The position of women in German society has shown little change throughout the years in 1871-1990. How far do you agree with this statement? Flashcards
How could the overall change in Women’s position be described?
Pendulum like
What could be said to be the turning point for Women?
WW1
What is there a theme of throughout German history?
Disadvantage relative to their male counterparts
In the Kaiserreich what legalised the lower status of women?
national civil code
What did the National Civil Code Assert?
men had authority in all matters relating to his family’s children and over his wife’s property and power of attorney over his wife’s legal contracts.
Could women vote during the Kaiserreich?
No
Finish the sentence: whilst industrialisation did give more employment opportunities to women…
the work was clearly segregated from the men’s.
Give 3 examples of women’s jobs during industrialisation
textiles, clothes-making and food processing
In industrialisation, Women did things such as textiles, clothes-making and food processing. What three things were bad about these?
least skilled, lowest paid and without union protection
Why was the societal concern about the number of women in the workplace during the Kaiserreich?
People feared that it led to bad health, leading to increased infant mortality and miscarriages. Large numbers of women died in childbirth.
What did the government refuse to do to Women’s employment in the Kaiserreich?
Make reforms meaning that the employment problems persisted until the outbreak of war
Bismarck’s welfare provision did contain specific benefits for women. By 1891, what were women guaranteed?
An 11 hour working day and 6 weeks’ maternity
As a part of Bismarck’s welfare provision, by 1891 what were women barred from doing?
working in mines
As a part of Bismarck’s welfare provision, by 1891 what provision did he make that could be said to re-assert their domestic role?
women were allowed more time off at lunch on Saturdays so that they could carry out domestic duties
Who set up the Society for the Protection of Women Workers’ Interests and when was this?
Emma Ihrer 1885
What did Emma Ihrer’s 1885 Society for the Protection of Women Workers’ Interests do?
support working women by providing the services of doctors and lawyers for free
Why was the Society for the Protection of Women Workers’ interest’s support for working women by providing the services of doctors useful?
Because of the number of women who died in childbirth
What shows that the Society for the Protection of Women Workers’ Interests was effective?
Banned by the government 1886
When the Society for the Protection of Women Workers’ Interests was banned by the government in 1886, how many active members did it have?
1000
Ihrer, who set up the Society for the Protection of Women Workers’ Interests, also was the first and only woman to do what?
the first and only women elected to the General Commission of German Trade Unions in 1890
Ihrer was the first and only women elected to the General Commission of German Trade Unions in 1890, what did she use this position to do?
push for increased women’s rights in the workplace
Who led the SPD’s women’s section during the Kaiserreich?
Clara Zetkin
What did Clara Zetkin’s section of the SPD publish?
the women’s newspaper Die Gleichheit (Equality)
What did Clara Zetkin start?
the first ever international women’s day on 19th March 1911
What augments the importance of the SPD having a Women’s party?
By 1912 they were the most popular German party and by 1912 they had 38% of the vote
What is a limitation of talking about Clara Zetkin and Emma Ihrer?
These women were the exception rather than the rule
When was the BDF founded?
1894
The BDF, the Bund Deutscher Frauenvereine, translates to what?
Union of German Feminist Organisations
Who supported the BDF?
Middle class women
What did the BDF campaign for?
middle class women to have equality in education and politics and be allowed to organise their own financial affairs
What two prominent German feminists were arrested during WW1 for their political activism?
Clara Zetkin and Rosa Luxemburg
Despite the fact that the type of work that women undertook during WW1 changing demonstrably, what did not see significant change?
The number of women in work
The shortage of male workers in WW1 meant that what happened for women?
women began working in areas previously forbidden such as heavy industry including chemicals, iron, steel and engineering.
What two sectors did women take up key positions ii during WW1 ?
german postal service and transport sector
In some households, what did Women become during WW1?
The primary breadwinner
What change in governmental tone was experienced over the course of WW1?
Women’s work was actively encouraged by the government as being essential for the war effort