interactive exercises, and peer exchange, participants have the opportunity to get deeper insights into their personal strengths, and values. Building on that, participants gain clarity and confidence in defining career goals and can start design concrete strategies for achieving them.

Your trainer: Dr. Sabine Müller, Scienza Coaching & Consulting GmbH

Dr. Sabine Müller has been working as a trainer and coach in science, culture, and education since 2022. Her focus is on career development, diversity, and new work.

After studying literature, philosophy, and art history at the University of Tübingen, she earned her doctorate at the University of Oxford, where she worked as a lecturer and department head for German literature and philosophy. Her work as a science manager in non-university research in Germany, with a focus on career development and equal opportunities, complements her workshops.

 

This workshop offers an in-depth introduction to the German research and innovation landscape. Participants will gain insights into the structures and specific characteristics of conducting research at universities and the non-university institutions. In addition, the workshop addresses key professional competencies required for developing as an independent researcher and discusses strategic aspects of career planning within the German research system. The program is designed to support informed career decisions and to foster participants’ long-term professional growth.

Your trainer: Dr. Anke Soemer, Transfer Lab – Consulting. Training. Coaching

Anke Soemer has been working at the Fraunhofer Society since 2015, most recently in the Department of Transfer and Innovation. From 2000 to 2015, she worked at the Max Planck Society, where she served as Head of the Department for Young Scientists, the Max Planck Research Schools, and the Coordination of Presidential Commissions. She studied public administration and law at the Universities of Konstanz and Ottawa and received her doctorate from the Technical University of Munich.

Academic careers are not only shaped by talent and ambition but also by social background. Family education, income, and status, as well es gender and migration continue to influence educational mobility and access to academic communities. These factors affect not only career opportunities but also self-perception and the sense of belonging in academia.

This workshop invites participants to explore the day’s guiding question “Does background matter?” through a biographical lens. Using case studies of first-generation students, we will reflect on experiences of inequality, exclusion, and inclusion within higher education. Participants will engage in group discussions, guided reflection, and the analysis of biographical material, connecting these insights to their own professional journeys.

Together, we will identify barriers and opportunities in academic pathways, share strategies for negotiating belonging, and discuss ways to create more inclusive academic environments. The workshop provides both space for personal reflection and concrete approaches that strengthen empowerment and solidarity among early-career researchers.

Your trainer: Flora Petrik, University of Tübingen

Flora Petrik works as a research assistant at the Institute of Education at the University of Tübingen. She studied educational science, German language and literature, and comparative literature in Vienna and Jyväskylä. Her dissertation project focused on the experiences of first-generation students at university. Her other areas of research and teaching include social inequality in schools and universities, with a particular focus on social background and Pierre Bourdieu's theory of practice.

Empowerment-Tag im Sommer 2025
Zum Rückblick

Dr. Caroline Liepert

Dr. Caroline Liepert
Abteilungsleiterin Forschung, Prokuristin
Tel +49 (0) 711 248 476-15
liepert@bwstiftung.de

Franziska Klaeger
Referentin Forschung
Tel +49 (0) 711 248 476-47
klaeger@bwstiftung.de

Daniela Wigger
Referentin Forschung
Tel +49 (0) 711 248 476-40
wigger@bwstiftung.de

Dr. Juliane Klopstein
Referentin Forschung
Tel +49 (0) 711 248 476 40
klopstein@bwstiftung.de

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