Equal Opportunity
Equal Opportunity Unit
Legal frameworks
Our webpages provide you with an overview of the legal frameworks for equal opportunity of men and women as well as further regulations, directives, and guidelines relating to diversity and reconciling work or study and family life.
Information on the legal frameworks for reconciling work or study with family life:
European legal frameworks
After positioning the area of antidiscrimination for the first time in the Treaty of Amsterdam, between 2000 and 2004 a total of four directives were promulgated within this legal framework:
- Council Directive 2000/43/EC of 29 June 2000 implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of racial or ethnic origin
- Council Directive 2000/78/EC of 27 November 2000 establishing a general framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation
- Directive 2002/73/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 September 2002 amending Council Directive 76/207/EEC on the implementation of the principle of equal treatment for men and women as regards access to employment, vocational training and promotion, and working conditions (text with EEA relevance)
- Council Directive 2004/113/EC of 13 December 2004 implementing the principle of equal treatment between men and women in the access to and supply of goods and services
Federal German legal framework
The following articles are particularly relevant:
- Article 1
(1) Human dignity shall be inviolable. To respect and protect it shall be the duty of all state authority.
- Article 3
(1) All persons shall be equal before the law.
(2) Men and women shall have equal rights. The state shall promote the actual implementation of equal rights for women and men and take steps to eliminate disadvantages that now exist.
(3) No person shall be favoured or disfavoured because of sex, parentage, race, language, homeland and origin, faith, or religious or political opinions. No person shall be disfavoured because of disability.
Through the German General Act on Equal Treatment (AGG), in force since August 2006, the four European directives mentioned above have been in implemented in national law.
“The purpose of the Act is to prevent or eliminate discrimination on the basis of race, ethnic origin, gender, religion or ideology, disability, age, or sexual identity” (Section 1 AGG).
Click here to reach the Complaints Office (pursuant to the AGG).
- The German Framework Act on Higher Education (link in German only)
The German Higher Education Framework Act (Hochschulrahmengesetz, HRG), e.g., Section 3 Equality of women and men: “Higher education institutions promote the actual establishment of equality of women and men and work towards eliminating existing discrimination. State law shall establish and govern the responsibilities and rights of participation with respect to women and equal opportunity representatives at higher education institutions.”
Legal frameworks at Universität Hamburg
- Academic Search Regulations of Universität Hamburg
- Allgemeines Gleichstellungsprogramm der UHH für die Stellenbesetzung im Wissenschaftsbereich (General equal opportunity program for hiring academic staff, PDF)
- Gleichstellungskonzept der Universität Hamburg 2009-2013 (Equal opportunity concept of Universität Hamburg, PDF)
- Dokumentation der Umsetzung des Gleichstellungskonzepts der Universität Hamburg 2009-2013 (Documentation of implementation of the equal opportunity concept of Universität Hamburg, PDF)
- Gleichstellungsrichtlinie für den Wissenschaftsbereich der Universität Hamburg (Equal opportunity directive for academic sphere of Universität Hamburg, PDF)
- Einstellungsvoraussetzungen für Juniorprofessuren (Appointment requirements for junior professors, PDF)
- Richtlinie gegen geschlechtsbezogene Diskriminierung und sexuelle Gewalt (Directive against gender-based discrimination and sexual violence at Universität Hamburg, PDF)
- Stellungnahme der Universität Hamburg zu den forschungsorientierten Gleichstellungsstandards der DFG mit personellen Zielvorgaben (Universität Hamburg’s position on equal opportunity standards relating to research as defined by the DFG with staffing, PDF)
- Further legal frameworks of Universität Hamburg (Legal Unit)
Faculty equal opportunity plans
Until 2007, the departments were responsible for devising stategies to advance women in academia.
After the faculties were established in 2005, these departmental strategies were replaced by equal opportunity strategies at faculty level.