UNIFY — Unit for Family, Diversity & Equality Family
‘A family is a diverse construct. Families include ways of life in which people live and experience social responsibility, care and solidarity.’ (FidH, 2023)
Heidelberg University is a member of the association "Familie in der Hochschule e.V." (‘Family in Higher Education’) and is guided by this concept in the work of the Family Services at UNIFY. Heidelberg University has been certified as a ‘family-friendly university’ since 2010 and was last successfully re-audited in 2023. The audit combines measures aimed at aligning personnel policy and the design of the working environment for employees, researchers and students in such a way that reconciliation of care work with career and studies is possible. Our Family Service is the central point of contact and provides regular and flexible childcare and advice on offers for families as well as study/work organisation during pregnancy and parental leave.
Familie/Care - brief overview
Current fields of action and projects
As part of the ‘Family-friendly university 2023-2026’ audit (for more information, see ‘AUDIT’ below) and the new diversity concept 2024-2029, we are actively working towards our goal of making study and working conditions care-friendly. Previous activities can be found in the activity reports (see below under ‘Concepts and Reports’) and on the ‘UNIFY News’ website. The following projects and measures are currently in focus:
- Caring for relatives: training for 4 new care guides, raising awareness of the topic, providing important information, expanding the offer to include students who provide care, setting up a peer counselling service/network for students who provide care
- Subsidy of travel expenses for child(ren) & necessary accompanying person (who need to be brought along on business trips): internal clarification of the legal and financial framework
- Infrastructure: assessment of the current infrastructure (parent-child rooms, quiet rooms, breastfeeding rooms), opening of a parent-child room at the Bergheim campus
- Management: collaboration in the development of a management code that also explicitly takes care work into account
Heidelberg University is currently in the re-auditing phase (2026–2028) and is preparing a new action program. A particular focus is on the topic of “caregiving,” as many members of our university take on this important responsibility in addition to their professional or academic duties. On February 12, 2026, the “Caregiving by Relatives” dialogue day took place, during which registered caregiving university members were able to share their experiences and perspectives in focus group interviews. The insights gained will be incorporated into our new audit action program.
FURTHER INTERESTING LINKS AND INFORMATION
‘Family, Mobility & Housing’ division at Heidelberg University
The new ‘Family, Mobility & Housing’ division (GB FaMoWo) has a clear goal: to create a working environment that combines quality of life and professional commitment, thereby further strengthening the university's appeal as an employer. It combines topics such as housing, childcare and modern mobility services in one central location for the first time.
L.I.S.A. Science Portal Gerda Henkel Foundation
The Gerda Henkel Foundation's L.I.S.A. science portal is an online science portal for historical humanities, and its acronym reflects the portal's core functions: reading, informing, writing and exchanging. Among other things, it offers interviews with scientists, provides comprehensive thematic dossiers and offers a platform for video contributions from everyday scientific life.
“Who Cares? Changing Family and Care Relationships”
Mother, father, child(ren) — to this day, the traditional family model is regarded by many as the standard and ideal. However, it is increasingly challenged by recent developments: new possibilities in reproductive medicine, changes in legislation, and the lived reality of diverse families, whose variety is becoming more visible in society. These developments urge society to reflect on who and what constitutes a family, and what it should be in the future. Public debates highlight the political and social significance of the topic. The aim of this project, hosted at the Chair of Economic and Social History under the direction of Prof. Dr. Katja Patzel-Mattern, is to provide a scientific foundation for these debates.
