Sponsorship award honours outstanding thesis with a focus on gender and diversity
On average, women in Germany earn six per cent less than men with comparable qualifications and jobs - this corresponds to an hourly wage difference of 4.32 euros. To counteract this gender pay gap, the German government has introduced the Pay Transparency Act. The aim of the law is to uncover and, in the long term, eliminate unfair pay structures through greater transparency in pay structures.
Luisa Vockel addressed this topic in her bachelor's thesis "Achieving pay equity between men and women in the employment relationship - legal control instruments and HR practice five years after the Pay Transparency Act came into force". In it, she analyses the effectiveness of the law and evaluates its contribution to reducing the pay gap between women and men. The results of her study reveal clear weaknesses: By August 2023, only four per cent of respondents had used their statutory right to information. In addition, only 0.7 per cent of companies and 32 per cent of employees fall within the scope of the law at all.
Luisa Vockel was awarded the Faculty of Business Administration and Economics' prize for outstanding theses focusing on gender and diversity for this well-founded and forward-looking work.
"With her thesis, Luisa Vockel has made an important contribution to a still topical issue of gender equality that is fundamental to legal and business practice," emphasised Prof Dr Stefan Müller, who supervised the thesis and recommended Vockel for the award. "It shows that although the Pay Transparency Act creates a basic framework, this alone is not enough to achieve the goal of equal pay. Its solutions offer promising impetus for legal and economic progress."
Prof Dr Tobias Jenert, Vice Dean for Research and Junior Academics, also praised the outstanding achievement: "With her work, Luisa Vockel has tackled a socially and academically important topic and made an important contribution to the debate on gender equality in the world of work. The depth of her findings is particularly impressive - especially in the context of a Bachelor's thesis."
Sponsorship award for work related to gender and diversity
By creating a sponsorship award, the Faculty of Business Administration and Economics not only wants to recognise outstanding achievements, but also set an example: Gender and diversity are key topics for economics. The Faculty encourages students and doctoral candidates to actively participate in shaping an inclusive and equitable future.
Further information on programmes to promote gender equality at the Faculty of Business Administration and Economics.
