Silke Bothfeld

Prof. Dr. Silke Bothfeld is a Professor at Bremen University of Applied Sciences specializing in social policy research, with expertise in labor market policy, family policy, and gender equality. Her work combines institutionalist and comparative approaches to analyze welfare state dynamics, particularly through normative frameworks like autonomy theory.

Her academic journey includes studies at the Otto Suhr Institute of the Free University of Berlin and the Institut d'Études Politiques in Paris, followed by professional positions at the Berlin Social Science Center (1995-2002) and as head of labor market policy at the Hans Böckler Foundation's Institute for Social Sciences (2002-2008). She has led the International Degree Program in Political Management (2012-2018) and currently chairs the Expert Commission for the Federal Government's 4th Gender Equality Report (2023-2025), focusing on 'Gender Equality in the Ecological Transformation' with publication scheduled for January 2025.

Prof. Bothfeld's research examines critical intersections between social policy and gender dynamics, with recent work addressing climate challenges to the welfare state, regional labor market equality in Bremen, and nursing within the German gender regime. Her scholarship often investigates how policy change emerges from latent learning processes and expertise transfer.

• Chair, Expert Commission for the Federal Government's 4th Gender Equality Report (2023-2025)
• Board Member, German Association for Social Science Labor Market Research (SAMF) (since 2020)
• Research project: 'Autonomy as a model for the welfare state' (funded by Hans Böckler Foundation)
• Research project: 'The gender-equitable design of the labor market'

Her teaching spans working society, social inequality, equality, comparative social policy, and the European welfare state across German, English, and French language contexts. She supervises doctoral dissertations as a second reviewer and emphasizes engaging pedagogical approaches that foster independent student participation. Her policy consultation work includes advising political actors and moderating expert discussions, with commissioned studies for the Federal Ministry for Families, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth.