nazis and women

Question 1

What did Nazis believe a woman’s role in life was?

Answer 1

At home, caring for her family and children

Question 2

What were the Nazis worried about?

Answer 2

The declining birth rate

Question 3

Why was there a declining birth rate?

Answer 3

Increasing use of contraception
Women wanting paid work

Question 4

Why was the declining birth rate a problem for Nazis?

Answer 4

They wanted Germany to become a great power again and needed a population increase

Question 5

What did the Nazis do to increase the birth rate?

Answer 5

Launched a massive propaganda campaign promoting motherhood and large families

Question 6

What did the Nazi birth rate propaganda include?

Answer 6

Rewarding women who did not work/ had lots of children
Encouraged home life
Promoted the ideal idea of a mother

Question 7

How did the Nazis reward women who conformed to their propaganda?

Answer 7

The government offered special loans to brides who agreed to be jobless
The Honour Cross of the German Mother was awarded to women with four or more children

Question 8

What did Nazis encourage to improve fertility?

Answer 8

Women were encouraged to stop smoking, lose weight and take part in sports

Question 9

What could young women attend?

Answer 9

Motherhood and homecraft lessons

Question 10

How did the Nazis stop women from working?

Answer 10

In all jobs directly controlled by the government, all women were sacked
This included female doctors, civil servants and 15% of teachers

Question 11

How did Nazis want women to look?

Answer 11

Blonde, blue eyes, heavy hipped, athletic

Question 12

How did the Nazis want women to cook?

Answer 12

Always using up leftovers
Once a month on a Sunday, they had to prepare a one dish meal made of leftovers for everyone to eat

Question 13

How did Nazis want women to dress?

Answer 13

In a full skirt, flat heels and no makeup

Question 14

How did the Nazis want women to bring up their children?

Answer 14

As loyal Nazis who would join the Hitler Youth

Question 15

What changed in women’s employment in 1937?

Answer 15

More men joined the military so women needed to work instead

Question 16

How did the Nazis combat the fact that women needed to work from 1937?

Answer 16

Abolished marriage loans
Introduced a compulsory duty year for all women entering the labour market

Question 17

What was the duty year for women?

Answer 17

Helping out on a farm or family home in exchange for a bed to sleep in, but no pay

Question 18

Why did women not want to work?

Answer 18

Poor working conditions
Low wages
Many employers didn’t have suitable washrooms for women

Question 19

What did the Nazis do in 1938 to ensure the population was increased?

Answer 19

Changed the divorce laws so that a man could divorce his wife once she had had four children and have more children with his next wife
Changed the divorce laws so that it was legal to divorce if either of the people could not have children

Question 20

What was the Lebensborn program?

Answer 20

Specially chosen unmarried women donated a child to the Fuhrer by becoming pregnant with racially pure SS men