Exhibition: Women in a divided Germany
The division of Germany has been history for over three decades. Nevertheless, we still encounter many clichés attributed to women from East and West Germany. The West German woman is often described as either ῾Cricket on the Hearth῾ or as tough career woman. The East German woman, on the other hand, ‘stands her ground’ in coal mining. She is depicted as tough or as uncaring 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 the 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 stem from? And what is the truth of these claims?
The exhibition ‘Women in a divided Germany’ tries to answer these questions. Published by the Federal Foundation for the Reappraisal of the SED Dictatorship and curated by Clara Marz, the exhibition is a contribution to the 35th anniversary of German reunification. The different realities of women's lives in the Federal Republic and the GDR in the 1970s and 1980s are depicted on 20 posters.
The aim of the exhibition is to visualise the diverse experiences of women from East and West Germany and to show the similarities and differences between their lives. At the same time, the exhibition raises the question of whether women in both German states shared a common goal in striving for self-determination in a male-dominated society, despite the different political and social conditions.
The exhibition can be seen in German from 13 October - 14 November 2025 at the Münster City Library and in English from 13 October - 27 November 2025 at the vhs Münster.
The parallel exhibitions will be accompanied by an extensive supporting programme (reading ‘Ost-West-Frau’ with Franziska Hauser (ed.) and Forian Werner on 16.10.2025, a panel discussion with Hildegard Nickel and Ute Gerhard on 05.11.2025, the film ‘Im Stillen laut’ on 03.11.2025, Cinema / Die Linse, guided tours in English and German) as well as educational handouts for school classes.
A cooperation with the LWL Institute for Regional History, the Münster City Library and BündnisFrauenArbeit.
The exhibition ‘Women in a divided Germany’ tries to answer these questions. Published by the Federal Foundation for the Reappraisal of the SED Dictatorship and curated by Clara Marz, the exhibition is a contribution to the 35th anniversary of German reunification. The different realities of women's lives in the Federal Republic and the GDR in the 1970s and 1980s are depicted on 20 posters.
The aim of the exhibition is to visualise the diverse experiences of women from East and West Germany and to show the similarities and differences between their lives. At the same time, the exhibition raises the question of whether women in both German states shared a common goal in striving for self-determination in a male-dominated society, despite the different political and social conditions.
The exhibition can be seen in German from 13 October - 14 November 2025 at the Münster City Library and in English from 13 October - 27 November 2025 at the vhs Münster.
The parallel exhibitions will be accompanied by an extensive supporting programme (reading ‘Ost-West-Frau’ with Franziska Hauser (ed.) and Forian Werner on 16.10.2025, a panel discussion with Hildegard Nickel and Ute Gerhard on 05.11.2025, the film ‘Im Stillen laut’ on 03.11.2025, Cinema / Die Linse, guided tours in English and German) as well as educational handouts for school classes.
A cooperation with the LWL Institute for Regional History, the Münster City Library and BündnisFrauenArbeit.
Kurstermine 33
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Ort / Raum
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- 1
- Montag, 13. Oktober 2025
- 10:00 – 16:00 Uhr
- Foyer EG
1 Montag • 13. Oktober 2025 • 10:00 – 16:00 Uhr Foyer EG -
- 2
- Dienstag, 14. Oktober 2025
- 10:00 – 13:00 Uhr
- Foyer EG
2 Dienstag • 14. Oktober 2025 • 10:00 – 13:00 Uhr Foyer EG -
- 3
- Mittwoch, 15. Oktober 2025
- 10:00 – 16:00 Uhr
- Foyer EG
3 Mittwoch • 15. Oktober 2025 • 10:00 – 16:00 Uhr Foyer EG -
- 4
- Donnerstag, 16. Oktober 2025
- 10:00 – 16:00 Uhr
- Foyer EG
4 Donnerstag • 16. Oktober 2025 • 10:00 – 16:00 Uhr Foyer EG -
- 5
- Freitag, 17. Oktober 2025
- 10:00 – 13:00 Uhr
- Foyer EG
5 Freitag • 17. Oktober 2025 • 10:00 – 13:00 Uhr Foyer EG -
- 6
- Montag, 20. Oktober 2025
- 10:00 – 16:00 Uhr
- Foyer EG
6 Montag • 20. Oktober 2025 • 10:00 – 16:00 Uhr Foyer EG -
- 7
- Dienstag, 21. Oktober 2025
- 10:00 – 13:00 Uhr
- Foyer EG
7 Dienstag • 21. Oktober 2025 • 10:00 – 13:00 Uhr Foyer EG -
- 8
- Mittwoch, 22. Oktober 2025
- 10:00 – 16:00 Uhr
- Foyer EG
8 Mittwoch • 22. Oktober 2025 • 10:00 – 16:00 Uhr Foyer EG -
- 9
- Donnerstag, 23. Oktober 2025
- 10:00 – 16:00 Uhr
- Foyer EG
9 Donnerstag • 23. Oktober 2025 • 10:00 – 16:00 Uhr Foyer EG -
- 10
- Freitag, 24. Oktober 2025
- 10:00 – 13:00 Uhr
- Foyer EG
10 Freitag • 24. Oktober 2025 • 10:00 – 13:00 Uhr Foyer EG -
- 11
- Montag, 27. Oktober 2025
- 10:00 – 16:00 Uhr
- Foyer EG
11 Montag • 27. Oktober 2025 • 10:00 – 16:00 Uhr Foyer EG -
- 12
- Dienstag, 28. Oktober 2025
- 10:00 – 13:00 Uhr
- Foyer EG
12 Dienstag • 28. Oktober 2025 • 10:00 – 13:00 Uhr Foyer EG -
- 13
- Mittwoch, 29. Oktober 2025
- 10:00 – 16:00 Uhr
- Foyer EG
13 Mittwoch • 29. Oktober 2025 • 10:00 – 16:00 Uhr Foyer EG -
- 14
- Donnerstag, 30. Oktober 2025
- 10:00 – 18:00 Uhr
- Foyer EG
14 Donnerstag • 30. Oktober 2025 • 10:00 – 18:00 Uhr Foyer EG -
- 15
- Freitag, 31. Oktober 2025
- 10:00 – 13:00 Uhr
- Foyer EG
15 Freitag • 31. Oktober 2025 • 10:00 – 13:00 Uhr Foyer EG -
- 16
- Montag, 03. November 2025
- 10:00 – 16:00 Uhr
- Foyer EG
16 Montag • 03. November 2025 • 10:00 – 16:00 Uhr Foyer EG -
- 17
- Dienstag, 04. November 2025
- 10:00 – 13:00 Uhr
- Foyer EG
17 Dienstag • 04. November 2025 • 10:00 – 13:00 Uhr Foyer EG -
- 18
- Mittwoch, 05. November 2025
- 10:00 – 16:00 Uhr
- Foyer EG
18 Mittwoch • 05. November 2025 • 10:00 – 16:00 Uhr Foyer EG -
- 19
- Donnerstag, 06. November 2025
- 10:00 – 18:00 Uhr
- Foyer EG
19 Donnerstag • 06. November 2025 • 10:00 – 18:00 Uhr Foyer EG -
- 20
- Freitag, 07. November 2025
- 10:00 – 13:00 Uhr
- Foyer EG
20 Freitag • 07. November 2025 • 10:00 – 13:00 Uhr Foyer EG - 20 vergangene Termine
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- 21
- Montag, 10. November 2025
- 10:00 – 16:00 Uhr
- Foyer EG
21 Montag • 10. November 2025 • 10:00 – 16:00 Uhr Foyer EG -
- 22
- Dienstag, 11. November 2025
- 10:00 – 13:00 Uhr
- Foyer EG
22 Dienstag • 11. November 2025 • 10:00 – 13:00 Uhr Foyer EG -
- 23
- Mittwoch, 12. November 2025
- 10:00 – 16:00 Uhr
- Foyer EG
23 Mittwoch • 12. November 2025 • 10:00 – 16:00 Uhr Foyer EG -
- 24
- Donnerstag, 13. November 2025
- 10:00 – 18:00 Uhr
- Foyer EG
24 Donnerstag • 13. November 2025 • 10:00 – 18:00 Uhr Foyer EG -
- 25
- Freitag, 14. November 2025
- 10:00 – 13:00 Uhr
- Foyer EG
25 Freitag • 14. November 2025 • 10:00 – 13:00 Uhr Foyer EG -
- 26
- Montag, 17. November 2025
- 10:00 – 16:00 Uhr
- Foyer EG
26 Montag • 17. November 2025 • 10:00 – 16:00 Uhr Foyer EG -
- 27
- Dienstag, 18. November 2025
- 10:00 – 13:00 Uhr
- Foyer EG
27 Dienstag • 18. November 2025 • 10:00 – 13:00 Uhr Foyer EG -
- 28
- Donnerstag, 20. November 2025
- 10:00 – 18:00 Uhr
- Foyer EG
28 Donnerstag • 20. November 2025 • 10:00 – 18:00 Uhr Foyer EG -
- 29
- Freitag, 21. November 2025
- 10:00 – 13:00 Uhr
- Foyer EG
29 Freitag • 21. November 2025 • 10:00 – 13:00 Uhr Foyer EG -
- 30
- Dienstag, 25. November 2025
- 10:00 – 13:00 Uhr
- Foyer EG
30 Dienstag • 25. November 2025 • 10:00 – 13:00 Uhr Foyer EG -
- 31
- Mittwoch, 26. November 2025
- 10:00 – 16:00 Uhr
- Foyer EG
31 Mittwoch • 26. November 2025 • 10:00 – 16:00 Uhr Foyer EG -
- 32
- Donnerstag, 27. November 2025
- 10:00 – 18:00 Uhr
- Foyer EG
32 Donnerstag • 27. November 2025 • 10:00 – 18:00 Uhr Foyer EG -
- 33
- Freitag, 28. November 2025
- 10:00 – 13:00 Uhr
- Foyer EG
33 Freitag • 28. November 2025 • 10:00 – 13:00 Uhr Foyer EG
Exhibition: Women in a divided Germany
The division of Germany has been history for over three decades. Nevertheless, we still encounter many clichés attributed to women from East and West Germany. The West German woman is often described as either ῾Cricket on the Hearth῾ or as tough career woman. The East German woman, on the other hand, ‘stands her ground’ in coal mining. She is depicted as tough or as uncaring 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 the 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 stem from? And what is the truth of these claims?
The exhibition ‘Women in a divided Germany’ tries to answer these questions. Published by the Federal Foundation for the Reappraisal of the SED Dictatorship and curated by Clara Marz, the exhibition is a contribution to the 35th anniversary of German reunification. The different realities of women's lives in the Federal Republic and the GDR in the 1970s and 1980s are depicted on 20 posters.
The aim of the exhibition is to visualise the diverse experiences of women from East and West Germany and to show the similarities and differences between their lives. At the same time, the exhibition raises the question of whether women in both German states shared a common goal in striving for self-determination in a male-dominated society, despite the different political and social conditions.
The exhibition can be seen in German from 13 October - 14 November 2025 at the Münster City Library and in English from 13 October - 27 November 2025 at the vhs Münster.
The parallel exhibitions will be accompanied by an extensive supporting programme (reading ‘Ost-West-Frau’ with Franziska Hauser (ed.) and Forian Werner on 16.10.2025, a panel discussion with Hildegard Nickel and Ute Gerhard on 05.11.2025, the film ‘Im Stillen laut’ on 03.11.2025, Cinema / Die Linse, guided tours in English and German) as well as educational handouts for school classes.
A cooperation with the LWL Institute for Regional History, the Münster City Library and BündnisFrauenArbeit.
The exhibition ‘Women in a divided Germany’ tries to answer these questions. Published by the Federal Foundation for the Reappraisal of the SED Dictatorship and curated by Clara Marz, the exhibition is a contribution to the 35th anniversary of German reunification. The different realities of women's lives in the Federal Republic and the GDR in the 1970s and 1980s are depicted on 20 posters.
The aim of the exhibition is to visualise the diverse experiences of women from East and West Germany and to show the similarities and differences between their lives. At the same time, the exhibition raises the question of whether women in both German states shared a common goal in striving for self-determination in a male-dominated society, despite the different political and social conditions.
The exhibition can be seen in German from 13 October - 14 November 2025 at the Münster City Library and in English from 13 October - 27 November 2025 at the vhs Münster.
The parallel exhibitions will be accompanied by an extensive supporting programme (reading ‘Ost-West-Frau’ with Franziska Hauser (ed.) and Forian Werner on 16.10.2025, a panel discussion with Hildegard Nickel and Ute Gerhard on 05.11.2025, the film ‘Im Stillen laut’ on 03.11.2025, Cinema / Die Linse, guided tours in English and German) as well as educational handouts for school classes.
A cooperation with the LWL Institute for Regional History, the Münster City Library and BündnisFrauenArbeit.
