For over 20 years now, the University’s Gender Equality Office has awarded the Gender Studies Prize in order to raise the profile of its gender research.
Distinguished gender studies thesis papers
The jury of Dr. Sandra Fischer (Politics), Professor Claudia Jacobi (Romance Studies), Professor Andreas Krebs (Department of Old Catholic Studies), Professor Karoline Noack (Anthropology of the Americas), Dr. Anna Schliehe (Cultural Geography) and Professor Caroline Teschmer (Protestant Theology), crowned the following winners for the 2025 academic year:
- Martha Bingeler, for her bachelor’s thesis in Latin American studies and Anthropology of the Americas entitled “Exotisierte und feminisierte Körper an der kolumbianischen Karibikküste im Kontext von Tourismus” (“Exoticized and Feminized Bodies on Colombia’s Caribbean Coast in a Tourism Context”)
- Lucie Schüssler, for her master’s thesis in Catholic theology entitled “Ökologische Krise und Geschlechtergerechtigkeit. Potential für Christliche Sozialethik” (“The Ecological Crisis and Gender Equality. Scope for Christian Social Ethics”)
- Dr. Lisa Tenderini, for her doctoral thesis entitled “Oltre i tabù. (Contro-)narrazioni sovversive del ciclo mestruale nella letteratura italiana dagli anni Sessanta a oggi” (“Beyond Taboos. Subversive (Counter-)Narratives of the Menstrual Cycle in Italian Literature since the 1960s”)
An especially broad spectrum of gender research was represented once again this year, as 17 theses in 12 different fields were submitted to compete for the award.
Recognizing exceptional commitment to gender equality in research
Also presented at the same time was the Maria von Linden Prize, named after Maria Gräfin von Linden (1869–1936). The first woman in Germany to be awarded the title of “Scientiae Naturalis Doctor” for her doctoral thesis, she also became the University of Bonn’s first honorary professor a few years later. It is in her honor that individuals and groups are recognized every year for their exceptional commitment to gender equality every year.
There were no fewer than three worthy recipients in 2026:
- Dr. Lisa Tenderini for organizing the lecture series “Eine transdisziplinäre Kulturgeschichte der Menstruation” (“Menstruation: A Transdisciplinary Cultural History”), launching the “Period Studies” platform and helping to promote gender studies at the University of Bonn and further afield
- Sister Jakoba Zöll for setting up the “Gender Studies” certificate program, co-organizing the “Gender und Diversität” (“Gender and Diversity”) research colloquium and making an ongoing contribution toward mainstreaming gender research at the University of Bonn as an institution
- Assistant Professor Dr. Elena Reckzeh for her hard work with “Women in Science,” her instigation of “WiS Allyship” and her “Science²: Science meets Partnership” lecture series
The “Women in Science” group led by prizewinner Elena Reckzeh used the awards ceremony to campaign against a potential cut in parental benefit while wearing brightly colored T-shirts. The researchers stressed that financial support for families had to be put on a sustainable footing if gender equality is to succeed in the long term, a message backed by the University Gender Equality Commissioner: “The countries that have had particular success with gender equality are those that are redoubling their efforts to split the burden of raising a family equally between both parents,” says Gabriele Alonso Rodriguez. “I believe that Germany should do the same and shouldn’t be watering down its financial support in any circumstances. Distributing the care burden fairly improves gender equality and allows women to keep pursuing their career in research.”
