Skip to main content

LUP Student Papers

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Education and Gendered Access to Industrial Employment in East Germany, 1970-1989

Da Rocha Ferreira, Sara LU (2025) EOSK12 20251
Department of Economic History
Abstract
This thesis investigates how educational attainment influenced men’s and women’s employment in the industrial sector of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) between 1970 and 1989. While the GDR’s socialist ideology promoted gender equality, reflected in near-universal female labour participation and widespread access to education, persistent gender disparities in employment outcomes raise questions about the effectiveness of these policies. Using data transcribed from the Statistical Yearbook of the GDR (1950-1990) and Women’s Yearbook of 1990, this study analyses employment shares in industry by gender and four levels of qualification (skilled worker, master craftsman, technical college, and university). Descriptive statistics reveal that... (More)
This thesis investigates how educational attainment influenced men’s and women’s employment in the industrial sector of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) between 1970 and 1989. While the GDR’s socialist ideology promoted gender equality, reflected in near-universal female labour participation and widespread access to education, persistent gender disparities in employment outcomes raise questions about the effectiveness of these policies. Using data transcribed from the Statistical Yearbook of the GDR (1950-1990) and Women’s Yearbook of 1990, this study analyses employment shares in industry by gender and four levels of qualification (skilled worker, master craftsman, technical college, and university). Descriptive statistics reveal that despite comparable or higher qualifications, women were underrepresented in industrial employment and leadership roles. Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression analyses show that education improved access to industrial employment for both genders, but men benefitted more, suggesting that formal qualifications were not enough to overcome gendered labour market segmentation. These findings highlight the gap between socialist ideology and outcomes, contributing to debates on the role of education in shaping gendered employment within centrally planned economies. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Da Rocha Ferreira, Sara LU
supervisor
organization
course
EOSK12 20251
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
Gender, GDR, Industrial Employment, Educational Attainment, Occupational Segregation, State Socialism
language
English
id
9191672
date added to LUP
2025-06-03 09:44:05
date last changed
2025-06-03 09:44:05
@misc{9191672,
  abstract     = {{This thesis investigates how educational attainment influenced men’s and women’s employment in the industrial sector of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) between 1970 and 1989. While the GDR’s socialist ideology promoted gender equality, reflected in near-universal female labour participation and widespread access to education, persistent gender disparities in employment outcomes raise questions about the effectiveness of these policies. Using data transcribed from the Statistical Yearbook of the GDR (1950-1990) and Women’s Yearbook of 1990, this study analyses employment shares in industry by gender and four levels of qualification (skilled worker, master craftsman, technical college, and university). Descriptive statistics reveal that despite comparable or higher qualifications, women were underrepresented in industrial employment and leadership roles. Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression analyses show that education improved access to industrial employment for both genders, but men benefitted more, suggesting that formal qualifications were not enough to overcome gendered labour market segmentation. These findings highlight the gap between socialist ideology and outcomes, contributing to debates on the role of education in shaping gendered employment within centrally planned economies.}},
  author       = {{Da Rocha Ferreira, Sara}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Education and Gendered Access to Industrial Employment in East Germany, 1970-1989}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}