Women and Women’s Policies in East and West Germany, 1945–1990

Gender Norms under Socialism and Capitalism: A Historical Examination of Attitudes towards Maternal Employment in the German Democratic Republic and the Federal Republic of Germany

“…As birth rates declined from the mid-1960s onwards, a wide range of policy measures were introduced to better support women in reconciling family and paid work (Nickel 1998;Leitner et al 2008;Trappe et al 2015). Public childcare was further expanded (children could enter from the age of fi ve months); mothers with two children were allowed to reduce their weekly working hours to 40 without a wage reduction; maternity leave with full wage compensation covered 26 weeks and could be followed by a well-compensated (50-90 percent) paid "baby year" (before 1986 only mothers with a second child were eligible); a birth bonus of 1 000 Mark was paid; extra holidays and child (sickness) benefi ts were given to mothers; and mothers were entitled to one paid day off work per month for housework (Winkler 1990;Helwig 1993;Schmidt 1996;Nickel 1998).…”

“…Furthermore, theories about social policy being a normative anchor, about the consequences of exposure to work-related environments, as well as arguments on social multiplier effects arising from high maternal labour force participation (Pfau-Effi nger 2005; Kremer 2007; Gangl/Ziefl e 2015; Grunow/Veltkamp 2016), would have suggested a higher agreement with maternal full-time employment in the GDR. However, exposure to the double burden of paid and unpaid work that many mothers experienced, which was associated with time pressures and mental strain, may have promoted preferences for maternal non-employment(Adler/Brayfi eld 1997;Nickel 1998;Becker-Schmidt 2010;…”

„Schwarze Schwester Angela“.

“…Zu Geschlechterverhätnissen in der DDR vgl Begenau 1995;Bertram/ Müller 1992;Bühler 1997;Nickel 1998.. …”