ABSTRACT
This chapter is concerned with the past and the present in a unique manner, as the German Democratic Republic/East Germany no longer exists, while the people who lived there do. Reviewing changes in women’s employment within archaeology during this period of political reform, this chapter argues that the conditions for women in archaeology are closely integrated with general political and structural changes. In this particular case the political changes have affected equity issues and the employment situation in a subtle but none the less adverse manner: the statistics about degree level and later employment for students graduating in prehistoric archaeology from the Humboldt-Universitat, Berlin, prior to 1988 in comparison with the situation after 1989 are used to illustrate this. This is not an exhaustive account of the employment situation and the statistical sample is small; the intention is to indicate the very complex relationship between political structures, disciplinary practices and gender politics.
