The following research compares the changes in policies and norms under the two systems over time, as they affected East German women, and how East German women felt about these changes. Comparing the policies and norms regarding East German women over time and how they felt about it reveals the role of socialization in their lives and its effect on integration. Studying East German women longitudinally from the 1970s to early 2010s foments a better understanding of the disparity between government policy and daily life. By examining the situation of East German women during this period, I aim to show how their lives changed under both systems from 20 years before to 20 years after unification. The official rights afforded to women and mothers in the GDR shaped how they saw themselves and their roles in society. Their official rights and lives under communism were predetermined, at times, how they would perceive and live their lives in united Germany. This thesis highlights the changes East German women underwent, noting changes regarding employment, views on working mothers, on egalitarian values, and how the economic systems both changed and reinforced dynamic cultural norms.

Author

• Wistner, Emily

Language

• en

Keyword

• employment
• German unification
• economics
• gender
• GDR

Date created

• 2025

Type of Work

• Master's Thesis

License

• All rights reserved

Rights statement

• In Copyright

GW Unit

• History

Degree

• M.A.

Advisor

• Harrison, Hope

Persistent URL

•  https://scholarspace.library.gwu.edu/etd/9s161720x