Bachelor thesis wins Diversity Award

Erfurt, 12.11.2021 - For the second time this year, IU International University of Applied Sciences presents the Diversity Award for an outstanding final thesis. The award goes to Anika Dreesmann for her bachelor's thesis in social pedagogy entitled: "Acceptance of Rainbow Families - Do Homosexual Parents Meet with Less Acceptance in Our Society than the Classical Family System?" The award is intended to help raise public awareness of the research field of diversity, says Nicola Schmidt-Geheb, Equal Opportunity and Diversity Officer at IU. It is endowed with 500 euros and has been awarded twice a year by IU since 2018.

Dreesmann is a trained industrial clerk and completed a distance learning degree in Social Pedagogy at IU. She was able to pursue the degree part-time, graduating in August and switching to her dream job as a social pedagogue as early as January. She herself is a member of a rainbow family and experiences a lot of acceptance in everyday life. Stumbling blocks arise in her opinion in politics: "Although the visibility of same-sex couples with children has increased in recent years, alternative family forms are often still filled with prejudice by society. Discrimination through the current legal situation, in my opinion, contributes a great deal to heteronormative thinking," she says.

About IU International University of Applied Sciences 
With over 75,000 students, IU International University of Applied Sciences (IU) is the largest university in Germany. The private, state-recognised educational institution brings together more than 200 Bachelor's and Master's degree programmes under its roof, which are offered in German or English. Students can choose between on-campus study, dual study, distance learning and flexible combination models and thus shape their studies in a self-determined way. In addition, IU facilitates continuing education and promotes the idea of lifelong learning. The university's goal is to make education possible for as many people as possible. IU began operations in 2000 and is now represented in 28 German cities. It cooperates with over 10,000 companies and actively supports them in employee development. Its partners include Motel One, VW Financial Services and Deutsche Bahn. Further information at: www.iu.de/en/