The working group, which is based at the Leibniz Institute for Contemporary History, brings together scholars who are interested in the transformation of democracy from a gender-historical perspective - and vice versa those who ask about the significance of the category "gender" with a view to the history of democracy. Since 2017, the working group has been pooling similar research questions and interests in order to facilitate a regular exchange. The members are unified in the belief that the category "gender" opens up great conceptual and heuristic knowledge potential for research in contemporary history. However, there is a clear gap in research practice in the inclusion of the gender dimension in the history of democracy, which has been revitalized in recent years. One goal of the working group is therefore to consider how these two categories can be related to each other and how this can be operationalized in the medium term.

The joint project "Democracy and Gender: Conflicts over the Order of German Society in the 20th Century" emerged from the working group. It has been funded by the Gerda Henkel Foundation since fall 2022. The Leibniz Institute for Contemporary History, the Chair of Transnational History of the 19th Century at the Ruhr University Bochum and the Chair of Modern History at the University of Bayreuth are involved. The project is integrated into the structures of the working group.

The members of the working group are:

• Benedikt Breisacher, University of Bayreuth
• Dr. Valérie Dubslaff, Université Rennes 2
• Dr. Claudia C. Gatzka, University of Freiburg
• Dr. Jane Freeland, German Historical Institute London
• PD Dr. Bernhard Gotto, IfZ (Speaker)
• Faruk Güler M.A., Ruhr University Bochum
• Dr. des. Haydée Mareike Haass, IfZ
• Prof. Dr. Isabel Heinemann, University of Bayreuth
• Prof. Dr. Kirsten Heinsohn, Research Center for Contemporary History in Hamburg
• Prof. Dr. Christina von Hodenberg, German Historical Institute London
• Mirjam Höfner M.A., Archive of the German Women's Movement, Kassel
• Sandra Holtrup M.A., IfZ
• Christina Holzmann M.A., IfZ
• Prof. Dr. Sandra Maß, Ruhr University Bochum
• Dr. Julia Paulus, LWL Institute for Westphalian Regional History, Münster
• Elisabeth Perzl M.A., IfZ
• Prof. Dr. Till van Rahden, Université de Montréal
• Dr. Christian Rau, IfZ
• Prof. Dr. Michael Schwartz, IfZ
• Helena Schwinghammer M.A., IfZ
• Prof. Dr. Martina Steber, IfZ (Speaker)
• Prof. Dr. Andreas Wirsching, IfZ