Abstract

In 1964, the German federal government established an Enquete Commission to analyze the situation of women in family, society, and professional life. The 639-page report was the subject of a cover story by the news magazine Der Spiegel: “Kinder, Küche, Krise: Die deutsche Frau” [“Children, Kitchen, Crisis: The German Woman”] which plays on the cliché of “children, kitchen, church.” It documented prevailing conservative social views that clashed with modern conceptions, showcased also in the portrait of the woman on the cover. Women were expected to fulfill their traditional roles as mothers and housewives, even if they worked and pursued professional careers. This dual role was accompanied by discrimination in education and professional life. The report was published on the brink of the second wave of the global feminist movement, which also rippled through Germany.

“Children, Kitchen, Crisis” (1966)

Source

Source: Cover image, Der Spiegel 52/1966.

© DER SPIEGEL. Reproduced on this website with permission from the SPIEGEL Publishing house.