Published by the Federal Foundation for the Reappraisal of the SED Dictatorship and curated by Clara Marz, the show is a contribution to the 35th anniversary of German reunification.

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 West German woman is often described as either a "home cook" or a tough career woman. The East German woman, on the other hand, "stands her 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 doesn't know what to do with 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 people 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 aims to answer these questions. The different realities of life for women in the Federal Republic and the GDR in the 1970s and 1980s are depicted on 20 posters.

The exhibition can be visited from 8 September to 19 December on Sundays and Mondays from 2 pm to 6 pm (and by appointment, contact: ausstellung@straze.de, +49 (0) 157 33 28 78 79) in the STRAZEsaal.

On 06.10.25 at 16.30 we invite you to an event with contemporary witnesses to accompany the exhibition

A further education event organised by STRAZEkultur in the Kultur- und Initiativenhaus Greifswald e.V. together with the Equal Opportunities Officer of the City of Greifswald.

The STRAZE is wheelchair accessible. There is a lift and a wheelchair-accessible toilet. All toilets are all-gender toilets. A limited number of beanbags are available as alternative seating.