Gesine Spieß (1945–2016) was a German

educationalist Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Vari ...

at the University of Applied Sciences in

Erfurt Erfurt () is the capital and largest city in the Central German state of Thuringia. It is located in the wide valley of the Gera river (progression: ), in the southern part of the Thuringian Basin, north of the Thuringian Forest. It sits i ...

(Fachhochschule Erfurt) where she specialized in

gender studies Gender studies is an interdisciplinary academic field devoted to analysing gender identity and gendered representation. Gender studies originated in the field of women's studies, concerning women, feminism, gender, and politics. The field ...

. In 1988, she became the first women's representative in

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian language, Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second- ...

where she developed a women's advancement plan for the city. She is also remembered as an expert in women in management and in policies for advancing

gender equality Gender equality, also known as sexual equality or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making; and the state of valuing d ...

Biography

Born in Glöwen in the municipality of

Plattenburg Plattenburg is a municipality in the Prignitz district, in Brandenburg, Germany. It is named after the water castle of Plattenburg which is located in the district. Demography File:Bevölkerungsentwicklung Plattenburg.pdf, Development of popu ...

on 10 January 1945,, Gesine Spieß studied educational science at the

University of Düsseldorf A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

. She earned her doctorate in 1982 under the

cognitive psychologist Cognitive psychology is the scientific study of mental processes such as attention, language use, memory, perception, problem solving, creativity, and reasoning. Cognitive psychology originated in the 1960s in a break from behaviorism, which he ...

Gudula List. Spieß taught at the University of Düsseldorf and was a research assistant with the German Research Foundation. In 1994, she was appointed professor at the Erfurt University of Applied Sciences where she specialized in gender studies. Following her retirement in 2011, she lectured widely on topics addressing gender, including gender in politics. Spieß was one of the pioneers of equality policy in German municipalities. She first became a women's representative in

Solingen Solingen (; li, Solich) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located some 25 km east of Düsseldorf along the northern edge of the region called Bergisches Land, south of the Ruhr area, and, with a 2009 population of 161,366 ...

before joining the municipality of Düsseldorf in 1988 where she built up the women's office into a strong, publicly respected and politically effective body. From 1986 to 1989, she served as spokeswoman for the federal working group of municipal women's representatives. She is also remembered for establishing the women's trade fair in collaboration with

Messe Düsseldorf The Messe Düsseldorf is a trade fair ground and organizer, based in Düsseldorf, Germany. With a workforce of 1,459 employees worldwide (2006) and a total exhibition space of 306,000 m2 (of which 262,700 m2 is indoors) in Düsseldorf, ...

in 1991 at which representatives of companies, politics and culture discussed equality issues together. The event was held every second year until 1999, attracting great public interest. In 2000, promoting gender equality, Spieß prepared an extensive report on ''Frauen in Führungspositionen'' (Women in Management) for the

Association of German Cities Association may refer to: *Club (organization), an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal *Trade association, an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry *Voluntary associatio ...

. Gesine Spieß died in Düsseldorf on 4 December 2016.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spiess, Gesine 1945 births 2016 deaths People from Prignitz German educational theorists German feminists Women's studies academics German women's rights activists 20th-century German writers 21st-century German writers 20th-century German women writers 21st-century German women writers