Nazi policies towards women

Question 1

How did women progress politically in German society in the 1920s?

Answer 1

• Women over 20 were given the vote and took an increasing interest in politics.
• By 1933 one-tenth of the members of the Reichstag were female.

Question 2

How did women progress economically in German society in the 1920s?

Answer 2

• Many women took up careers in the professions, especially the civil service, law, medicine and teaching. - - Those in the civil service earned the same as men.
• By 1933 there were 100,000 women teachers and 3,000 doctors.

Question 3

How did women progress socially in German society in the 1920s?

Answer 3

• Socially, women went out unescorted, drank and smoked in public, were fashion conscious, often wearing relatively short skirts, had their hair cut short and wore make-up.

Question 4

What were the Nazi policies in view of women?

Answer 4

• The Nazis brought in a series of measures to change the role of women.
• One of the first actions of the Nazis, as part of the Gleichschaltung (the Nazi theory) process, was to bring all 230 women’s organisations together under one body - the Women’s Front.
• The women’s groups were then expected to ensure that Jews could not be members. In 1934, Gertrude Scholtz-Klink was appointed National Women’s Leader of Germany.

Question 5

What were the Nazi ideals for a women?

Answer 5

• did not wear make-up
• was blonde, heavy hipped and athletic
• wore flat shoes and a full skirt
• did not smoke
• did not go out to work
• did all the household duties, especially cooking and bringing up children
• took no interest in politics

Question 6

Why were the Nazis worried about the decline in birth rate?

Answer 6

• In 1900 there had been over 2 million live births per year but this had dropped to under 1 million in 1933.

Question 7

What did the Nazis do to try and increase the birth rate?

Answer 7

• A massive propaganda campaign was launched to promote motherhood and large families.
• In 1933 the Law for the Encouragement of Marriage was introduced. This aimed to increase Germany’s falling birth-rate by giving loans to help young couples to marry, provided the wife left her job. Couples were allowed to keep one quarter of the loan for each child born up to four.
• On Hitler’s mother’s birthday medals were awarded to women with large families.
• Family allowances were made available to those on low incomes.
• In 1938 the Nazis changed the divorce law - a divorce was possible if a husband or wife could not have children. This contributed to an increase in the divorce rate by 1939.
• The Nazis also set up the Lebensborn (fount of life) programme whereby specially chosen unmarried women could ‘donate a baby to the Fuhrer’ by becoming pregnant by ‘racially pure’ SS men.
• A new national organisation, the German Women’s Enterprise, organised classes and radio talks on household topics and the skills of motherhood.
• University enrolment for women was limited to 10 per cent of the total entry.
• The Sterilisation Law resulted in 320,000 being sterilised due to ‘mental deficiency’.
• The marriage Health Law of 1935 stressed the racial purity of women when marrying.

Question 8

What were the key organisations for women in Nazi Germany?

Answer 8

• 10-14 - Young Girls League
• 14-18 - League of German Maidens
• 18-21 - Faith and Beauty Society
• +21 - Women’s Front
• +21 - Reich Mothers’ Service