The efficiency verification of measures for the advancement of women with regard to improved development and career chances for women scientists is an important component of CEWS’ activities. Here, the key tasks include e.g., evaluations of the relevant and applicable expert programmes at Länder level.
Moreover, the current implementation status of equal opportunity instruments in the scientific discourse must be documented. In this context, CEWS has developed the first university ranking system on the basis of gender equality indicators, which will be carried out biennially. The “Evaluation & Benchmarking” service field shall demonstrate improvement potentials and give impulses for innovative approaches on the one hand, and – on the other hand – it shall identify best practice examples with model character and honour the institutes within the framework of the Total E-Quality Award. The institutes’ engagement for the advancement of women is at the same time continuously motivated by the commitment to apply again, if they want to maintain the award.
Of course, we also measure and assess the quality of our own services, such as the application and career training in the framework of the federal programme “Anstoß zum Aufstieg” (Encouragement to Advance).
Current projects:
Evaluation of the Lise Meitner postdoc scholarship programme
Evaluation of the “Anstoß zum Aufstieg” (Encouragement to Advance) programme
University ranking on the basis of gender equality indicators 
Total E-Quality Award
Evaluation of the Lise Meitner postdoc scholarship programme
On behalf of the Ministry for Science and Research of the Land North Rhine-Westphalia, CEWS implements the evaluation of the List Meitner postdoc scholarship programme. The programme that has existed since 1991, has a model function for similar measures of other federal lands; it has, however, not been evaluated so far. The questions about the targeted realization and the effectiveness of the programme were prevailing here. Due to the already longer duration it was possible to trace the measure’s medium-term effects within the framework of a professional follow-up study on the former women scholarship holders.
The survey among current and former Lise Meitner scholarship holders was carried out online.
The evaluation study was completed in May 2004 and documented in a report that was submitted to the Ministry for Education and Science of North Rhine-Westphalia. The results show the high standard of the Lise Meitner programme, and success rates in the form of completed habilitations that are comparable with habilitation scholarships of other organisations. Interesting results with regard to further influence factors on the career progress become just as clear as differences between women professors and former scholarship holders who have not been appointed yet. The sub-optimal aspects which had become quite clear in addition to the very positive results were utilized as specific recommendations with the objective to initiate comprehensive redirection. The client has not published the study so far.
CEWS evaluated the realization of the ‘Equal Opportunities’ expert programme of the university and science programme HWP in the land Schleswig-Holstein on behalf of the Ministry for Education, Science, Research and Culture of the land Schleswig-Holstein. The evaluation’s target was to reply to the question whether the objectives aspired by the Bund-Länder agreement could really be achieved with the projects carried out at the Schleswig-Holstein universities. The survey was an online survey.
The evaluation study was completed in November 2003 and supplied informative results for the realization of Schleswig-Holstein’s measures to support the advancement of women. In principle, the evaluation led to positive results, at the same time, amendable aspects became clear, which were integrated into the evaluation report in the form of definite recommendations. A comparison sampling of supported male scientists revealed interesting gender discrepancies. The client has not yet published the study.
The‘Encouragement to Advance’ project also comprises an evaluation of the CEWS career training seminars designed for women scientists who wish to prepare for a professorship. Objectives of the evaluation are the assessment of the seminars and the subsequent coaching, and the development of quality standards. In addition, the professional development of the individual participants was traced.
Besides this, socio-demographic and biographic aspects which might be significant in connection with the professional progress and the career development of women scientists are investigated. CEWS developed a suitable and comprehensive questionnaire.
In the framework of the evaluation, the pursuing questions will facilitate the verification of potential discrepancies regarding the effects on the further career development, in order to find out to which extent certain factors actually create differences.
The data collection is completed. At present, we hold data sets of 500 former seminar participants. First results of the survey seem to show the effects of the seminars on the women scientists’ career progress. Within the framework of a subsequent meeting, the findings of the study will be discussed with an expert audience, compared with the experiences gained from other – also foreign – programmes, and then be published in a book within the cews.Beiträge series .
The numerous university rankings implemented in Germany so far do not at all or only insufficiently account for equal opportunity aspects. The realization of equal opportunities for women and men is, however, also an important quality criterion for the assessment of universities. To provide better transparency with regard to this criterion, the CEWS university ranking on the basis of gender equality aspects closes this gap. At the same time, universities obtain a measure for the classification of their performances in the field of equal opportunities in a nationwide comparison.
All German universities of a defined minimum size were included in the study. The ranking is based on quantitative data of the Statistisches Bundesamt (Federal Statistical Office) which were evaluated by means of indicators. The share of women in professorships, in scientific and artistic personnel, in habilitations and doctorate awarding, is related to the respective share of women in all students. The indicator ‘students’ measures the proximity to the equal distribution of female and male students. Two indicators illustrate the changes in the share of women in professorships and in scientific and artistic personnel in the period between 1996 and 2001. All indicators were summarised in appropriate overall assessments for universities, technical and administrative colleges, and for colleges of art and music.
The findings were published in the cews.publik series in August 2003. The project shall be continued on a biennial basis. The evaluation of the 2003 data will be implemented at the end of 2004. At present, we are considering to include qualitative indicators into the ranking, too.
Once a year, the association Total E-Quality Deutschland e.V. presents the Total E-Quality award to universities and scientific institutions whose HR-management and institutional policies are designed to achieve equal opportunities. Companies, organisations as well as universities and research institutes can apply for the award. The applications are assessed by an independent jury.
On request of the Federal Ministry for Education and Research, the Total E-Quality association has entrusted CEWS with the entire handling of the procedure for the science and research field.
For this purpose, CEWS has established a special internet portal.
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