Women in West Germany Flashcards
What happened to the women after the war?
Many women continued to work as they had during the war years and as many had done before that.
What happened to West German households after 1950?
Since 1950, a third of West German households were headed by a widow or divorced female.
What was work like for women in the 1950s and 1960s?
It was often mundane and poorly paid and it was not until the 1970s that more opportunities presented themselves.
What was the impact of the backdrop of Kinder, Kirche, Kuche?
proved to be a major psychological barrier to more significant short term change, despite the Basic Law enshrining a commitment to gender equality. Hence limited employment rights and marriage conformity dominated the post war years.
Who were the Trummerfrauen?
Women of the rubble - tended the wounded, buried the dead, salvaged belongings, and began the arduous task of rebuilding war-torn Germany by clearing away rubble and wreckage.
How did the role of women improve in the late 1950s?
Women could obtain bank loans without reference to their husbands.
What happened in 1976?
Abortion was legalised
What happened in 1977?
Women achieved equal rights in marriage in 1977
In 1977, how was equality only a facade?
Women, more than a third of the labour force, earned a third less than men.
What were the conclusions of the parliamentary commission of inquiry on “Woman and Society in the mid-1970s?
West German women made less money, had less education and far less freedom to choose careers and improve social standing than men.
Who was Dr Helge Pross?
One of the leading sociologists involved in the work of the commission in the mid-1970s
What did Dr Helge Pross say?
“The problem isn’t the law; it is the way people think”
What did Alice Schwarzer do?
Founded the popular feminist magazine EMMA in 1977 and the gender debate became more balanced and progressive.
How did women become more influential politically?
Helping to shape the policy agenda of the new Green Party in the early 1980s.
Who was Petra Kelly?
A German Green politician and ecofeminist activist. She was a founding member of the German Green Party, the first Green party to rise to prominence both nationally in Germany and worldwide.
