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.