The IOS attaches great importance to equality among all its employees, in all areas of work and career phases, and is actively committed to promoting equal opportunities. As a member of the Leibniz Association, IOS is committed to the goals and principles of the Leibniz Equality Standards. Equality and equal opportunities are a constant guiding principle in the Institute's actions and decisions. A fundamental basis in the area of equality is the Implementation Agreement of the German Joint Science Conference (GWK-Abkommen) on Gender Equality in Joint Research Funding (AV-Glei). Its goal is “to achieve equality between men and women, to eliminate existing disadvantages based on gender, in particular disadvantages of women, and to prevent future disadvantages, to improve family friendliness as well as the compatibility of family, care, and work for women and men.” The IOS adheres to the Bavarian Equal Opportunities Act, especially with regard to increasing the proportion of women in areas where they are significantly underrepresented. The aim is to achieve balanced participation of women—especially in leadership positions—and to ensure equal participation in committees. Lastly, the IOS is guided by the research-oriented equality standards of the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG).
The IOS considers equality to be a cross-sectional task, to which all staff with management responsibilities in particular contribute in order to promote the sustainable implementation of equal opportunities for women and men, as well as other genders, and to work toward the elimination of existing disadvantages for all genders. In view of the importance of equality for scientific excellence as well as the social mission to which the IOS is committed, it is important to gear all measures for staff development and the promotion of young scientists toward the principle of equal opportunities. Furthermore, as a research institution in the humanities and social sciences, the IOS considers it a given that the topic of gender relations feature in its research and that it reflect on the significance of the category of gender for social processes.
In order to further improve equality at the institute, the IOS revised its equality policy in April 2024 and submitted a revised action plan for implementation. This plan is based on an analysis of the current status as well as an evaluation of the gender equality measures taken so far. The Equal Opportunities Officer appointed at the IOS, along with her deputy, support and monitor the implementation of the equal opportunities concept and are direct points of contact for the employees of the Institute. Within the scope of their responsibilities, they are involved in all areas of the Institute that may be important for the equality of all genders and for ensuring equal opportunities.
