Action Months May/June 2023: "SHE TALKS" - Women as Experts in Science, Business, and Media

Women are often still underrepresented in panel discussions, expert conferences, and media formats. Targeted initiatives and event formats try to counteract this. One example is the Science Slam „Female Edition*“ on 10. May 2023 in the Audimax of the University of Würzburg.

Lack of Representaion of Women in Numbers

A study conducted by the University of Rostock on behalf of the MaLisa Foundation examined the gender distribution in TV coverage of the Corona pandemic: According to the study, women accounted for only 22 percent of the experts interviewed on German television about the pandemic. Among the doctors interviewed, too, only every fifth person was female. Among doctors with management functions, such as chief physicians or heads of institutes, only five per cent were women. And this despite the fact that women make up about half of all doctors in Germany (cf. Prommer/Stuwe 2020). But the underrepresentation of female experts is not only evident on TV, as a second study by the MaLisa Foundation shows: In the online presences of a total of 13 German print media, including Spiegel, Stern, and Süddeutsche Zeitung, men also had more than twice as many words to say about Covid-19 as women. Only five percent of women were mentioned as researchers (cf. Berggren 2020).

Outside of pandemic reporting, the figures are similar and the gender ratio is extremely unbalanced, as theGlobal Citizen Initiative summarises: Only 20 per cent of all experts in the news are women. Only 24 per cent of people portrayed in newspaper, television and radio news are women. Women are part of political reporting in only 16 per cent of cases. And: Only four per cent of all news reports deal with gender stereotypes in an explicitly critical way.

Visibility for Women Experts in Science, Business and Media

Based on this realisation, there are already some initiatives to counteract the underrepresentation. These include, for example, theBMBF funding line „Innovative Women in Focus“. Projects funded through this, such as the platformPlattform „#Innovative Women - Platform for Excellent Women in Sience, Economic and Society“ or„Vision 2028 - Identifying Women's Innovations in the Various Disciplines of Civil Engineering since 1928, making them visible, Activating Futur Potential for 2028“ strengthen the visibility of women innovators and experts in various areas of society. Portals and databases such asAcademiaNet,femconsult oderSpeakerinnen.org have also set themselves the goal of increasing the visibility of women in public formats or in the recruitment of female scientists and experts.

Event „SHE TALKS* - Science Slam Science Slam „Female Edition*“

The Office of the University Women's Representative, the Alumni Office, and the Student Council of the University of Würzburg have joined forces with the same goal: In order to offer female scientists* at JMU a targeted format and a stage for their research and work areas, a Science Slam Female* Edition will take place on 10 May 2023. At the Science Slam "SHE* TALKS", the protagonists* come from various departments of the University and the University Hospital - female students, doctoral students, and professors invite you to gain an insight into their diverse areas of expertise and work as well as fields of study at the University of Würzburg with their science slams. Further information on the event can be found below.

The call for participation in the Science Slam was deliberately designed to be inclusive with the title "Female* Edition" in order to give the floor to all persons addressed under the acronym FINTA* (women, inter*persons, non-binary*persons, trans*persons and agender*persons) and to enable visibility on stage.

Sources:

Berggren, Max (2020). Geschlechterverteilung in der Corona-Berichterstattung in Online-Auftritten deutscher Printmedien. Prognosis. Hg. v. MaLisa Stiftung.

Prommer, Elizabeth & Stüwe, Julia (2020). Geschlechterverteilung in der Corona-Berichterstattung im deutschen Fernsehen. Institut für Medienforschung, Universität Rostock. Hg. v. MaLisa Stiftung.

Website of UN Women on the Representation of Women in Politics, Media, etc.

Website of the Association „Global Citizen“ on the Representation of Women in the Media

Current Events

10.05.2023, 18-21 h „SHE* TALKS” - Science Slam Female* Edition”
In theEvent Calender of the Office of the University Women's Representative (UFB) you will find further information and the Flyer for the event.
Organisers: Office of the University Women's Representative, the Alumni Office, and the Student Council of the University of Würzburg
Venue: Auditorium "Audimax", Sanderring 2 (Neue Universität), 97070 Würzburg

Daily, at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. "#Innovative Women - On Air"
The platform "Innovative Women" shows exciting videos in which women present their innovative topics and ideas every day in its online offering.
Organisers:Plattform „#Innovative Frauen - Platform for excellent Women in Science, Buisness and Society“
Venue: Online at https://www.innovative-frauen.de/auf-sendung