Study chemistry, start a family, or both? Really want to make it as a chemist in a male-dominated world? Accept a lower salary than her male colleagues? A job in the library? Or perhaps emulate Madame Curie after all?

These are all questions that GDCh members have been grappling with for quite some time. For 25 years, the GDCh has been explicitly committed to equal opportunities in chemistry. It celebrated this anniversary in 2025 with various initiatives, including: issue no. 5, 2025, of Nachrichten aus der Chemie) , the JCF's interview series " Children and Career, " and the GDCh's anniversary event "25 Years of Commitment to Equal Opportunities in Chemistry" on December 1, 2025, at the Deutsches Museum in Munich.

We, the members of the SEC, also collected, at the initiative of Barbara Pohl, accounts of experiences, stories, anecdotes, pictures, and historical documents relating to studying chemistry and choosing a career in the field between the 1950s and 1980s. The 25 contributions are quite impressive (see below). They were published on December 1, 2025, as a brochure entitled " Experienced Equal Opportunities Reflected in Time ."