The 17th Gender Equality Award - endowed with 5,000 euros each - goes to the projects "Prevention of sexualised violence in sport at the University of Wuppertal" and "Baulöwinnen - Freiraum für Bauingenieurinnen". Prof. Dr Gertrud Oelerich, Vice-Rector for Sustainable Organisational Development and Diversity, presented the award at yesterday's Senate meeting.

The project "Prevention of sexualised violence in sport at the University of Wuppertal" addresses a current challenge and is based on the cooperation between UniSport and the Institute of Sports Science. Both institutions are expressly opposed to any form of sexualised violence. In order to ensure a safe and respectful environment for all those involved, a prevention strategy has been jointly developed. The central concern is to encourage people to actively participate in the prevention of sexualised violence. Those responsible for the project want to create a culture of looking out, as this has been proven to reduce the risk of all forms of sexualised violence. Among other things, the prize money will be used to carry out a comprehensive risk analysis in sports science and university sport.

The project "Baulöwinnen - Freiraum für Bauingenieurinnen" by the Department of Structural Engineering and Structural Dynamics also addresses a very topical issue: In the field of civil engineering, the proportion of women holding managerial positions lags far behind the proportion of women graduating in the subjects. It was therefore a central goal of the project to make women and their work in civil engineering visible. While the initial focus was on the experiences and paths of inspiring women from the industry, the project also increasingly focussed on social structures that have a significant influence on successful gender equality in the construction industry. One result of the project is the travelling exhibition "Against all odds - women who build". It can be seen in the foyer of the Haspel campus (Pauluskirchstraße 7, Wuppertal) until the end of July. With the help of the Gender Equality Award, the exhibition will be shown at various locations in Germany.