Funded projects
Overview of projects funded to date
Event participants talking
This page has been machine translated.
Funded projects 2025
-
Diversity in Print (Elisabeth Bethge)
Title
Diversity in Print: How Diversity Unlocks Innovation Potential and Shapes Institutional Structures
Affiliation
Faculty of Economics and Business Administration: Business Administration, Chair of Strategic & International Management
Executive Summary
Gender and diversity dimensions in scientific publication culture.
Which topics make it into scientific journals and who decides? Diversity in Print is a planned research project that explores this question by investigating how the composition of editorial teams in terms of gender and regional origin shapes the choice of topics, the visibility of different perspectives and fairness in the review process. As journals play a role in deciding what knowledge becomes visible, less diversity could narrow debates, distribute opportunities unequally and weaken trust.
The current funding is for the preparation of a broad-based project. The focus is on analysing metadata on around 1200 specialist journals. Freely accessible information on editorial boards, their regional location and disciplinary tradition, on thematic profiles and on transparency and open science will be collected. This data is extracted, quality-assured, harmonised and converted into comparable indicators. On this basis, hypotheses on the connections between diversity in editorial offices, thematic breadth and characteristics of the review process can be empirically tested in the follow-up project.
-
Thinking under pressure: neuronal profiles during peak mental performance (Ilona Croy/Manja Marz)
Title
Thinking under pressure: neural profiles during peak mental performance in the game of Go
Affiliation
Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences
Bioinformatics for High-Throughput Methods, Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science
Summary
While gender-specific performance differences in ultra-endurance sports are becoming increasingly equalised, differences exist in cognitive high-performance disciplines such as the game of Go: women are less likely to reach world-class levels. The causes are unclear, as basic cognitive functions hardly show any gender-specific differences.
This pilot study is the first to investigate whether men and women show different neuronal activation patterns and compensation strategies during long-term peak mental performance. To this end, oxygen oxygenation patterns in the brain (fNIRS) are continuously recorded during games of Go lasting several hours by several top players and linked to the course of the game and decision-making strategies using AI analyses. The aim is to identify inter-individual differences in the retrievability of neuronal reserves and regeneration after cognitive stress. The results could provide new impetus for gender-sensitive performance promotion in subject areas|fields with high mental stress, such as surgery or aviation.
-
Puberty X Culture (Nora Fehmer)
Title
Puberty X Culture - Gender-specific influencing factors on the psychosocial development of girls in a European vs. African context
Affiliation
Institute of Psychology, Youth Research Unit
Summary
Female adolescents experience the physical and psychosocial changes of puberty differently than their male peers - and are significantly more frequently affected by stress such as depressive symptoms, anxiety or eating disorders. Cultural ideals of beauty and media norms further exacerbate these challenges. The project investigates which individual, social and cultural factors in the context of Europe vs. Africa promote or impair healthy development during puberty.
Embedded in the interdisciplinary long-term project Puberty X Culture under the direction of apl. Prof. Dr Karina Weichold and accompanied by guest researcher Dr Sheriffa Mahama (Ghana), qualitative and quantitative data from Germany and Ghana will be evaluated in order to identify gender-specific differences in the experience of puberty. In particular, in addition to analysing open questionnaire responses, focus groups with girls will be conducted and evaluated in order to examine central topics and needs in the context of social interactions in greater depth.
The aim is to gain a comprehensive understanding of the developmental mechanisms leading to maladjustment and health in female adolescents and to derive evidence-based, gender-sensitive prevention and intervention approaches from this. The project can thus make an important contribution to preventing stress and disorders and promoting the psychosocial health of girls in puberty, in order to further develop differentiated, gender-sensitive youth research.
-
Sex and Empathic Accuracy (Julia Freitag)
Title
The importance of sex|gender for empathic accuracy
Belonging
Institute of Psychology, Chair of Developmental Psychology
Summary
How do people manage to accurately assess the emotional state of their counterparts - and what role does sex|gender play in this? These questions are at the centre of our project. We consider both the biological sex|gender of the person making the judgement and of the person whose emotion is being judged, as both sides can influence empathic judgements. On the assessor side, it is known that motivational aspects with regard to the accurate understanding of others can differ depending on sex|gender. At the same time, findings show that the attribution of emotions can also be characterised by gender-related stereotypes on the part of the person being assessed. Our aim is to analyse these reciprocal processes within a unified theoretical framework that integrates both perspectives. As the (university) chair of developmental psychology, we also take into account possible age differences that may result from motivational, sensory or generation-specific factors.
-
Sex-dependent regulation of MORG1 (Jonas Ihle)
Title
Sex-dependent regulation of MORG1 in relation to age, diabetes and castration
Affiliation
Nephrological Research Laboratory / AG Löffler, Department of Internal Medicine III, Jena University Hospital (JUH)
Summary of the study
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) shows clear differences between men and women - both in frequency, course and access to treatment. Sex|gender and age play a particularly important role in diabetic nephropathy (DN), a common consequence of type 2 diabetes and the leading cause of end-stage renal failure worldwide. Women have a higher prevalence of CKD but are less likely to be diagnosed or treated, despite having comparable risk factors.
The project investigates the molecular influence of the protein MORG1 (mitogen-activated protein kinase organizer 1), which is involved in central signalling pathways of inflammation and fibrosis development. Previous work has shown that reduced MORG1 expression significantly attenuates kidney damage in diabetes. Building on this, the project analyses how sex|gender, age and sex hormones influence MORG1 expression and kidney function.
The aim is to understand gender-specific differences in the disease mechanisms of DN at a molecular level and to derive new, individualised therapeutic approaches from this in the long term.
-
Sex work in the evangelical-ethical discourse (Sarah Jäger)
Title
Mapping the evangelical-ethical field of discourse on sex work - historical-hermeneutical and empirical analyses
Affiliation
Faculty of Theology, junior professorship for Systematic Theology/Ethics
Summary
This interdisciplinary research project examines the discourses within Protestant Ethics on the topic of sex work and aims to comprehensively analyse its historical and contemporary treatment in ecclesiastical and theological contexts.
Central research questions deal with the discussion and normalisation of sex work in Protestant Ethics. How are normalisation processes around sex|gender, sexuality and Ethics handled within these discourses? The project aims to explore and map the ambivalent and often appeal|objectionable narratives of Protestant sexual, family and gender ethics in order to make the underlying discourse structures visible.
The results are intended to create a basis for future theological-ethical normalisation discourses with the aim of counteracting existing patterns of marginalisation and stereotyping. The aim of the project is to research and map the discourses on sex work in Protestant Ethics and to develop approaches to ethical normalisation, taking into account the experiences of those affected.
The funding for "Gender in Focus" was applied for to support the development of the project, in particular the review of English-language literature by a student assistant.
-
Sex, sexualities, forms of relationship in the New Testament (Ursula Ulrike Kaiser)
Title
In all diversity. Sex, sexualities, forms of relationship in the New Testament and its contexts
Affiliation
Faculty of Theology, Chair of New Testament Studies
Summary
Perceptions of sex|gender(s) and sexuality(ies) as well as associated forms of life are still socially characterised by religious premises. Currently, an increasingly conservative tendency can be perceived in the discourse (both in the churches and in theological discipline), within which heteronormativity is propagated as the attitude in accordance with the faith in Christ with the help of biblical texts, among other things. The anthology, which is supported by funds for an open access publication of "Gender in Focus", counters such a claim to New Testament writings. Here, 14 German and US theologians - with the help of an intersectional methodological approach, among other things - highlight the complex interweaving of the biblical texts with ancient culture and society. In this way, diverse positions on sex|gender, sexualities and forms of relationship that characterised the discussions in emerging Christianity become visible. Topics of the book include marriage and other marriage-like relationships, divorce, culturally determined asymmetrical sex|gender relations, conceptions of sex|gender and reproduction based on philosophical and Medicine premises, counter-cultural approaches to freedom of marriage, concepts of the body in general and visions of the abolition of gender difference in an eschatological perspective. The applicant Ursula Ulrike Kaiser is a contributor and co-editor of the volume.
In addition to the publication as a printed book, the availability through an open access publication (CC BY 4.0) is intended to deliberately counteract the male citation cartels that continue to dominate theological scholarship.
The anthology is available at: https://www.mohrsiebeck.com/buch/in-aller-vielfalt-9783161705816/External link
-
Political spheres of action of princesses from 1150-1500 (Malena Ratzke)
Title
Lateral leadership in liminal space. Political spheres of action of princesses in German-language literature and chronicles (1150-1500)
Affiliation
Institute of German Literature, Faculty of Arts and Humanities
Summary of the project
The aim of the project is to provide a new perspective on a type of political action in German-language literature before 1500 that has received little attention.
The project is based on the observation that literary female figures make use of far greater licences than women are usually granted according to contemporary norms. German-language literature and historiography certainly recognise influential, strategically active female figures: they are often connected to the rulers as mothers, wives or advisors, but they do not have formal powers of domination and therefore operate in a social and political interstice. To describe this form of strategic action, the organisational sociological concept of lateral leadership can be historicised, which captures leadership in situations without formally defined authority.
On the one hand, the project looks at how the texts shape the room for manoeuvre of lateral leaders. On the other hand, it examines which ideas of social or political regulations (taking gender, rank and other identity dimensions into account) become tangible. Thirdly, since a mixed-gender audience can be assumed, the project examines which interpretations become tangible in the intermedial transmission of the texts and in reception testimonies.
The fund supports an open access grant, a workshop and a student assistant for the preparation of an application for third-party funding.
-
Fluid (in)equality: career paths of female engineers (Laura Künzel)
Title
Flowing (in)equality: career paths of female water infrastructure engineers between tradition and transformation
Affiliation
Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Institute of Sociology (General and Theoretical Sociology)
Summary of the project
The research project investigates how gender inequalities in technical professions arise, persist or are transformed - using the example of water infrastructure. The focus is on the extent to which work and decision-making processes in this central infrastructure sector represent spaces for the (re-)production of gender relations. Qualitative interviews with female engineers are used to analyse experiences of participation, recognition and influence as well as challenges such as reconciling care work and career.
Theoretically, the project combines approaches from the sociology of work, technology and environmental sociology with feminist organisational and infrastructure research. Sex is understood as a structuring principle of technical organisations - based on the concepts of gendered organisation studies and feminist technology research. The perspective of the female employee voice makes it possible to visualise the dynamics of visibility, voice and influence in male-dominated contexts.
The project makes a double contribution: it closes theoretical gaps between sex|gender, technology and environmental research and offers empirically sound insights into an occupational field that has been little studied to date. In doing so, it contributes to the understanding of how issues of gender, technology and ecological transformation can be intertwined.
-
Tools and practice of queer historiography (Lisa-Marie Oelmayer)
Learn more deTitle
Tools and practice of queer historiography in the regional space
Affiliation
Chair of Gender History, Institute of Arts and Humanities, Faculty of Arts and Humanities
Summary of the workshop
The aim of the workshop is to convey approaches to historical research beyond heteronormative paradigms. In recent years, queer theory has provided important impulses for revising established assumptions about source value and historiographical representation. Queer History is no longer understood merely as a supplement to existing narratives, but as an epistemic project that systematically questions the basic assumptions of historical research. The workshop aims not only to discuss this new perspective theoretically, but also to examine its methodological and practical research applicability in regional historical (source) work.
The relevance of such a reflection arises not least from current research and remembrance policy debates: Queer history(ies) are gaining space, albeit often within narrowly defined memory-cultural or identity-political formats. In contrast, the workshop aims to understand queer historiography not only as an additive practice, but also as a critical intervention in existing historical systems of order, especially in fields such as regional history, which have only occasionally been reflected upon in terms of queer theory. -
When Women Inherit: Sex, Inheritance and Couple Practice (Robin K. Saalfeld)
Title
When women inherit: sex, inheritance and couple practice
Affiliation
Institute of Sociology, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Friedrich Schiller University Jena; SFB/TRR 294 "Structural Change of Property", Subproject B06 "Property Inequalities in the Private".
Summary
The project analyses how heterosexual couples deal with property asymmetries when the woman has more inherited or donated property than her male partner. The key questions are: (1) What communicative, normative and everyday practical processes arise in the couple when patrimonial expectations, such as the cultural script of the male inheritor, are disrupted? (2) What consequences do these negotiations have for property claims, autonomy, equality and attributions of responsibility in the couple's household? The empirical basis is formed by 48 guideline-based couple interviews from the SFB/TRR 294 (TP B06), from which those cases are analysed in depth in which there are property transfers in favour of the woman. Methodologically, the project uses a qualitative-reconstructive approach (documentary method; supplemented by grounded theory). Analytically, doing gender, doing couple and doing property are linked to the concept of patrimonial regulations. The aim is to make visible gendered interpretations, normalisation practices and latent regulations that structure the intra-partner handling of property inequalities in order to profile property as a relational, social practice in couple relationships.
-
Youth Gender Distress: Perspectives on Gender Dysphoria (Florian Zepf)
Title
Podcast series "Youth Gender Distress: Perspectives on gender dysphoria in children and adolescents"
Affiliation
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine
Summary
In recent years, the topic of gender dysphoria in children and adolescents has received increasing attention from both experts and the public. The field of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy faces particular challenges with regard to the vulnerability of affected minors, but also with regard to any accompanying psychopathology. An important question, for example, is what exactly is meant by the term "Gender" in childhood and adolescence, and how this term or its meaning is differentiated from other aspects of personality and can be subject to changes in the course of development.
The aim of the project is to develop, produce and publish a multi-part podcast series that deals with the phenomenon of gender dysphoria (or "Youth Gender Distress") in children and adolescents. The aim is to present scientific perspectives from the fields of Ethics, Medicine, Psychology and Sociology in a way that the general public can understand. The podcast is intended to help clarify, differentiate and objectify a topic that is sometimes emotionally charged.
-
Queer lifeworlds in Thuringia (Victoria Hegner et al.)
Title
Beyond the metropolises, but right in the middle: Queer lifeworlds in Thuringia
Affiliation
Victoria Hegner/Anja Laukötter/Anne Schmidt: Seminar for Cultural Anthropology/Cultural History, Faculty of Arts and Humanities
Summary
The project examines queer lifeworlds in Thuringia beyond the usual metropolis-oriented research. Instead of focussing on large cities, it takes an ethnographic and cultural-historical look at Jena, Weimar, Erfurt and the surrounding regions. It asks how queer life is (or was) organised there, which places of community exist, how scenes and networks develop and how queer people cope with their everyday lives in contexts in which they do not form a "critical mass". We are also interested in how visibility is created or avoided and how people develop their identity and concepts beyond heteronormativity.
The project combines contemporary studies with historical research and involves students. It examines specific East German history, such as the first lesbian magazine in the GDR, which was published in Jena, and the "Homosexual Love" working group there. Oral history interviews and archive research - including at the QueerWeg Association and the Stasi Records Archive - will be used to reveal continuities and ruptures.
The aim is to read Jena's and Thuringia's history and present in a "queer" way and to emphasise the importance of non-metropolitan spaces for queer cultures. The result is a documentary mini-series and an accompanying photo exhibition that makes queer life visible and brings scientific knowledge to the public.