“Bauhäuslerinnen or Bau-Housewives?” On Women at the Bauhaus and Their Stories With Evke Rulffes

The female students of the Bauhaus represent all those women of the Weimar Republic who wanted more from life than the enforced existence of a housewife at the stove, in complete dependence on their husbands. They wanted to study and work – and to pursue artistic careers.

When the Bauhaus opened its doors, more women than men applied straight away. What expectations did these women bring with them? And did they really encounter such a progressive environment that allowed them to study on equal terms? How much of the “Bau-housewife” was there in the Bauhaus women?

In this episode, we talk with Evke Rulffes, cultural studies scholar and author of “Die Entdeckung der Hausfrau”, about the limitations and opportunities of Bauhaus women, and about the history of the housewife in contrast to the working woman.