Gender-Sensitive Career Counseling
Young men still tend to choose technical professions, while young women tend to choose social and educational professions. Gender-sensitive career counseling enables adolescents and young adults to recognize their own potential for various careers and to avoid basing their career paths on gender stereotypes.
The “Practical Guide to Gender-Sensitive CareerGuidance” (2017) from the Saxony-Anhalt Regional Transition Management Program (RÜMSA) illustrates how such career guidance can work in practice.
The guide “Gender-Sensitive Career Guidance—Information and Suggestions” (2017) by the Hans Böckler Foundation explains the connections between career choice and gender among young people. The publication is aimed at teachers, continuing education providers, and career counselors.
Implementing
Gender Mainstreaming in Companies Gender mainstreaming is not only aimed at politics and administration at the EU and federal levels but is also an integral part of corporate diversity management. The website of the Diversity Charter Association offers suggestions for implementation.
You can also find good examples of how gender mainstreaming is implemented in politics and the workplace in the dossiers published by the Federal Agency for Civic Education.
The Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency provides materials and checklists that employers can use to assess equal treatment standards in their companies under the heading “Equal Treatment of the Sexes in Working Life.” Here you will find information on topics such as equal pay and gender-sensitive working and employment conditions.
Gender-Neutral Staff Selection and Recruitment of Skilled Workers
Creative campaigns and advertising can help inspire women and men to pursue careers that are typically associated with the opposite gender. HR managers should be careful not to unconsciously apply gender stereotypes during job interviews, which could cause the applicants’ actual qualifications to take a back seat.
You can find suggested phrasing and ideas for making your job postings, announcements, and campaigns gender-inclusive in the online dictionary “Geschickt gendern.”
During the annual nationwide events “Girls’ Day – Future Day for Girls” and “Boys’ Day – Future Day for Boys,” companies and schools invite young people to explore careers that are typically associated with the opposite gender: On Girls’Day, young women and girls are encouraged to pursue careers in technology and the natural sciences. Boys’Day aims to motivate young men and boys to pursue careers in education, social services, and healthcare and nursing. During these events, boys and girls can gain practical insights at companies and institutions and participate in workshops and educational programs.
In addition, nationwide initiatives and networks such as “Komm, mach MINT” and “klischeefrei” offer educational programs, materials, and expert information to help companies, educational institutions, and students address gender-sensitive career guidance.
Bringing
Women with Migrant Backgrounds into Leadership Positions Although the proportion of highly qualified women in the labor market hardly differs from that of highly qualified men, women are still underrepresented in leadership positions (see “Das Statistik-Portal”). The “Act on the Equal Participation of Women and Men in Leadership Positions in the Private Sector and the Public Service,” which took effect in May 2015, is intended to counteract this. But who is affected by the statutory quota, and how might it be implemented?
The brochure “Getting More Women into Leadership: A Practical Guide to the Law” (2015), published by EAF Berlin—European Academy for Women in Politics and Business Berlin e.V.—and KPMG AG Wirtschaftsprüfgesellschaft, uses real-world examples to explain implementation options and clarifies the opportunities and myths surrounding the gender quota.
Balancing Family, Career, and a Migration Background
The responsibilities a woman assumes within her family can have an impact on her professional life. As noted in the brief report “Work-Life Balance Through Partnership – The Role of Businesses” (2016) by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women, and Youth and the Berlin Social Science Center, women still stay home longer to care for their children than men do. Mothers face barriers when returning to work. The attitude of employers toward them plays a decisive role in this regard. This is also demonstrated by the report “Discrimination in Education and Working Life” (2013) by the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency.
On the “Perspektive Wiedereinstieg” website, you’ll find possible approaches and funding opportunities to help women return to the workforce after maternity leave or parental leave.
Teaching
Gender Sensitivity in Vocational Training In addition to technical skills, vocational training also teaches how to interact with colleagues. Gender sensitivity can be viewed as part of this development of social skills. It is therefore worthwhile to educate trainees about gender equality and gender stereotypes as early as the training period.
The “Diversity in Vocational Training” toolkit (2018) from the Research Institute for Corporate Education (f-bb) is designed to address discriminatory practices in everyday vocational training. It provides teachers and trainers with concrete strategies for addressing discrimination, racism, and sexism. In the training module “Raising Awareness of Sexism,” trainees examine gender stereotypes and discrimination and receive practical guidance on how to address sexist remarks and thought patterns in the workplace.
Sensitivity to Homosexuality and Transgender Issues in Everyday Work Life
The brochure “Queer at Work—Lesbians and Gay Men in the Workplace” was published in 2003 by the Workplace Working Group of the Swiss Lesbian and Gay Organizations. It demonstrates that sexual identity also plays a role in everyday professional life. It offers guidance on implementing diversity in the workplace—to protect and support lesbian, gay, and queer employees.
The State of Berlin provides resources for addressing transgender issues in the workplace without discrimination. Tips and guidelines for employers, team leaders, HR professionals, and works council members can be found on the Berlin Senate Administration’s website.
The German Society for Transidentity and Intersexuality (dgti) in Berlin provides information on the rights of people who are disadvantaged because of their gender and/or sexual identity. In addition, dgti conducts workshops and events nationwide, including for companies, executives, HR professionals, and consultants.