The increasing focus on gender equal opportunities and improved compatibility of family and job have made a family policy conceivable and feasible for students. To offer students responsible for families more support, various services have been established. Studying (expectant) parents are free to use the online guide “Studieren mit Kind” (studies with a child) issued by the project group “Studieren mit Familie” (studies with a family). The project group consists of representatives of KIT, Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences, Karlsruhe University of Education, Studierendenwerk Karlsruhe, Kinderbüro, and the deaconry.  The Student advisory services (Zentrale Studienberatung, ZSB) serves as a first contact point for students with a child. It consults and supports in all questions relating to the studies with a child or students with family responsibilities.

A working group resulting from the above project group additionally launched a campaign under the title “Kind & Campus: So geht’s!” (child and campus: This is how it works). It addresses students with own families and focuses on enhancing the compatibility of childcare and studies as well as family friendliness in Karlsruhe by so-called “Kind & Campus-Treffs” (child and campus meetings) for networking and information exchange. Webinars on specific topics are offered. 

KIT additionally offers a parent-child learning room that is available to students for learning with their children. The room is furnished with desks for the parents and a well-equipped play corner for the child.

Dissertation on non-traditional apprenticeship placements

Worth reading: The dissertation "Gehen oder bleiben? Vorzeitige Vertragslösungsneigung in geschlechtsuntypischen Ausbildungsverhältnissen" by Sascha Hanel highlights, among other things, the social disadvantages and higher performance demands sometimes experienced by apprentices who belong to a gender minority. The book review can be viewed here.

Support for students with caregiving responsibilities

Family caregivers play a very important role in the care of people in need of assistance in Germany. Young people also take on such tasks. However, the group of young caregivers is almost invisible. Most of the time, young people take this for granted, but are confronted with an overwhelming situation. This can lead to negative psychological and social consequences and to poorer performance in their studies or careers. The following document lists ways and means to support students with caregiving responsibilities. 

Family-friendly studying - a look into practice

On November 17, 2021, World Student Day, berufundfamilie GmbH published a blog on the compatibility of studies and family responsibilities and also provides information on the family-friendly university audit, which is based on the berufundfamilie audit. Along the exemplarily selected fields of action study time, family-fair study organization, location-flexible studying, information and communication, monetary achievements and study financing as well as family-fair infrastructure exemplary measures from the family-fair practice of after the audit certified universities are represented. The blog can be found here.

Initiative Cliché-Free: Career paths free of role clichés ("Initiative Klischeefrei: Berufswege frei von Rollenklischees")

In its "Career Paths" series, the "Initiative Klischeefrei" (Cliché-Free Initiative) of the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) presents young people who have chosen an "atypical" occupation. In portraits, they report on their experiences in the profession and on how important it is not to be guided by "classic role models" when choosing a career. More information on career profiles and events organized by the "Initiative Klischeefrei" can be found at www.klischee-frei.de.

Father, Mother, Child? Family in change (June 7, 2021)

What makes a family? What difficulties does it face today? And how much are we shaped by our family histories? Planet Wissen (SWR) talked about these questions with the historian Rolf-Ulrich Kunze from KIT, among others. The full-length discussion can be found in the Planet Wissen media library.

Overnight accommodation for parents living in separation (June 7, 2021)

Mein Papa kommt/Meine Mama kommt is a nationwide visitation program that encourages parents and children with two homes to be together. After a separation, there can be hundreds of miles between child and parent. To ensure that fathers and mothers are not prevented by long distances from losing the bond with their child, volunteer hosts get involved and offer free overnight stays at the child's home. More information about the offer can be found here. 

What is this? - Educational work by gender equal opportunity officers (May 31, 2021)

A campaign by the city of Munich is dedicated to the transparency of gender equal opportunity tasks. What do gender equal opportunity commissioners want to achieve? Why are their concerns important? What does the term gender mainstreaming actually mean? In order to dispel misconceptions, Munich's gender equal opportunity commissioners are doing educational work: this video illustrates the necessity and motivation of gender mainstreaming.

Perspectives for more gender justice (May 31, 2021)

Last year, sociology professor Jutta Allmendinger and other experts discussed the social consequences of the corona pandemic on talk show host Anne Will. ,,Women will continue to experience a terrible retraditionalization. I don't think it will be so easy to make up for it, and that we will lose three decades,‘‘ Allmendinger said of the emerging rollback in gender relations. In her book Es geht nur gemeinsam! Wie wir endlich Geschlechtergerechtigkeit erreichen Allmendinger confirms her thesis with sociological data. The editorial team of Deutschlandfunk sees the book's potential in depicting social reality and pointing out perspectives that should help to make social relations fairer. 

Changes in social and family policy in 2021 (April 8, 2021)

The german student union (Deutsches Studentenwerk) gives an overview of the latest changes and developements of social and family policy in 2021. Various information can be found in here, e.g. current arrangements for increasing child allowance (Kindergeld) and tax-free child allowance (Kinderfreibetrag), the adjustment of the Düsseldorfer Tabelle, financial discharge of single parents and arrangements for increasing of the housing benefit (Wohngeld). Further information to all changes can be found on the official website of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth. Therefore, the german student union gives advices by offering links in its published overview.

Children, household, care - who takes care? (January 27, 2021)

The Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth has published a dossier on the subject of "Children, Household, Care – who cares? Women and men are equally faced with the challenge of fulfilling professional obligations and care responsibilities. Equality policy aims to create a framework that enables women and men to share the work and care responsibilities in partnership. The dossier looks at the gender care gap, its causes and possible solutions. Are women the losers of the Covid-19 pandemic? A survey conducted by the Institute for Employment Research (Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung) also deals with this question. The results of the survey can be viewed in the IBA-Forum.