Making equality visible: Voices from HNEE on International Women's Day and the women's strike

Around International Women's Day on 8 March 2026 and the Global Women's Strike on 9 March 2026, members and affiliates of the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development (HNEE) shared their perspectives on gender equality in science and society.

International Women's Day commemorates progress towards equality worldwide – and at the same time reminds us that true equality has not yet been achieved. The subsequent Global Women's Strike draws attention to how structural inequalities continue to shape the everyday lives of many women.

At HNEE, colleagues have also taken these days as an opportunity to share their perspectives on equality, visibility and structural change in science and society.

Prof. Dr Eva Saliu, Vice-President for Research and Transfer, emphasises: "For me, equality means correcting the target value. In my work as Vice-President, this includes small things and things that should be self-evident, such as gender-neutral language, as well as strategic structural changes for greater gender equality." For her, getting involved in Women's Strike Day means above all consciously using her own work to bring about structural change: "On Global Women's Strike Day, I made a conscious decision not to strike in the traditional sense and instead used my working hours to create structures for greater equality."

Prof. Dr. Britta Gossel, Director of the Graduate School, also emphasises the importance of the visibility of female role models: "Science is still not female enough in Germany. That is why it is important that female role models are visible and accessible."

From the perspective of Central Equal Opportunities Officer Jenny Pöller, International Women's Day remains highly relevant: "Women are highly qualified and strongly represented in academia and in early-career research – but the higher the career levels, the lower their proportion." Equality is therefore also a central prerequisite for sustainable development: "Sustainability also means making talent visible, promoting potential and enabling equal participation in responsibility and decision-making."

Prof. Dr. Jens Pape, Head of the Department of Landscape – Society – Economy, emphasises the special responsibility of universities in this context: "International Women's Day reminds us how important equal opportunities and diversity are for science and innovation. Scientific excellence thrives on diversity, different perspectives and equal opportunities. At our Department of Landscape – Society – Economy at HNEE, we therefore see it as our responsibility to create the conditions for promoting equality in all career phases and to provide opportunities to actively shape research, teaching and scientific leadership. The path to true equality is not yet complete – continuing to pursue it consistently remains a central task for and within science and society."

The voices show that equality is not a one-off event, but an ongoing task – in science, society and university structures.