Equality of women and men

Equal Opportunities Office supports the Leibniz University  Hannover in its legal mandate to actively promote equal opportunities for women and men and to compensate for existing disadvantages.

Legal foundations of the work on equality are Article 3, especially paragraphs 2 and 3 of the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, as well as Section 42 of the Lower Saxony Higher Education Act, the Lower Saxony Equal Opportunities Act, and the Federal General Equal Treatment Act (AGG).

LUH recognises gender diversity beyond binary categories. At the same time, the advancement of women remains a necessary and central tool. Historically entrenched inequality has led to structural barriers that must be dismantled. Women remain significantly under-represented in leadership roles and decision-making bodies; even when they have the same qualifications and experience, the so-called gender pay gap persists, and women are frequently confronted with societal expectations and gender stereotypes.

The LUH wishes to emphasise that promoting women is not at odds with promoting and highlighting gender diversity beyond binary representations. Rather, comprehensive measures can be developed that promote equality for all genders whilst addressing specific challenges.

The Gender Equality Plan provides an overview of LUH’s strategic gender equality policy and serves as a guide for the further development of gender equality objectives and standards.