Gender equality management (GEM) at the ZHAW is understood to denote the identification, promotion and utilisation of talents, abilities and qualities. The objective is to ensure the equal participation of women and men in all aspects of university life, be this with respect to the assumption of responsibility, the provision of information, remuneration or access to education. After all, equality is an important core value of the ZHAW. In December 2020, the Executive Board adopted eight measures as part of a Gender Equality Management Plan, which had been suggested by the Diversity Unit and Human Resources. These eight measures are as follows:

• Gender- and diversity-appropriate job advertisements
• Gender- and diversity-appropriate selection committees
• The creation of internal and external networks and the improvement of network maintenance
• The review of the selection processes for gender biases
• Increase in diversity competence among management staff
• The promotion of part-time employment at a management level (incl. co-leadership arrangements)
• The consideration of management potential for ML II positions
• The introduction of a selection control process, especially in male- or female-dominated disciplines

During the first year of implementation, it has already been possible to revise numerous recruitment processes and provide the impetus for gender- and diversity-appropriate promotion measures. On this basis, the School of Engineering and the School of Management and Law have adopted their own School-specific GEM plans and started implementing them. These plans include measures ranging from the training of selection committee members (removal of unconscious biases) and an academic mentoring programme at the SML to the promotion of co-leadership arrangements and part-time employment in management positions.