interview

Working conditions at universities “Human and anti-science ”

Status: 06/24/2021 5:03 a.m.

Chain contracts, extra work and a lack of prospects: under the hashtag #IchBinHanna, scientists mobilize against difficult working conditions. At their pressure, the Bundestag is also dealing with the subject today. tagesschau.de: With #IchBinHanna, working conditions in science make it into parliament. How did the hashtag come about? Sebastian Kubon: Until recently, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research had a video on its website in which an animated figure named Hanna explains the legal basis of employment, the Science Contract Act. This is a special right of fixed-term employment that regulates that scientists in Germany can be employed for a maximum of six years before and six years after completing their doctorate. Thereafter, the time limit must be extended. But that doesn’t happen due to a lack of jobs, so most of them are thrown out of the system by then at the latest – with all their qualifications and knowledge that are then lost to science. And in addition to this immense loss for Germany as a research location, there is always a personal fate. If there is such an explanatory video to explain this absurd situation, then in my opinion it is anti-human and anti-science. Therefore, Dr. Amrei Bahr, Dr. Kristin Eichhorn and I give the scientists a face – with the hashtag #IchbBinHanna.

To person Dr. Sebastian Kubon is a research associate at the History Department at the University of Hamburg, currently on parental leave. He is mainly concerned with public history and food history. At the moment, criticism of the German science system is at the center of his commitment. To do this, he and Dr. Amrei Bahr and Dr. Kristin Eichhorn created the hashtag #IchBinHanna.

tagesschau.de: What are your main points of criticism and what are your specific suggestions? Kubon: I hardly know where to start. The short-term contracts are particularly bad. Instead of doing research in peace, you have to keep writing new applications and proposals. We need realistic contract terms, i.e. as long as you actually need for a doctorate, for example. And those who then have a doctorate should be employed on a permanent basis – or at least receive a clear and transparent perspective. In addition, there is a lot of unpaid overtime at universities. Many colleagues only have half jobs – and still work as much as if they had full jobs to keep the business running. We need reliable and sufficient basic funding. This does not always mean more third-party funding, i.e. project-related funds that have to be applied for and raised at great expense.

“Then you shouldn’t get any professors out of time”

tagesschau.de: The Ministry of Education justified the temporary positions by stating that research always needed new impulses. Kubon: This argument that only constant fluctuation creates innovation has been around for decades without ever being scientifically verified. According to this logic, professors should not be deferred. I think that is more of an exaggerated argument. Because it is – at least in the short term – easier and cheaper for young scientists to work unpaid overtime. But this literally burns them up, which is expensive in the long term and not sustainable at all. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not about pity. But this system means that important research projects are put to rest, teaching suffers in terms of content and students keep losing contact. Many highly talented people, when asked if they could see themselves in science, wave their thanks. tagesschau.de: Another argument from the Ministry of Education is that if all posts were to be expelled, a single generation would “clog” the system … Kubon: But nobody is asking that all positions be permanent – as far as I know, not even the union. It is about transparent criteria and a concrete perspective: in other words, expiry under the and the circumstances. Surely it cannot be that every new generation has to struggle again and again with precarious working conditions and cannot conduct research properly.

“No wonder that many seek their happiness elsewhere”

tagesschau.de: Is that actually a purely German problem, is it better to deal with young scientists abroad? Kubon: “Offspring” is a terrible term. Some people in their mid-40s are not newcomers, but highly qualified experts who have long had highly paid management positions elsewhere. No wonder that many seek their happiness elsewhere. Foreign universities have already tried to poach German scientists as part of #IchBinHanna. But to come back to the question: Overall, science is a precarious system worldwide. But I cannot judge that in detail. But it would perhaps also be more the job of the ministry to set up a commission to deal with working conditions elsewhere in order to see what one can learn from there. But that would presuppose that deficits are recognized at all in their own country.

Mobilize via Twitter – in response to pressure from academics, the Bundestag is currently dealing with working conditions in research and teaching (archive). Image: picture alliance / Geisler-Fotop

tagesschau.de: Now there is a current hour in the Bundestag today. What do you expect from it? Kubon: I hope that this will bring science back on the political agenda. If it is to provide urgently needed orientation, then we can no longer work under such conditions. But I have the impression that many politicians simply do not know anything about it. Therefore we say: stop – it cannot go on like this. And maybe a few parties will see it as an opportunity to position themselves on questions of science policy.

Workers’ rights, as for everyone else

tagesschau.de: It is the last week of the session, then there will be general elections in September, so there will be no quick solutions. How do you intend to carry the topic forward? Kubon: The Science Contract Act is currently being evaluated. However, the corresponding forms are designed in such a way that I cannot imagine that valid data will come out of them. Nevertheless: The law is on the agenda for the next legislative period. Therefore, the deficits must now be described as precisely as possible in order to propose possible solutions. This is done in the traditional way, i.e. via local programs, party work or unions. But thanks to social media, initiatives can also arise quickly and spontaneously – the success of #IchBinHanna has shown us that. You made the Ministry of Research have to deal with our criticism. And on this point we will not let up: Scientists must have the same employee rights as everyone else. The interview was conducted by Stefan Keilmann, tagesschau.de

The Weibo topic #女 easy trousers pockets too anti-human, aroused the sympathy of the majority of women. Equivalent to only 40% of women’s pockets can be fully fitted into iPhone X, and the success rate of men’s pockets is 100%. Whether it’s skinny jeans or straight jeans, this difference exists. How do girls buy things, Want to engage in a “color revolution”? In 1954, the well-known designer Christian Dior said: “Men’s pockets are for holding things, and women’s pockets are for decoration.” To this day, there may be many designers still pursuing the principle of “male clothing is designed for practicality and female clothing is born for beauty”. For this reason, some businesses may compress the space of women’s trouser pockets due to the need of beautiful design. Weibo netizens @活体复读机 sharing the difference between men’s and women’s trouser pockets Many women wear lipstick, tissues, and earphones when they go out. If their trouser pockets can’t fit so many small objects, they will choose to carry a bag to go out. So you can see, whether you are strolling in a quiet campus, on the way to work, or going out for a break on the weekend, a lot of Girls have to bring a bag when they go out. But in some cases, the loading capacity of women’s bags is still much worse than that of men’s bags. Take a big-name backpack for example. The best-selling female diagonal bag is priced at 4485 yuan. This delicate mini bag is decorated with camellia. If you put a mobile phone inside, you want to put another power bank. It’s possible. Girls who are away from home carry such a bag, which is not very practical. Some large items will still be “tied up” in the hands. “Broken Sisters”The female protagonist went out, carrying many bags. At the same price, men’s handbags of the same brand are briefcases and business bags. It is not a problem for them to put a small computer.The loading capacity far exceeds that of female backpacks. Someone complained, “Perhaps the fashion industry simply wants women not to carry anything out of the house.” It is puzzling that although some women’s bags have smaller space and poorer loading capacity, their prices are much higher than those of men’s bags. If it is because the cost of raw materials and technology for women’s bags is higher, it is excusable. But the price difference between some men’s and women’s models is puzzling. For example, only the color is different between men and women, but the value is a few blocks away. Businesses like to make a fuss on pink products, because this color is often regarded as the preference of girls. Women always bring lipstick, tissues, and headphones when they go out. Air Force Pink Valentine’s Day series of the same shoes for men and women, the price of men’s models is between 919-949 yuan, and the female models are increased to 1219-2029 yuan; Gaming mouse black and water silver are both 299 yuan, pink crystal color is 329 yuan; The Razer DX co-branded gaming chair faith color matching standard version is 1399 yuan, and the powerful goddess car is 1799 yuan. Suning Mini’s small fan also made a price distinction in terms of color, increasing the price of the more feminine pink fan to 22.9 yuan, and other colors to 12.9 yuan. The price of the more feminine pink fan is different from the others. The fact that pink products are priced higher than other color products has made more and more women dissatisfied with this “pink tax”. “Pink tax” refers to the phenomenon that women’s models are more expensive than men’s for the same type of goods. It is named because most of the higher-priced women’s products are pink. In the current sales activities of various platforms, The phenomenon of “pink tax” is not uncommon. Are there any other differences besides the color? When buying daily necessities in the mall, you may habitually pick up “female-only” shampoos, attracted by the matte packaging, and directlyIgnore the styles for men. Maybe you haven’t noticed at all. In fact, apart from the color and packaging, men and women skin care products are the same in terms of ingredients and production costs. Ryan McDevitt commented on the phenomenon of female pink tax. On top of the basic products for the general public, merchants do in-depth sales for women, making the products smaller and more pink. They work hard on aesthetics, but sometimes they deviate from the practicality of the items themselves. As far as umbrellas are concerned, search on Taobao “Umbrella Girl” , Umbrella design and aesthetic performance are of various types, and the theme-limited series are even more diverse. Ingenious women’s umbrellas and sturdy men’s umbrellas. Merchants have seized the characteristics of women’s preference for “exquisiteness” and made a fuss about the appearance to increase the price of their products.but The same article changed gender and searched again, but most of them were “Daigu, thick, sturdy and durable for two people.” Computer accessories on all major platforms under the banner of “e-sports girl” changed the packaging of the popular styles, and replaced the basic headsets with cat ears. Or it was a joint name with XXX for Amway, which was summed up by netizens as a pink tax lightning protection book.SomeoneCommented:

“No one really thinks girls like pink, right?” “The sense of cheapness overflows the screen.” “None of these pink chairs have considered the height of women.”

“No one really thinks girls like pink, right?” “The sense of cheapness overflows the screen.” “None of these pink chairs have considered the height of women.” The New York Consumers Association once conducted a survey,Among the 5 categories of 397 products in the United States, 42% of the products are women’s models at a higher price. A collection of e-sports girl products. Businesses may think that female consumers are less sensitive to prices and spend more “expensively”, but the actual situation may be beyond their expectations. Spanish scholar Manzano Anton believes that there are a large number of products sold specifically to women on the market, which are mostly related to the society’s expectations of women’s “beauty”, but the differentiation of these products is sometimes unnecessary. More often, the attributes and functions of products are deliberately marketed by merchants, not based on the real needs of women. This “pink bubble” should have been burst long ago Why should women spend more money on the same product? In the advertising video launched by Burger King and David Miami, Burger King launched a pink-packaged chicken fries priced at $3.09 based on the price of American chicken fries for $1.69, and it was only sold to women. During the ordering process, the staff will deliberately ask the lady who ordered: “This is in a pink package. It has eyelashes and a bow. Will you pay more for the pink box?” Every woman said “I reject”. Burger King used such clever social experiments to tell people how absurd it is to ask women to pay more just because the packaging is pink. Not all girls like pink, and not all women like complicated styles. Among the groups fighting back against the “pink tax”, the Douban Pink Tax Boycotters Alliance team assembled 25,227 pink girls According to the group profile, “Girls are not the wool of unscrupulous merchants and refuse to be cut”. They brainstormed, worked together, shared their experiences, and avoided paying the “pink tax.” Members of the Pink Tax Boycotts Alliance team share their experience of trampling thunder. Netizen@月燃Recently, I placed an order for a female watch in a Tissot store, but the gifts for men and women are completely different. Buying men’s watches will give you a Tissot custom umbrella, while women’s models will give you a custom portable mirror. @月燃Tucao this kind of operation “is really unequal in value, it’s too bad.” In the sharing of netizens, “genderless” clothing has gradually become a way to fight back against the “pink tax”.In recent years, many fast fashion brands have launched”Genderless clothing”. “Genderless” clothing has gradually become a counterattack against the “pink tax” trend. Boyfriend style, oversize…A variety of masculine clothing styles for women’s clothing are also one of the manifestations of non-sexist clothing. “Genderless” clothing not only pursues minimalism, but also reorganizes design elements with obvious gender characteristics. Pay attention to individualization and practical value, reducing the pressure and constraints on clothing. Only when the practical needs of girls are paid attention to and valued, not just gimmicks, can it be possiblePop the “pink bubble”. Today’s interaction What are the “pink tax” phenomena around you? Written | Aunt Xue Edit | Paper Crane Typography | Agassi *The source network of the picture without the source