Latin American-German Women’s Network in the Humanities and Social Sciences

Despite growing awareness of gender equality, diversity policies, and various concrete measures, structural inequalities between men and women persist in academia—both in Germany and Latin America. These disparities are shaped by traditional gender roles, additional responsibilities related to family and caregiving, academic career paths that require high mobility, precarious employment conditions, and institutional structures.

The project adopts a comparative perspective on these structural inequalities, focusing particularly on the challenges faced by women in the humanities and social sciences in Germany and Latin America. A special emphasis lies on internationalization and academic cooperation between Germany and Latin America.

The initiative was launched by AvH alumnae Margarita Valdovinos (UNAM, Mexico) and Gisela Cánepa Koch (PUCP, Peru), in collaboration with Barbara Göbel (IAI / SPK, Germany) who has been their host during different research stays.

 

• Establishing a network between Germany and Latin America as a space for learning, exchange, and skills development, thereby facilitating the transfer of knowledge and experience across cultural, institutional, and disciplinary boundaries.
• Increasing the visibility of female perspectives, experiences, and strategies in academia, particularly within the humanities and social sciences.
• Contributing to the promotion of diversity and gender equality in science, especially in the context of academic cooperation between Latin America and Germany.
  
   

• Development of the network’s website featuring materials, event announcements, and opportunities for exchange (coordination: IAI).
• Design and implementation of a mentoring program for early-female career researchers in the humanities and social sciences (coordination: UNAM, PUCP, IAI).
• Production and dissemination of audiovisual materials including testimonials, tutorials, and tips (coordination: PUCP).
• Preparation of a free open-access publication on experiences, best practices, and policy recommendations for promoting women in the humanities and social sciences in the context of German–Latin American academic cooperation (coordination: IAI).

Year 1

• Workshop on the topic “Women’s Academic Careers: Patterns and Challenges” (coordination: PUCP)
• Network symposium on the topic “Female Scholars between career barriers and agency” (hybrid format, Coordination: PUCP)

Year 2

• Online workshop on the topic “Internationalization” (coordination: IAI)
• Network symposium on the topic “Mentoring and empowerment” (hybrid format, coordination: UNAM)

Year 3

• Online workshop on the topic “Career planning for women in the humanities and social sciences” (coordination: UNAM)
• Network symposium on the topic “Transnational academic career paths between Latin America and Germany” (hybrid format, Coordination: IAI)
  
   

• Creation of a network of female scholars in the humanities and social sciences from Germany and Latin America.
• Provision of easily accessible digital informational materials on the topic of women in the humanities and social sciences, particularly in the context of German–Latin American academic collaboration (e.g., website, audiovisual materials, free open access publication).
• Development of mentoring structures to support early-career female scholars in the humanities and social sciences.