Gender and Equality Studies

Change Requires Competence in Equality and Gender Sensitivity

The scientific examination and accompaniment of transformation processes require a keen awareness of which groups of people remain unseen and which questions go unasked. Consequently, issues of structural change are linked to gender justice and addressed at various levels. At TRAWOS, research has been—and continues to be—conducted on topics such as the situation of women in rural areas, the challenges faced by women in academia, and the lived realities of queer students.

Beginning with the study *Who Comes? Who Leaves? Who Stays?* (2016), TRAWOS has developed formats and research initiatives designed to foster networking and increase the visibility of women in the region (e.g., *F wie Kraft*). In recent years, the thematic focus has expanded to include "Gender Justice in Science and Research," addressing the underrepresentation of women in academic funding programs (GAP), career paths, and STEM fields (FioKo). Central to this work is the integration of individual women’s perspectives with a critical analysis of the power structures that shape their environments.

Engagement with equality is multifaceted and extends beyond "women" as a target group or unit of analysis. Since 2016, the project *Queer Peer* has—for the first time—focused specifically on the perspectives and challenges of queer individuals.

Examples of projects within this focus area over the past 10 years include:

1. Verbleibchancen von Frauen in der Oberlausitz 

2. F wie Kraft 

3. GAP

4. FioKo

5. QueerPeer