Die Frau

Abstract

The traditional role of the German woman used to be summed up in the three words, Kinder, Kirche, Küche. The change in this attitude has provided one of the major transformations in German-speaking societies in the period since 1945. The first passage below summarises some of the main aims and activities of the powerful woman’s movement in the Federal Republic. In the GDR, there is no woman’s movement as such, since the approach of the Marxist state is to guarantee equality of opportunity in employment, and many of the battles fought by women in the west have been unnecessary because of the overwhelming need for women to contribute fully to the labour market.