Duties and Responsibilities

The Equal Opportunity Officer supports the university in fulfilling the mandate for equal treatment in accordance with §3 Sect. 3 Higher Education Act of Lower Saxony (NHG, Niedersächsisches Hochschulgesetz): “In carrying out their duties and responsibilities, the universities promote the effective creation of equal opportunities for women and men and work towards the elimination of existing disadvantages. They contribute to the promotion of women and gender research.”

§ 42 Sect. 2 NHG: “The Equal Opportunity Officer works towards the fulfilment of the equal treatment mandate. In particular, she contributes to the development planning, the establishment of the equal opportunities agenda as well as to structural and personnel decisions. She may call meetings. She is directly reportable to the Senate and informs the public about the performance of her duties. In fulfilling her tasks, she is not bound by technical orders and instructions. “

These legal regulations result in a broad field of tasks and topics. Among the most important are:

  • advisory services for all women of higher education institutions
  • development of measures and projects relevant for equal opportunity
  • involvement in structural and personnel decisions of the higher education institution
  • involvement in the development planning of the higher education institution
  • involvement in the establishment of an equal opportunities’ agenda
  • drawing up of concepts and reports as well as involvement in the implementation of the DFG’s (German Research Foundation) research-oriented standards of gender equality.