Double shift and a female role: Czechoslovakia in the era of normalization

The bachelor thesis deals with the issue of women's double shift, which means the simultaneous performance of paid work and unpaid care in the home, thesis also examines state support and its effectiveness to compensate the negatives arising from the examined phenomenon during the period of normalization in Czechoslovakia, with emphasis on the 1970s. In addition to the characteristics of the issue under study, the objective is also to evaluate women's working conditions and state support as a tool to mitigate the negative effects of the double shift. Was the state support provided sufficient? The theoretical part of the thesis focuses mainly on the phenomenon of women's double shift, its historical and ideological perception in the context of the normalization era. The practical part of the thesis offers a deeper analysis of the female labour market and state support. The author traces labour market developments and targeted state support in the period from 1968 to 1979, a period when the socialist government sought to maintain full employment while promoting natality in the country, thus directly exposing women to the burdens created by the double burden. A comparison of model households created through statistical analysis of the female labour market and state support is used to answer the research question. According to the research results, although the state declared gender equality and offered extensive support, the real conditions led to persistent gender inequality. State measures often promoted stereotypical perceptions of women's roles instead of transforming them. The paper thus contributes to a deeper understanding of the historical roots of unequal role distribution and offers suggestions for contemporary economic and social policy.