Photo (detail): Harald Hauswald @ Bundesstiftung Aufarbeitung
Social Justice
East and West Germany had different ideas about social justice. In the GDR, the idea prevailed that all citizens were equal and had the same right to goods, work, education etc. Social justice in the FRG meant that merit, equal opportunity and need were to be considered next to the equal access principle. Juxtaposing these systems, one may ask whether social justice exists at all. After Reunification, transitional justice concerns added another dimension to social justice: Questions about how to address abuses and violent crimes committed by people in the name of building a Communist society in the GDR- and how to heal- became important. These conversations are still ongoing.
Outward social class and status indicators were hardly visible in the GDR, testifying to a certain socialist egalitarianism. There was little social segregation, for instance, in the prefab concrete housing estates that sprung up around East German towns and cities during the Honecker era (1970s-80s). Videofootage taken by East German citizens.
“Social justice organizer“ is such a big label, but what does it actually mean? Mahdis Azarmandi, PhD, takes us through her personal journey of activism, first around issues of migration and later as a queer-of-color organizer in Berlin.
When did women become equal spouses in the GDR/FRG? What about maternity protection? Was it possible to have an abortion and what rights did women have in case of a divorce?
Source: Mitteldeutsche Zeitung TV
It hasn't been that long since women in Germany weren't allowed to work, drive a car or open a bank account without their husband's permission. And even today, there are quite some inequalities when it comes to men and women. But how aware are Germans about that? DW's Anne-Sophie Brändlin hit the streets of Berlin to find out.
Source: Deutsche Welle
