Abstract This article explores the grassroots practices of the Democratic Women’s League of Germany (Demokratischer Frauenbund Deutschlands, DFD) in the period between 1971 and 1990. Despite perceptions of the DFD as merely a conduit for the prescriptions of the ruling Socialist Unity Party of Germany, this research reveals the substantive contributions of the DFD’s advice centres, which can be retrospectively characterized as maternal feminism in practice. The DFD advice centres provided supportive networks for East German women during the GDR regime and beyond the Wende, a time marked by significant social, cultural and economic change. Contrary to the notion of the DFD’s unpopularity, this article highlights the enduring relevance and impact of its centres for women. By contextualizing the DFD’s actions within the framework of maternal feminism, this study underscores the organization’s emphasis on recognizing and addressing women’s caregiving roles in order to achieve gender equality-in-difference.
Anna McEwan (Mon,) studied this question.