The GDR officially propagated equality between men and women, but traditional patriarchal conceptions of gender roles persisted and continued to influence the division of labor between men and women. Although educational and career opportunities for women were expanded, women remained underrepresented in leadership positions in all areas of society. In this respect, it was significant that in 1964 there was only one woman among the 20 candidates and members in the Politburo of the Central Committee of the SED, the highest organ of power in the GDR. The picture shows an East Berlin mother with her children in front of a poster featuring Walter Ulbricht.