The Equal Opportunity Office of Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences

The Equal Opportunity Office of Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences (h_da) is the point of contact for all matters relating to the topic of gender equality at our university.

The Equal Opportunity Office supports the university management and the various committees of Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences in the implementation of the statutory equal opportunity mandate on the basis of the General Equal Treatment Act (AGG), the Hessian Equal Opportunity Act (HGlG) and the Hessian Higher Education Act (HHG). The goal is to achieve gender equality, improve work-life balance, and eliminate existing underrepresentation of women in public service.

We are responsible for gender equality in the hiring process of employees and in filling professorships. We promote gender equality at various levels, for example by being active in many programs and networks and implementing various projects. The Equal Opportunity Office is committed to:

• for a gender-equitable university
• for equal access to the university for all people who have the appropriate qualifications
• against discrimination on the basis of gender, in order to give women, men, intersex or diverse persons, trans* as well as non-binary persons the same opportunities to teach, research and work at the university
• against sexual harassment

The equal opportunity officers Prof. Dr. Yvonne Haffner and Dipl.-Pol. Julia Baumann take on a cross-sectional task with the promotion of gender equality. They take part in staff appointment procedures, are involved in numerous committees and, in cooperation with the presidential management, draw up the Equal Opportunity Policy for the Promotion of Women and the Equal Opportunity Concept for the university.

Support is provided by the deputy equal opportunities officer Sabine Kasten and the anti-discrimination officer Prof. Dr. Beate Galm, who is associated with the equal opportunities office.

The university is supported by the Equal Opportunity Officers in integrating equality into university development as well as in implementing the legal equality mandate. They are advisory members of the university's Senate Commission "Equality and Diversity".

In addition, the Equal Opportunity Officers are a central point of contact for all university employees: They provide advice and support to everyone who studies, teaches, researches and works at the university. They act as contact persons for university members in the event of discrimination on the basis of gender as well as sexual harassment or discrimination at the place of work or study.

The Equal Opportunity Officers are not subject to directives. Inquiries are treated confidentially.