Project outline

Project goal

The project „De jure de facto: female professors in jurisprudence (JurPro)“ deals with the first nationwide research into women in jurisprudence.
The main project goal is to obtain differentiated and detailed insight into the situation of female professors in the field of law, to describe factors constituting the faculty culture, to systematically capture the specific causes for the underrepresentation of women in senior academic positions in the field of law, to define particular career obstacles; to investigate and scrutinise the efficiency of gender balance programs and regulations in jurisprudence and to identify career aiding measures and means.

Factors which could enhance the organisational structure and culture in law faculties in terms of career support for women should be identified. Overall the results should lead to a catalogue of recommended procedures so as to strengthen the potential of female academics.

Work methods

The vertical and horizontal segregation of the field should be examined by means of quantitative methodology. The actor level will be covered by narrative interviews (academic staff, dropped out, female pioneers). Expert interviews (female and male deans, GB) cover the organisation’s viewpoint. The faculty culture comes into focus by approach of discourse analysis (teaching material). Gender-related regulations undergo analysis.

Planned application of results

The project results should be utilised in an extensive academic publication and for professional articles in relevant journals of higher education management/administration, women and gender studies and (legal) sociology.

Planned are a symposium and a public project presentation as well as a long-term international comparative project about „Women in the Legal Academy“.
Moreover the study should serve as the foundation for at least one dissertation.

Workshops within conferences of the academic equality officers are envisaged.
Furthermore the results should be used to develop measures to achieve gender equity in the institutions with involvement of the universtities that participated in the project.

 

Project Outline (download.pdf)