Equal opportunities concept

The Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics” is committed to the equality of all people regardless of origin, gender and age, religious and other worldviews, sexual orientation, and physical and psychological disabilities. The research theme “Religion and Politics” itself demands and promotes a particular sensitivity for different religious and other worldviews. The Diversity Management of the Cluster creates a scholarly environment that recognizes the social diversity and heterogeneity of its researchers, and promotes their different potentials and abilities.

Working closely with the equal opportunities officers of the participating departments and of the University of Münster, the Commission for Equal Opportunities and Diversity has the task of developing measures to promote equal opportunities and combat discrimination at work, and of acting as a point of contact should conflicts arise. Members of the Commission at the Cluster of Excellence are Prof. Dr. Achim Lichtenberger, Dr. Kaouther Karoui Dr. Roii Ball, Lucienne Engelhardt, Maximilian Selent and Judith Grubel (advisory member).

The research theme “Religion and Politics” can also contribute to improving equal opportunities in society by raising awareness of cultural diversity and of different religious and other worldviews. The Cluster also contributes to current socio-political debates through the transfer of research findings on the integration of religious diversity and on the link between religion, politics and gender inequality.

The University of Münster supports the Cluster of Excellence in Diversity Management by seeking to optimize the framework conditions for academic career opportunities, with the University paying particular attention to the central issues of equality, reconciling work and family life, health management, and internationalization.

As a family-friendly university, the University of Münster considers gender equality to be a central strategic concern. The long-term goal of the University is to ensure equal opportunities for women and men in all status groups, to reduce structural disadvantages, and to use existing skills and talents equally.

The University’s guidelines are closely aligned with the equal opportunity standards of the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG), which demands a consistent, transparent, competent, competitive and future-oriented equal opportunity policy in order to take account of quality assurance in research. The University’s equal opportunity measures have met the highest level of standards set by the DFG for several years now, and focus on two main objectives: reconciling work and family life, and promoting women’s academic careers.