Opening of the exhibition: Women in shared Germany in Spandau!

Opening of the exhibition: Women in shared Germany in Spandau!

Bastion Kronprinz, Zitadelle Spandau, Am Juliusturm 64, 13599 Berlin, Deutschland - On June 24, 2025, the upcoming exhibition "Women in the divided Germany" was presented with an opening event on July 3, 2025 at 7 p.m. in the Bastion Crown Prince of the Spandau Citadel. The event, which is organized in cooperation between the women's and equal opportunities officers and the cultural office of the Spandau district office, includes a discussion round about the realities of life of women from East and West Germany.

The exhibition itself will be shown from July 3 to October 12, 2025 and aims to question existing clichés about women in both parts of Germany. By dealing with this topic, answers to common attributions and differences are to be found. The curator of the exhibition, Clara Marz, and several experts will take part in the event.

program of the opening event

The program for the opening sees, among other things, a greeting from Dr. Carola Brückner, the district councilor for culture. In addition, J. Fischer-Rosendahl, the women's and equal opportunities officer of the Spandau district, will lead to an introduction. The conversation participants include remarkable personalities from women's research and politics:

• Dr. Marina Grasse, first government representative for equality in the GDR and initiator of the "Frauenreport 1990"
• Claudia von Gélieu, political scientist and women's history researcher
• Dr. Annette Leo, historian and author

The moderation is taken over by Heike Gerstenberger, who is former women's and equal opportunities officer of Berlin-Pankow. Interested parties can register for the event by email at c.brommer-wier@ba-spandau.berlin.de.

historical contexts: women in socialism

The exhibition addresses important historical aspects of the women's roles in both German states. While the SED government propagated the equality between men and women in the GDR, many women experienced multiple pollution from work, household and family. In 1960, about 62 percent of women of working age were employed - a higher proportion than in West Germany. Despite this progress, the equalization of wages between the sexes continued to be a major problem, and women rarely had access to leading positions.

In the GDR, social benefits should move working, single mothers or housewives to work. This shows that there were often social and economic barriers behind the official rhetoric of equality. The understanding of roles was and remained deeply rooted in society, despite official celebrations such as the International Women's Day on March 8th.

The creation of mother counseling centers and crèches delayed, which made the labor market more difficult for women. In order to cover the further need for workers, many women had to work in professions that were considered less valuable, such as in agriculture or industry.

The developments in women's rights and equality in Germany are also reflected in a long history. From the first women's clubs during the French Revolution to significant legal improvements such as the Maternity Protection Act of 1952 and the opening of the Bundeswehr for women in 1991, women in Germany made significant progress in combating gender -specific discrimination. But even today there are numerous challenges and topics that are to be illuminated in the upcoming exhibition.

For further information on the exhibition and role of women in shared Germany, the reporting of Berlin.de and the historical perspectives at the German Foundation for Referring to the SED dictatorship are available.

The opening of the exhibition is not only a further step towards equality, but also a valuable opportunity for discussion about the reality of women in the historical context of Germany.

More details can also be found in the articles on berlin.de href = "https://www.hdg.de/lemo/kapitel/gertes-deutschland-gruenderjahre/wirtschaft-und-gesellschaft-biels/frauen-im-sialism.html"> hdg.de and uni-bielefeld.de .