36 years after reunification: Women report East-West differences

36 years after reunification: Women report East-West differences

A look back at Germany's recent history shows that even 36 years after the fall of the Wall, the division between East and West remains a relevant issue. A current survey by the Forsa Institute, published by the Federal Foundation, shows that only 35% of those surveyed are of the opinion that East and West have largely grown together. While the feeling of togetherness in the East is 23%, in the West it is at least 37%. This is the context in which two women from the Ribnitz-Damgarten region provide vivid insights into the differences between the two parts of Germany.

Henriette Hopp, a 67-year-old from Rhineland-Palatinate, came to the East for professional reasons and found her home in Ribnitz-Damgarten. For her and her friends, moving to the East wasn't a big deal; they were just looking for a nice place near the water. Fascinated by the new environment, she notices clear differences in child care between East and West Germany. At the same time, she quickly made new contacts and soon felt at home.

The challenges of the transition

Another example is Siegrid Wüchner, who is 76 years old. She grew up in Zingst and lived in Mönchhagen for many years before moving to Gelbensande. Their perspective on the transition period is characterized by surprise and the perception of fears and insecurities, especially among young people. According to her, in the East women often worked full-time, while in the West part-time jobs were the norm. These different working conditions had a lasting impact on social structures.

A more comprehensive analysis of childcare in East and West Germany shows that a lot has changed here since the fall of the Wall. In 1989, in the East, care was part of the education sector, while in the West, family care predominated. These differences were accompanied by different understandings and implementations of the educational mandate and care structures. As the Federal Agency for Civic Education notes, East Germans had free access to all-day child care, while parents in the West often had to dig deep into their own pockets.

The social reality today

Raj Kollmorgen, a native of Leipzig, describes the time of reunification as exciting but also challenging. Under his watch, the East had to adapt to economic and social change - a challenge that was particularly difficult to overcome for people over 40 years old. East Germany had to switch from an industrial to a service society. This transformation led to a drastic increase in unemployment in the 1990s, which was significantly higher than in the West.

The discrepancy in income is particularly striking: On average, full-time employees in the East earned around 837 euros less in 2024 than their colleagues in the West. The total wealth in the two parts of Germany also differs significantly, creating a lasting gap. In addition, fewer young people live in the East, which further exacerbates the demographic situation.

One positive aspect, however, is that in the East women tend to work less often in part-time jobs. This can be traced back to the GDR era, where the government promoted women's employment and access to childcare. These legacies still have an impact today, as Kollmorgen emphasizes, and have a lasting influence on social structures.

In summary, it should be noted that the path to unity was and is characterized by various experiences and challenges. The reporting on today's differences between East and West Germany shows that there is still a lot to do to create a truly equal coexistence. Wüchner hopes that origins should not play a role in the future, and Hopp also sees the need for more cohesion.

Those interested have the opportunity to learn more about the various facets of German unity by reading the reports from Baltic Sea newspaper, Federal Agency for Civic Education and ZDF today track.