Equal Opportunities & Career Development

The Max Planck Society and its institutes have set themselves the goal of considering all persons in their diversity when making decisions and preventing discrimination. Regardless of gender, origin or physical limitations, the development of the individual abilities of all employees is to be promoted.

In accordance with these principles, the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology strives to create a working environment that promotes a balanced employment of both genders at all career levels in science and in the science support sector. In addition, the compatibility of family and career should be promoted.

The Equal Opportunities Officer at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology helps to implement these goals. She is the contact person for employees in all questions of gender justice and gender sensitivity and helps to eliminate disadvantages. She is involved in all personnel, organizational and social measures relating to the equality of women and men, the compatibility of family and work, and protection against sexual harassment at the workplace. The Equal Opportunities Officer is elected for four years.

 Funding programs specifically for female scientists

• Minerva FemmeNet: Mentoring program that helps to network and promote female scientists at all career levels.
• Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard Foundation for the Promotion of Science and Research: offers financial support for female MPG doctoral and postdoctoral students with children
• Carrer Steps Network: Promoting talent, career support, personnel development, measures to reconcile work and family life and equal opportunities - the Max Planck Society would like to bring all these activities together under the umbrella of the Career Steps Network. Through personal exchange of experiences, best practice examples from the institutes and information events for scientists, the wishes and needs of postdocs in particular are to be recognized.
• Sign Up! career building: is aimed at postdocs from the Max Planck Institutes The aim is to encourage and motivate them in their orientation phase towards a scientific career and to support them in their individual career planning. In various modules, leadership skills are trained to prepare them for leadership tasks in science. In addition, a career-oriented network is promoted, which is intended to promote and motivate them in their orientation phase towards an academic career and to support them in their individual career planning for female postdocs.
• Lise Meitner Excellence Program

 

Compatibility of family and career

Long-term professional success requires a balance between professional and private life. The institute offers support in the following areas:

Childcare services

There is the possibility of child care on the institute premises by a day care professional for children aged 0-3 years.  There are up to 5 places available, children of institute employees are given preference in the allocation of places. Childcare hours are Monday to Thursday, 8-16 o'clock, on Fridays until 15 o'clock. In addition, there are places for children from 0-3 years and 3-6 years in external day-care centers. These places are given preferentially to children of institute employees. For information and registration please contact the administrative management, Isabel Palmtag.

pme Family Service of the MPG

The Family Service supports employees in reducing family burdens to such an extent that the job can continue to be performed well. It includes various services such as advisory services, in-house emergency childcare and also the arrangement of external childcare. The service also helps in arranging care services and household staff. The Max Planck Society bears the costs of counseling and placement, while the employees bear the costs of the selected care services.

Flexible working hours and home office option

The Institute offers flexible working hours and framework conditions (home office, teleworking), which make it easier for women and men to reconcile work and family life, as long as there are no compelling official concerns.