Abstract
According to the theories of Marx, Engels, Bebel, and the political leaders of the GDR, the emancipation of women would be accomplished when the emancipation of the working class was realized. They further clarify the general view toward women in a socialist society; these ideas characterized the GDR and the general perception of women. The women’s question was incorporated into the social question and the class struggle, and not distinguished as an individual aspect of gender relations. The question is how much equality women in the GDR had achieved and how emancipated the society, truly, was. My main focus is the analysis of the women’s movement in East Germany, and whether an independent women’s movement existed or not. The state’s policy toward women was primarily aimed in the direction of mothers, and not toward women as women. Gradually, women began to realize that emancipation and equality meant more than employment and economic independence.
Recommended Citation
Kranz, Susanne
(2005)
"Women’s Role in the German Democratic Republic and the State’s Policy Toward Women,"
Journal of International Women's Studies: Vol. 7:
Iss.
1, Article 6.
Available at:
https://vc.bridgew.edu/jiws/vol7/iss1/6