e-conversion supports scientists with children
(photo: Peter Sonntag, e-conversion)

Based on existing role models, strategies and concepts, e-conversion is committed to promoting diversity and equal opportunity. Due to the gender gap in science, we explicitly promote and help our female scientists in their career by offering them a variety of perspectives and targeted programs, e.g. mentoring for female scientists, networking events, career building and personal development.

We furthermore take on responsibility for the compatibility of family and science as well as work-life-balance. In addition, we want to prevent discrimination by breaking down unconscious bias. e-conversion aims at pursuing equal opportunity in respect of gender, family and all other types of diversity.

Measures of the e-conversion diversity program

• Laboratory Assistance
  Excellent young female e-conversion scientists are supported during their pregnancy and/or upbringing of their children until the age of 6 (or in exceptional cases until the age of 7) by the employment of a laboratory assistant (max. 400,–€ per month).
• Scholarship for childcare
  Members of the e-conversion graduate program with children before entering elementary school can be supported with a scholarship for child care in order to continue their scientific work. This support includes the total or partly payment of a day nanny or a place in a day nursery (max. 400,–€ per month) and is subject to the family income.
• Childcare during conferences and business trips
  e-conversion scientists with children can apply for financial support for extraordinary child care during conferences and business trips.
• Financial support for specific events
  All e-conversion scientists can apply for financial support for specific events on gender, diversity and LGBTQ topics as long as it is related to their work at e-conversion.
• Childcare on e-conversion conferences
  e-conversion offers childcare free of charge during all e-conversion conferences and workshops.
• Measures for the promotion of women
  • Trainings / workshops
    Excellent young e-conversion female scientists can apply for financial support for individual trainings and workshops.
  • Mentoring
    If female members of the e-conversion graduate program ask for a research mentor, e-conversion can provide suggestions and help to get connected. A research mentor will act as a role model and advice on career management and the development of the student’s scientific profile.
  • Diversity Brunch
    Meetings for all interested scientists on a regular basis
  • Elternstammtisch
    The Elternstammtisch (parent’s meeting) is a platform where young parents meet in order to discuss carrier topics, work-life-balance, childcare issues and simply to get to know each other.

For funding application forms please visit our download page.

Events and Workshops

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Services of TUM, LMU and other institutions

• Equal opportunity services of TUM: www.chancengleichheit.tum.de
• Women’s representative of LMU: www.frauenbeauftragte.uni-muenchen.de
• Equal opportunity services of the Max Planck Society: www.mpg.de/chancengerechtigkeit
• Childcare services
  • TUM
  • TUM4kids (Babysitting und Nachhilfe)
  • LMU
  • Studentenwerk München
  • Betreut.de

Unconscious bias

Everybody does have unconscious or implicit biases. This means, we act and react on the basis of stereotypes and prejudice without intending to do so. Most of our unconscious biases derive from the general principles of the evolution theory. We pigeonhole our world based on experiences, in order to react quickly to new information. A Stereotype indicates an incomplete knowledge about a social group whereas a prejudice is characterized by personal emotions. This means when we believe in stereotypes they lead to prejudice and therefore sometimes to unconscious discrimination.

Test yourself!

Do you think you are not biased? Take an Implicit Association Test (IAT) and you will be surprised!
This test is a research project founded by Tony Greenwald (University of Wahington), Mahzarin Banaji (Harvard University) and Brian Nosek (University of Virginia). The test reveals implicit biases you don’t know you have. Unconscious bias can be hidden in our everyday actions. Have a look how the test and your brain work and what you can do to reduce these biases:
To the test: https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html
See how it works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z72MHd0y-bs

How to reduce unconcious bias

You could outsmart your own unconscious bias by doing some brain exercises. In a TED talk Valerie Alexander explains the three steps of reducing unconscious bias: visualization, examination and normalization. Have a look: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GP-cqFLS8Q4

Mothers in Science – 64 ways to have it all!

This promising statement is the title of a book published by the Royal Society. Its aim is to illustrate that it is perfectly possible to combine a successful and fulfilling career in research science with motherhood, and that there are no rules about how to do this. On each page you will find a timeline showing on one side, the career path of a research group leader in academic science, and on the other side, important events in her family life. Each contributor has also provided a brief text about their research and about how they have combined their career and family commitments.

https://royalsociety.org/~/media/Royal_Society_Content/about-us/equality/2011-06-15-Mothers-in-Science.pdf

Gendered Innovations

“Gendered Innovations harness the creative power of sex, gender, and intersectional analysis for innovation and discovery. Considering these approaches may add valuable dimensions to research. They may take research in new directions.” explain Londa Schiebinger, Professor of History of Science at Stanford University on her website. The scientist launched the project of the same name and has developed practical methods of gender analysis for STEM and shows examples of how gender leads to discovery and innovations.

At this TEDx-Talk, Londa Schiebinger presents their surprising findings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaYzdz9X3n4