Female East German natural scientists in the transformation process from 1980-2000Career opportunities of physicists in science and research

• Applicant: Dr. Heike Amos
• Subject Area: Modern and Contemporary History
• Term: from 2015 to 2019
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 278858347

On the occasion of 25th anniversary of the fall of the wall an the German Reunification, this commissioned research undertaking should examine the question how the situation of female scientists in the new German Laender has changed along with the transformation of the political system and how these scientists experienced or perceived this transformation? One question that must be asked is why was the equal opportunity for female physicists in research and teaching in higher education not or only insufficiently established despite the improvement during the German Reunification process and the alignment of the science environment in the new German Laender to the old German Laender? In a nutshell, one central thesis is: Despite the knowledge about the problem of "equal opportunity for woman" during the investigative period, the transformation and reunification process in Germany had a rather negativ impact on the career situation of female scientists and female physicists in science and research in the new Laender and in the end, it led to an overall further delay of the sociopolitical modernization of the Federal Republic of Germany.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants