In cooperation with the Gender Center of the Technische Universität München, and within the framework of the Excellence Initiative of the Federal and State Governments, the Institute for Advanced Study has organized its fourth symposium on themes of gender and diversity. On an annual basis, we invite internationally renowned speakers to speak about themes that relate in particular to the interests of a technical university.

This year’s symposium is devoted to the theme “Gender in the Business Sciences” and is especially relevant in the light of current debates. In view of demographic change and the variety of life paths chosen by men and women, German companies increasingly recognize that they must undergo a readjustment process: the barriers of stereotypical gender roles must be broken and, simultaneously, exclusion mechanisms must be overcome. Hence, companies are actively implementing supportive measures for women and are increasing the number of women in leadership positions.

The focus of this year’s lectures and workshops includes “leadership” in addition to “gender marketing” and “gender budgeting”. Prof. Dr. Sabine Sczesny from the Universität Bern will speak about social change of both gender stereotypes and leadership styles. Prof. Ph.D. Madeline Heilman of New York University accepted our invitation to speak on the topic “positive discrimination” and its ambivalent consequences for career development. Prof. Ph.D. Ailsa McKay of Glasgow Caledonian University will discuss the theme “gender budgeting”.

Organizational Information and Registration

The Liesel Beckmann Symposium is an event co-sponsored by TUM-IAS and the TUM Gender Center. The event is open to the public and is free of charge.

To attend, please send an email to lbs@tum.de. Please provide your title, first and last names, and organization affiliation.

If you would like to participate in one of our workshops, please provide us with your first and second choices. Places in the workshop will be assigned in the order in which the registration is received. You will receive a certificate of attendance at the Symposium.

It might be possible to organize childcare during the Symposium. Please provide us with the age and number of children by November 10, 2010.

The deadline for registration is November 18, 2010.