Tyurenkova  D.O.

OPPORTUNITIES AND OBSTACLES TO FAMILY SELF-REALIZATION IN THE MEMORIES OF WOMEN IN THE GDR

Authors

Tyurenkova D.O.

Keywords:

GDR, women, gender studies, women's history, women's everyday life, Alltagsgeschichte.

Abstract

In the article, the author explored the most important aspect of women's everyday life in the German Democratic Republic - the strategies of women's self-realization in marriage and motherhood in the context of women's involvement in labor activity. The study is based on the analysis of sources of personal origin, published memoirs of women. Factors that influenced the organization of the daily routine of women, their choice of full / part-time employment, the end of parental leave, etc. were identified. The article reveals attempts to evaluate oneself as a «good» / «bad» mother, which are reproduced in memories, indicating both a response to common stereotypes and a guilt complex. A conclusion is proposed that differs from the thesis prevailing in Germanlanguage studies about the determining influence of propaganda on the strategies of women's self-realization.

OPPORTUNITIES AND OBSTACLES TO FAMILY SELF-REALIZATION IN THE MEMORIES OF WOMEN IN THE GDR