Gender Roles East Germany Essay

Gender roles of both males and females have been present in human culture for thousands of years. Gender roles are unofficial responsibilities that certain sex or gendered groups will execute. Traditionally, most people associate women’s role to be responsible for the home and childcare. During the course of any society, gender roles can naturally or forcibly shift to adapt to the possible stress. Germany is no exception to the changes of gender roles over time. Within the period of 100 years, Germany has managed to survive through two world wars, the cold war, and the split of the country into two new countries. Questioning how east and west Germany encouraged citizens to adhere to traditional gender roles and how the governments accomplished

Each government implemented tax systems and other incentives to entice more men and women to subscribe to the ideal family model of the country. Beginning in the GDR, the ideal family model emphasized both parents working outside the home, then returning for the women to care for the children and begin household tasks. East German life revolved around work and family (Adler et al., 1996). In order for the women to fulfill both facets of East German life, the government had to assist women in order for them to work and be mothers. The creation of state rule child care facilities allowed women to have their children cared for while they when to work (Geist, 2009). The child care facilities were state run and was also free (Adler et al., 1996). There was no excuse for East German mothers not to work or contribute to their socialist society, since the state would provide them the means to have their cake and eat it too. There was no incentive for a mother to not work and stay at home all day, when she could have the children looked after, while she when to work. Women were highly encouraged to work outside the home, the government provided necessary means for women to fulfill their requirements. The socialist ideology of the GDR insisted that, “…paid work is a right and duty for women as well as for men,” (Adler et al., 247). Despite the illusion of gender equality in

Unlike the women in East Germany, “…traditional role expectations for men remained largely unchanged,” (Geist, 420). This traditional expectation for men extended to both Germanies, as the breadwinners for their families with no obligation to domestic work. Specifically, in East Germany, ““…men increased their engagement in occupations (e.g., social worker, bank employee, cook) that had previously been integrated or heavily female, while at the same time occupations dominated by men became increasingly closed to women,” (Rosenfeld et al., 118). Men were approved to widen their career paths with options that were predominately female dominate filed, however, women were not granted the same opportunities. The patriarchy for both Germanies supported men in being the head of their families and “…men had more opportunities to actively participate in the hierarchical distribution and administration of responsibility and power,” (Sieg, 122). Men were the leaders inside and outside their homes. Women saw value in “…men’s relationship to children…and the state ignored and actively marginalized,” (Ferree, 33). This is the traditional role of men that has been performed by men in Germany for