The Senate of Paderborn University has elected Dr. Annika Hegemann as the new Central Equal Opportunities Officer. The business economist succeeded Irmgard Pilgrim, who held the office since 1992, on 1 October. Senate Speaker Prof. Dr. Merle Tönnies and University President Prof. Dr. Birgitt Riegraf thanked Pilgrim for her many years of valuable commitment. The central Equal Opportunities Officer was elected for four years. Deputy Equal Opportunities Officer remains Dr. Regina Sprenger, who has held the office since 2002. In the coming years, both want to promote gender equality, the compatibility of care obligations in the academic world and the diversity of all university members.
Creating networks and raising awareness
"Equality does not demand the betterment of one gender, but advocates ending the previous betterment of one gender in favour of equality for all genders," says Hegemann, who received her doctorate at the Chair of Business Taxation and subsequently worked on continuing education concepts at the Faculty of Business Administration and Economics. "I want to create more awareness with regard to gender stereotypes, which mostly influence us all unconsciously and are responsible for many unequal treatments. Knowledge about this complex of topics and, in a second step, reflection on one's own actions and thinking are crucial to countering these subtle processes that drive unequal treatment. In addition, the researcher plans to make gender equality a topic for all genders, to expand networks and to link the established field of gender equality with the topic of diversity.
Hegemann came into contact with the topic of gender equality through personal experiences during her doctoral and post-doctoral phases at the Faculty of Economics. "With the many tasks and decisions that have to be managed simultaneously during this period of life, women are still disadvantaged today," says the mother of three.
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