Emergence and development of feminist movements in the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic (1968–1980)

Abstract

The present study analyzes key concepts such as gender, gender studies, women's studies and feminism, the interaction between them, and focuses on feminist theories in the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the German Democratic Republic (GDR). The research places particular emphasis on the social, economic, and political conditions in both states, which had a significant impact on the development of feminism in East and West Germany. Empirical and theoretical methods were used, which could expand the knowledge of women's movements and the influence of social, economic, and political dynamics on them. The results of the study would help to better and correctly understand the key concepts and their application, while the analysis of the development of feminist movements helps to better understand the historical context of modern German feminism and its influence on the lives of German women in both states during the 1980s.

References:

Knigi i pechatni iztochnitsi:

Daskalova, Krasimira. Zhenskata identichnost na Balkanite. Polis, 2004

Marcheva, Iliyana. Za opekunskoto predstavitelstvo na zhenite v Bulgaria 1944-1958 g. Pol i prehod. Tsentar za izsledvania i politika za zhenite. 2011.

Pachamanova, Ina. Predishniyat prehod. Zhenata i semeystvoto pri sotsializma (zakoni, darzhavna politika i terenno prouchvane ot edno balgarsko selo). S., Siela, 2015

Budde, Gunilla-Friederike. Womens Policies in the GDR in the 1960S/70S: Between State Control and Societal Reaction. State Policy and Gender System in the Two German States and Sweden 1945-1989. Distribution, Dept. of History, Uppsala universitet. 1999

Buhle, Mary. Feminism and its Discontents. A Century of Struggle with Psychoanalysis. England, London. Harvard University Press. 1998 Brown, Wendy. Feminist Theory and the Frankfurt School: Introduction. Differences: A Journal of Feminist Cultural Studies, 2006, Vol. 17, №1

Clayman, Rebecca. German Feminist Movement (1970s to present day). St. Lawrence University. 2015

Conze, Werner. Sozialgeschichte der Familie in der Neuzeit Europas. Stuttgart, 1976

Farik, Nora. 1968 revisited 40 years of protest movements. Heinrich Böll Foundation. Belgium. 2008.

Fink, Carole, Gassert, Philipp, Junker, Detlef. 1968: The World Transformed. University of Cambridge. 1998

Fulbrook, Mary. History of Germany 1918-2000: The Divided Nation. Blackwell Publishing, 2002 (second edition).

Herminghouse, Patricia. "Legal Equality and Women’s Reality in the German Democratic Republic." In German Feminism: Readings in Politics and Literature, SUNY Press, 1984

Karcher, Katharina. Sisters in Arms: Militant Feminisms in the Federal Republic of Germany since 1968. Berghahn Books. 2017

Klimke, Martin, Scharloth, Joachim. 1968 in Europe: A History of Protest and Activism, 1956–1977. Palgrave Macmillan. 2008

Kranz, Susanne. Women’s Role in the German Democratic Republic and the State’s Policy Toward Women. Journal of International Women’s Studies, 2005, Vol. 7, № 1

Naples, Nancy A. "Feminism and Method: Ethnography, Discourse Analysis, and Activist Research." Routledge, 2003

Pilcher, Jane, Whelehan, Imelda. Key Concepts in Gender Studies. Sage, 2017

Rigby, Kate, Hesse-Beinssen, Silke. Out of the Shadows: Contemporary German Feminism. Melbourne University Press, 1996

Roy, Kathryn. "German Unification: A Feminist Moment." History Honors Papers, New London, Connecticut, 2006

Saufley, Liz. Women’s Inequality in the German Democratic Republic: The Discrepancy Between Socialist Rhetoric and Daily Practice. Student Theses, Papers and Projects. Western Oregon University. 2005.

Treaty of Rome, adopted on March 25, 1957

Turk, Eleanor. The History of Germany. Greenwood Press, 1999

Worell, Judith. Encyclopedia of Women and Gender, Two-Volume Set: Sex Similarities and Differences and the Impact of Society on Gender. Academic Press, 2001

Internet iztochnitsi

Das Bisschen Haushalt… Der Haushaltstag: Einer für alle? 2021. https://www.mdr.de/geschichte/ddr/alltag/familie/haushaltstag-hausarbeitstag-waschtag-100.html (09.02.2024)

"Wir haben abgetrieben!": Als Frauen ihr Schweigen brachen. 2022. https://www.ndr.de/geschichte/chronologie/Wir-haben-abgetrieben-Als-Frauen-ihr-Schweigen-brachen,abtreibung154.html (06.10.2023)

Zweite Welle Feminismus. (06.10.2023)

Zweite Welle Feminismus. https://feminismuss.de/glossar/zweite-welle-feminismus/ (06.10.2023)