Review and monitoring of scientific staff members’ salaries

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One objective of the GenderTime action plan at the University of Wuppertal consists of the review and monitor of scientific staff members’ salaries. A first step towards achieving this objective was undertaken last year, when entrance salaries of new employed staff members were analysed. Due to the federal pay scale for university employees no significant gender differences could be detected.

But another question arose from this review process: how are men and women in the research and teaching field employed at the University of Wuppertal? And the analysis of employment relations made huge gender differences visible.

Overall the minority of scientific employees are permanently employed (21 %) at the university. The gender gap of the permanent workers is striking: men occupy 69 % of all permanent jobs while only 31 % of women have the security of a permanent contract.

The majority of academic staff (79 %) has fixed-term contracts. Only 6 % of temporary workers have a contract with duration of more than three years, 94 % have however, a contract with a term of less than three years. Due to such short-term contracts the private, professional and financial situation is extremely insecure and as well as not predictable for the majority of the scientific staff members.

52 % of all academic staff works on full-time positions, which equivalents currently 39 hours per week. Also the full-time positions are predominantly occupied by men with 71 %, in comparison to only 29 % of the female staff who hold a full time position.

It was the first time that the employment was analysed under gender perspective. Because of this discovered desolate situation of researchers and also especially of young researchers, first discussions have been carried out with the rector of the university. In close cooperation with the Officer for Gender Equality, the Scientific Staff Council and the Rector it is planned, that a so-called “code for good working conditions” for the University of Wuppertal will be developed. Aim is that the employment situation significantly improves – taking into account gender equality aspects.

Besides establishment of the discussion group the data, which has been collected was presented at the annual staff meeting and published in the brochure of the staff council. This should help to gain higher awareness of precarious employment situations at the university in general and in particular for women in higher education.

The review of employment relations at the University of Wuppertal will be continued in 2014, 2015 and 2016.