The division of Germany has been history for over three decades. Nevertheless, we (and women) still encounter many clichés that are attributed to women from East and West Germany. The list of attributions is long. Although some of them are grotesquely contradictory, they all testify to the conviction that we know exactly what makes THE East German woman and THE West German woman tick. Where do these attributions come from? And what is there to them? Exhibition opening at 11 a.m. with breakfast and discussion at treff-punkt
Western women are often described either as "homebodies at the stove" or as tough career women. Eastern women, on the other hand, "stand their ground" in coal mining. She is described as tough or as a raven mother because she puts her children in a crèche. The western woman genders, while the eastern woman knows nothing about it. Eastern women are sometimes seen as losers, sometimes as winners of German unity. The list of attributions is long. Although some of them are grotesquely contradictory, they all testify to the conviction that we know exactly what makes THE Eastern woman and THE Western woman tick. One thing in particular seems to be clear: they all tick in the same way, but very differently compared to the other part of Germany. Where do these attributions come from? And what is true about them?
The exhibition "Women in Divided Germany" aims to answer these questions. The aim of the exhibition is to make the diverse experiences of women visible and to show the similarities and differences between their German-German lives. At the same time, the exhibition raises the question of whether women in both German states shared a common striving for self-determination in a male-dominated system, despite the different political and social conditions.
