Arbeitsgruppe Prof. Dr. Alexandra Scheele: Arbeits- und Wirtschaftssoziologie

Network "Scientific Analysis and Advice on Gender Equality in the EU (SAAGE)"

I have been working as an expert on socio-economic developments in Europe and gender inequalities in various research networks of the European Commission since 2008. Current news is the network "Scientific Analysis and Advice on Gender Equality in the EU (SAAGE)". Furthermore, I am integrated as an expert in the so-called "Mutual Learning Programme" of the Commission in the field of pay inequality.

Gender Equality in the Corporate World (research network, current)

I have been a member of the international network "Gender Equality Policy in Practice Project (GEPP)" since June 2015. In this context, I work on the topic of "Equal Employment" in Germany. Joint workshops and conceptual anthologies are used to identify similarities and differences in the respective economic, labour market and welfare state regimes. The current news - following a joint anthology on "Gender Equality and Policy Implementation in the Corporate World. Making Democracy Work in Business" (Oxford University Press 2022) - is analysing the gender pay gap. The project began with an international workshop at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research (ZIF) in June 2022, which I helped to organise and which was attended by researchers from 20 countries.

When will the pay gap between men and women close?

7 March is Equal Pay Day. This day draws attention to the fact that women continue to earn less than men. The Tagesspiegel asked Prof Dr Alexandra Scheele how the gap can be closed and how much longer it will take.

Podcast: “Whose Rights, Which Rights?

Debates about abortion rights and the marriage for all or the hostility towards feminists and gender studies are making it undeniable – women’s and gender rights have increasingly been called into question and attacked. The podcast “Whose Rights, Which Rights?” takes up these conflicts over gender, equality and the formulation and implementation of legal claims in 10 episodes. The podcast is based on a cooperation between the ZiF-Research group “Global Contestations of Women’s and Gender Rights” (2020-2021) and the Hertz 87.9 campus radio. 

• Publisher and editor-in-chief of the "Zeitschrift für Soziologie", Degruyter
• Co-publisher and editor of the journal "Femina Politica", Barbara Budrich publishing house
• Co-editor of the book series "Arbeit - Demokratie - Geschlecht", Westfälisches Dampfboot

• "Society, Religion and Multiple Gender Cultures", Symposium in honour of Heidemarie Winkel on 2 December 2024 Center for Interdisciplinary Research (ZIF) at Bielefeld University (with Ina Kerner and Julia Roth)
• "Equal Pay in Practice: Comparative Research on Policy Implementation". International workshop on 20/21 June 2022 at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research (ZIF) at Bielefeld University (with Isabelle Engeli, Amy Mazur, Ania Plomien and Sophie Pochic).
• Reading of Olga Shparaga, The Revolution Has a Female Face: The Case of Belarus. Berlin: Suhrkamp, 2021 on 27 April 2022 at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research (ZiF) at Bielefeld University, introduction and moderation.
• "Struggling Against Capital's Inequalities: Towards Equality Principles and Global Solidarities". Workshop on 28 June 2021 at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research (ZiF) at Bielefeld University.
• "Framing the Global Contestations of Women's and Gender Rights". International conference from 24-26 March 2021 at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research (ZiF) of Bielefeld University.
• "How are Equality Principles Translated into Practice? Gender Equality in the Field of Labour". Workshop on 4 March 2021 at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research (ZiF) at Bielefeld University.
• "Contestations of Equality and the Reconfiguration of Inequalities in the Gendered Division of Labour: Continuities and Changes at Local and Global Level". Workshop on 22 October 2020 at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research (ZIF) at Bielefeld University.
• "Mapping the Global Contestations of Women's and Gender Rights". International conference from 7-9 October 2020 at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research (ZiF) at Bielefeld University.
• "Dimensions of Gendered Division of Labour in Post-Growth Societies: Transformations and Persistences" at the 2nd Regional Conference of the DGS/Closing Conference of the DFG Post-Growth Societies Research Training Group "Great Transformation: The Future of Modern Societies" from 23-27 September 2019 (with Mike Laufenberg)
• "Equal pay for equal work? Workshop on pay inequality between men and women" on 19 September 2019 at the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg (with Heike Jacobsen and Virginia Kimey Pflücke).
• "Feminism and Marxism", book presentation with Beatrice Müller on 23 October 2018 at the Faculty of Sociology at Bielefeld University.
• "Gender, organisation and work - complex dynamics, narrow perspectives?" Ad-hoc group at the DGS Congress "Complex Dynamics of Global and Local Developments" from 24-28 September 2018 in Göttingen (with Stefanie Ernst, Annette von Alemann and Julia Gruhlich)
• Section event "Global Capitalism with(out) Gender and 'Race'? Theoretical Approvals" at the DGS Congress "Complex Dynamics of Global and Local Developments" from 24-28 September 2018 in Göttingen (with Tomke König and Encarnacion Gutierrez-Rodriguez).
• Panel "Labour, Care and Social Reproduction in Contemporary Capitalism - Insights from Marxist and Feminist Theory" Panel at the Marx200 Congress at the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation in Berlin, 2-6 May 2018 (with Stefanie Wöhl).
• "Mind the Gender Pay Gap: New Research Findings", stream at the 9th Biennial International Interdisciplinary Conference Gender Work and Organization from 29 June - 1 July 2016 at Keele University, UK (with Nadja Bergmann, Marie-Thérèse Chicha, Susan Milner, Sophie Pochic, Claudia Sorger, Sue Williamson)

• "Examining equal pay in the workplace and digitalisation". Presentation at the Equal Opportunities Forum of the Hans Böckler Foundation on 3 March 2023 in Berlin
• "Digital transformation". Lecture at the event: Change is female? Political evening on transformation. DGB Youth Lower Saxony, DGB Women Lower Saxony, 21 March 2023 in Hanover
• "Labour demand and labour potential in culture and media". Short presentation and panel discussion at the symposium of the German Cultural Council in Berlin on 28 June 2022.
• "Digitalisation and equal pay" Presentation on 31 May 2022 at the meeting of the Bonn working group of the Equal Opportunities Officers of the federal authorities.
• "Women's work - women's employment: inequalities and their analysis". Keynote speech on 19 May 2022 at the annual conference of the Working Group on Social Science Labour Market Research (SAMF)
• "Gender democracy in crisis? Intersectional perspectives on labour and gender in the Covid-19 pandemic". Lecture at the annual conference of the Swiss Society for Gender Studies SGGF on 26 November 2021 at the University of Zurich.
• "Theorising Covid-Capitalism from a Social Reproduction Perspective". Presentation at the 15th Conference of the European Sociological Association on 3 September 2021 in Barcelona (with Ania Plomien and Martina Sproll)
• "Between Revaluation and Devaluation: "Systemically Relevant Appointments" and Care in the Corona Crisis". Section event of the Sociology of Work and Industry, DGS/ÖGS Congress on 23 September 2021 at the University of Vienna (with Helene Schiffbänker and Greta Wienkamp)
• "Minimum Wage, Pay Transparency Law and Temporary Part-Time: Will there be more Gender Equality on Germany's Labour Market?" Presentation at the 6th European Conference on Politics and Gender from 3-7 July 2019, University of Amsterdam (with Petra Ahrens)
• "Care work in the crisis? On the transformation of the welfare state, labour market and family". Lecture at the 2nd Sino-German Conference on Gender Equality and Development of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung and the Women's University China from 27-28 November 2018 in Beijing
• "Feminism and Marxism". Lecture and discussion at the Marx 200 event at the Museum Arbeitswelt in Steyr/Austria on 4 May 2018.
• "Taking a look at the 'whole' of work - perspectives of gender studies on work and its organisation". Lecture as part of the ad-hoc group Gender, Organisation and Work at the Congress of the German Sociological Association on 26 September 2018 at the University of Göttingen.
• "Deconstruction and revision of work as a task of feminist labour research". Lecture at the workshop "Quo vadis Arbeit, Organisation und Geschlecht?" of the working group "Arbeit, Organisation und Geschlecht" in the Section Women's and Gender Studies/DGS on 26 January 2018 at the Social Research Centre Dortmund.
• "Crisis and gender". Lecture at the colloquium "Attack on Democracy" at the Technical University of Dresden on 20 November 2017
• "Women on Corporate Boards in Germany and the Law on the Equal Participation of Women and Men in Leadership Positions - Improving Career Opportunities for a Few or Removing Vertical Segregation?" Presentation at the 5th European Conference on Politics and Gender (ECPG) from 8-10 June 2017 in Lausanne, Switzerland (with Petra Ahrens).
• "Strategies to tackle wage inequalities - Findings from six European countries". Presentation at the 9th Biennial International Interdisciplinary Conference of the journal Gender, Work & Organization from 29 June - 1 July 2016 at Keele University, England.

Working Group Scheele regularly offers courses in all degree programmes of the Faculty of Sociology. Topics include "Introduction to Economic Sociology", "New Economic Sociology", "Digital Capitalism", "Value, Valuation and Payment of Labour", "Theories of Capitalism and Criticism of Capitalism", "Labour, Economy, Democracy". In addition, BA and MA final colloquia are regularly offered.

Courses taught by Prof. Dr Alexandra Scheele

Download links to seminar paper requirements in German and English (website)

• Benedikt Heckens: Appropriation of Surplus Labour and the Régulation of Labour Regimes in Global Production Networks. The Example of Volkswagens Battery Production Network
• Sarah Frimpong: Transnational Labour Markets in West Africa – A Study on Informality, Digital Technologies, and Women Migrants
• Mariza Mathis: