German unification brought fundamental, often traumatic changes for the people in eastern Germany. Women as a group were arguably more deeply affected by the changes than any other, and in one area in particular: that of work, which had far-reaching effects on them and their families' economic situation. Rachel Alsop critically examines the processes behind women's changing relationship to the labor market in eastern Germany following the collapse of state socialism and the transition to a...
The collapse of state socialism in East Germany brought about a drastic reduction in the labor market and the consequent masculinization of employment. Alsop (gender studies, U. of Hull) asks what processes of continuity and change for women's employment can be identified in the rise of state socialism and it's later demise. She finds that women's reduced chances for paid employment was due both to the perception the men had a greater claim to employment and to the replacement of the East German model of welfare with the West German system which prioritized the nuclear family. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR