Between state policy and private sphere: women in the GDR in the 1960s and 1970s
This chapter discusses the impact of social conditions and gender relations on women’s decisions about family, education and employment in the German Democratic Republic (GDR), on the one hand, and explores the dynamic interaction between women’s decisions and the policies of the Socialist Unity Par...
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| Pubblicato in: | URI:https://journals.openedition.org/cliowgh, |
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| Autore principale: | |
| Natura: | Article ou chapitre numérique |
| Lingua: | Anglais |
| Pubblicazione: |
Clio
2022
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| Soggetti: | |
| Accesso online: | Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM |
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openedition-oai:revues.org:cliowgh_893 |
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openedition |
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openedition-oai:revues.org:cliowgh_893 https://doi.org/10.4000/cliowgh.893 urn:doi:10.4000/cliowgh.893 en https://journals.openedition.org/cliowgh/893 2022-10-11T02:00:00Z info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess article info:eu-repo/semantics/article urn:handle:20.500.13089/e3te All rights reserved Between state policy and private sphere: women in the GDR in the 1960s and 1970s Clio Belin info:eu-repo/semantics/reference/issn/2554-3822 URI:https://journals.openedition.org/cliowgh Harsch, Donna misogynie travail des femmes socialisme République démocratique allemande tâches domestiques crèches divorce misogyny socialism women’s work German Democratic Republic housework creches divorce This chapter discusses the impact of social conditions and gender relations on women’s decisions about family, education and employment in the German Democratic Republic (GDR), on the one hand, and explores the dynamic interaction between women’s decisions and the policies of the Socialist Unity Party (SED), on the other. In 1970, women were at the center of the multiple economic dilemmas that confronted the SED. As women massively entered the industrial workforce in the 1960s, they reduced their birth rate and retreated into part-time employment. Given the GDR’s drastic shortage of labor, these practices alarmed the SED. Women’s decisions about work and reproduction contributed significantly to a major revision of social and economic policy in a mother-friendly direction. But this article argues that rather than solving the SED’s economic and demographic problems, state maternalist policies accelerated the privatization and individualization of subjectivities, especially among the rising number of educated East German women. Cet article, qui porte sur la RDA, analyse d’une part l’impact des conditions sociales et des relations de genre sur les décisions des femmes en matière de famille, éducation et emploi, d’autre part l’interaction dynamique entre ces décisions et les politiques du parti au pouvoir (SED). En 1970, les femmes sont au centre des nombreux dilemmes économiques qu’affronte ce dernier. Entrées massivement sur le marché du travail dans les années 1960, les femmes ont fait moins d’enfants et pris des temps partiels. Dans une RDA en manque de bras, ces comportements ont inquiété le SED et l’ont conduit à une révision majeure de la politique sociale et économique dans un sens favorable aux mères. Mais plutôt que de résoudre les problèmes économiques et démographiques, ces politiques maternalistes ont accéléré la privatisation et l’individualisation des subjectivités, spécialement chez les femmes éduquées, de plus en plus nombreuses. |
| collection |
OpenEdition Journal |
| language |
Anglais |
| format |
Article ou chapitre numérique |
| building |
0/Bibliothèque numérique/ 1/Bibliothèque numérique/OpenEdition Journals/ |
| topic |
misogynie travail des femmes socialisme République démocratique allemande tâches domestiques crèches divorce misogyny socialism women’s work German Democratic Republic housework creches divorce |
| spellingShingle |
misogynie travail des femmes socialisme République démocratique allemande tâches domestiques crèches divorce misogyny socialism women’s work German Democratic Republic housework creches divorce Harsch, Donna Between state policy and private sphere: women in the GDR in the 1960s and 1970s |
| description |
This chapter discusses the impact of social conditions and gender relations on women’s decisions about family, education and employment in the German Democratic Republic (GDR), on the one hand, and explores the dynamic interaction between women’s decisions and the policies of the Socialist Unity Party (SED), on the other. In 1970, women were at the center of the multiple economic dilemmas that confronted the SED. As women massively entered the industrial workforce in the 1960s, they reduced their birth rate and retreated into part-time employment. Given the GDR’s drastic shortage of labor, these practices alarmed the SED. Women’s decisions about work and reproduction contributed significantly to a major revision of social and economic policy in a mother-friendly direction. But this article argues that rather than solving the SED’s economic and demographic problems, state maternalist policies accelerated the privatization and individualization of subjectivities, especially among the rising number of educated East German women. |
| author |
Harsch, Donna |
| author_facet |
Harsch, Donna |
| author_sort |
Harsch, Donna |
| title |
Between state policy and private sphere: women in the GDR in the 1960s and 1970s |
| title_short |
Between state policy and private sphere: women in the GDR in the 1960s and 1970s |
| title_full |
Between state policy and private sphere: women in the GDR in the 1960s and 1970s |
| title_fullStr |
Between state policy and private sphere: women in the GDR in the 1960s and 1970s |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Between state policy and private sphere: women in the GDR in the 1960s and 1970s |
| title_sort |
between state policy and private sphere: women in the gdr in the 1960s and 1970s |
| publisher |
Clio |
| publishDate |
2022 |
| container_title |
URI:https://journals.openedition.org/cliowgh |
| url |
https://ezproxy.univ-orleans.fr/login?url=https://doi.org/10.4000/cliowgh.893 https://ezproxy.univ-orleans.fr/login?url=https://journals.openedition.org/cliowgh/893 |
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1877293055292211200 |