Equal opportunities

“An inclusive view benefits everyone”

Claudia Willen, Head of the Office for Equal Opportunities, explains how the modern advancement of women works at the University of Bern and how equal opportunities can be achieved, also taking into account other diversity categories in addition to gender.

The University of Bern is considered a pioneer in the Swiss higher education landscape when it comes to the advancement of women. Why?

Claudia Willen: It was the first university in Switzerland to set up an office for the advancement of women and a university-wide commission for gender equality – as early as 1990. By spreading the commitment across various committees and levels, we have been able to firmly anchor gender equality work at our University, both institutionally and legally. For 33 years, the University of Bern has also been the first and still only university in Switzerland to send representatives of what is now the Office for Equal Opportunities to all recruitment procedures for professorships.

What specific impact can you have on the appointment committees?

As we are not dependent on the commissioners, we can raise awareness as outsiders and also ask questions. Many of our questions are already being asked by other members today. They talk about prejudices, unequal opportunities, and diversity aspects such as ethnic origin are also taken into account. Although we only act in an advisory capacity and without voting rights, we write a co-report for the attention of the faculty and the University Executive Board, in which we record, for example, whether there were any active attempts to find someone from the under-represented gender for a particular professorship and whether we agree with the selection of the candidates invited and their ranking. This report is an important tool because the University Executive Board, which ultimately decides on employment, reads it very carefully.

Despite the many years of funding, the proportion of women in professorships is only 30%. Why?

In 1990, the proportion of women was just three percent. Since then, it has increased – slowly but surely. A forecasting model shows that, even with 55% female new appointments every year, we would not achieve gender parity until 2045. A professorship is for life, so this kind of structural change takes time. Viewed across the University as a whole, the proportion of women in intermediate staff is currently quite high, although not yet at the professorship level.

Why did your office change its name to “Office for Equal Opportunities”?

Since 2020, the topic of diversity has played an increasingly important role both in society and in the federal equal opportunities program. However, we did not immediately rename our office because we first wanted to fill the concept of diversity with content. First, together with the Gender Equality Commission, we clarified how we define diversity, what goals we have, and what these specifically mean for our work and the University’s general approach to it. On this basis, we drew up guidelines for equal opportunities, which the University Executive Board of the University of Bern has duly noted.

Is this an expansion of your mandate and what are the objectives associated with it?

Yes, in addition to gender, the diversity categories physical and psychological impairment, age, ethnic and social origin as well as sexual orientation and gender identity were integrated into the University-wide and faculty equal opportunities plans. As a result, over the last two years we have created two thematic contact points: one for disability and mental health as well as one for racism. This makes us a pioneer within the Swiss higher education landscape. According to the University of Bern’s Strategy 2030, the diverse perspectives of members of the University are an essential component of excellence in research, teaching and administration. We are still in the process of systematically analyzing the mechanisms of inclusion and exclusion in the choice of degree program and access, as well as the attributions that lead to unequal treatment. Based on our findings, targeted measures can then be taken to address all equal opportunities issues. However, this requires commitment at all levels of the University.

What are the plans now?

In the 2025-2028 action plan, we want to continue the tried-and-tested gender equality measures while also promoting the sustainable and inclusive development of our University. We want to institutionalize the work on the new diversity categories and focus on areas susceptible to discrimination such as ethnic and social origin as well as physical and psychological impairment. We need to see how an inclusive view benefits everyone when we take action to increase equal opportunities. This is not only about barrier-free infrastructure and low-barrier teaching, but also about a respectful study and working environment. And thus to the question of what kind of scientific and team culture we would like to promote. We are addressing this in our “Better Science Initiative” (see interview).

What does that mean in concrete terms?

The new action plan comprises more than 50 measures, almost two-thirds of which are already tried-and-tested instruments and one-third have been redefined. For example, in 2024, we introduced the “generation tandem” for scientific, administrative and technical staff in order to promote the exchange of expertise between experienced and younger employees. The University of Bern is also involved in cooperation projects with other Swiss universities, for example the “H.I.T. Program” (see box).

What is the University of Bern doing to make it easier to combine studies, work and family life?

In terms of support services, the Foundation for Childcare Services at the University of Bern – KIHOB for short – now not only offers daycare places for children of University members, but also flexible childcare during off-peak periods and during courses. In addition to the parent-child rooms, “Plan B” also offers a short-term care option at home for exceptional bottlenecks. Postdocs, assistant professors and lecturers with care responsibilities who are 80 to 100% employed have the opportunity to apply for a 120% care grant (see box). In 2015, we were the only Swiss university to introduce regulations for job sharing at professorship level. Our University also has a relief pool, offering additional funding opportunities for professors who work in a job-sharing model due to care obligations.

Are these offers also accepted by men?

We are also increasingly receiving applications from men, for example for the 120% care grant. Awareness seems to have been raised as reflected in a changed relationship to work, career and time. Fathers are increasingly willing to accept a loss of wages due to part-time work in order to take on some of the childcare. Only job sharing is used almost without exception by women. And even then, the number is small, even though the legal prerequisites are in place. Many people still need to rethink so that a shared professorship does not receive less recognition or lead to additional work. The University of Bern does not work with sanctions or quotas. This makes it all the more important that we not only promote innovative and flexible working hours and job sharing models, but also have many effective examples of how these models are put into practice.

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Women in Science

This article first appeared in uniFOKUS, the University of Bern print magazine. Four times a year, uniFOKUS focuses on one specialist area from different points of view. Current focus topic: Women in Science

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