Germany - 3.2.1 Women in Nazi Germany Flashcards
The Nazis had a policy of ‘gleischaltung’. What does this mean?
It means bringing into line or creating control and conformity
What was the name of the woman who was the Nazi Party’s ideal German woman?
Gertrude Scholtz
Why was Gertrude Scholtz such an appealing woman for the Nazi Party?
She had classic Aryan looks: blonde hair and blue eyes; she had 4 children and was devoted to her family. More importantly, she accepted without question the leadership of the party
What role did Gertrude Scholtz have in Germany?
In 1934 she was made Head of the Women’s Bureau but never had any real political power
The Nazis were very worried by the decline in the birth rate. What are some stats to support why they thought this?
In 1900 there had been 2 million live births per year but this had dropped to under one million in 1933.
Why were families getting smaller from 1900 to 1933?
Families were getting smaller because of contraception and because women wanted to work.
Why did the Nazis want families to grow larger in Germany?
If Germany was to become a greater power once again, its population needed to increase
What are 8 characteristics that the Nazis wanted women to hold?
- To have a natural appearance with long hair tied back and no make-up
- To wear traditional clothes
- To be fair haired and blue eyed (Aryan)
- To be sturdily build (for child bearing)
- To be a non-drinker and non-smoker
- To marry and have children
- To believe in the Nazi ideas of Kinder, küche, kirche (children, kitchen, church)
- To stay at home and not go to work or to university
One policy the Nazis had for women was that they should not work, especially those who were married. What practice did they introduce for this policy?
From 1933, women were banned from professional careers. Propaganda was used to persuade women to stay at home and not ‘take men’s jobs’
The Nazis banned women from professional jobs in 1933 and onwards. Propaganda was used to persuade women to stay at home and not ‘take men’s jobs’. What impact did this have on women?
During 1933-36 the number of employed married women fell. However, after 1933 there was a shortage of workers as men left to fight the war. This meant that women were encouraged back into work and the number of employed married women rose again
One policy the Nazis had for women was that they should get married. What practice did they introduce for this policy?
The Law for the Encouragement of Marriage (1933) initiated the use of vouchers (marriage loans) to newly married couples if the woman agreed to stop working
The Nazis introduced The Law for the Encouragement of Marriage in 1933 to encourage women to get married. What impact did this have on women?
The number of marriages did increase and also 800,000 women took these up; however, its not clear this was due to Nazi policy or to other reasons such as a stronger economy
One policy that the Nazis had for women was that they should have at least four children. What practices did they introduce for this?
Couples were let off one-quarter of their marriage loan repayments for each child they had. From 1936 women were given monthly payments to help with the cost of raising children. The German Women’s Enterprise (DFW) gave women medals for having children
The Nazis introduced multiple practices to encourage women to have at least four children. What impact did this have on women?
The birth rate did increase but this may have been because the economy was improving rather than because of Nazi policies
One policy that the Nazis had for women was that a woman’s role should be to look after children and the home. What practices did they introduce for this?
The DFW ran classes and radio programmes on home matters. Girls’ education was tailored towards being a housewife. In 1937 grammar schools that prepared girls for university were banned
