Women Flashcards
1
Q
Women before WW1
A
- German Civil Code of 1900
- women couldn’t vote + single women could study for a profession but not do exams
- married women had no legal status - a man had to do all legal business on their behalf
- a woman’s role was seen as Kinder, Küche, Kirche - children, kitchen, church
2
Q
Women during the war
A
women took the place of men in factories
- in 1913 the armament manufacturer Krupp had no female employees vs in 1918 it had 28k
- by 1918 75% of wome of working age were in work
- during the war 1.6 million men died - there were more women than men alive - called surplus women
3
Q
Women in the first post-war election
A
- on November 12 1918 the emergency gov gave women the right to vote
- all political parties in the first election wanted women’s votes + campaigned to educate women on issues
- turnout of women at the first election was 90%
- 112 women elected to the Reichstag between 1919 and 1932
4
Q
Concerns about women post-war
A
- in principle women had equal rights in the constitution - Article 109
- mostly SPD members supported women’s rights
- falling birth rate - 128 births per 1k in 1911 — 80* in 1925 — 59 by 1933
- campaign of women’s associations for free contraception + abortion was a concern
5
Q
Women and work
A
- Weimar gov policy was that women should give up jobs for returning soldiers
- in the 1925 census it was found that the female working percentage decreased from 36% to 34% - pre-war level
- more *white-blouse** jobs for women - clerical + assistant
- women paid 33% less than male counterparts
- idea of a single working women more accepted than a working married woman
6
Q
Opposition to women in work
A
- professions required long-term training - marriage deterred that
- women could pursue further education and take exams to qualify - by 1933 there were 36 female lawyers
- in 1925 there were approx 2.5k female doctors - doubled by 1933
- faced hostility + discrimination
7
Q
Practical hurdles faced by married women
A
- school day structured to end at lunch - mothers had to find childcare or work from home
- in 1925 approx 250k women doing poorly paid work from home - doubled by 1935
- half of the 36% of women working in 1925 were in poorly paid manual jobs
- trade unions were male-dominated - opposed female workers
- married women - Doppelverdiender - double earner disliked by union
8
Q
New women
A
- young + educated + unmarried women were changing
- wanted independence - worked mostly in white-blouse jobs - faced wage + sexual discrimination
- abandoned traditional female behaviour
- revealing clothes + short hair + smoked + drank + male behaviour - like US flappers
- took advantage of contraception to enjoy sexual freedom
- mostly city based - criticised by politicians + media - glorified in film + advertising
- many eventually settled down and married
9
Q
Effect of depression on women
A
- increased hostility towards working women due to rising unemployment
- desperation in women who were the breadwinners - women suffered less than men as they were cheaper labour
- in 1932 only 44% of men were unemployed versus only 33% of women were unemployed
- women were willing to do part-time
- 30 May 1932 Chancellor Brüning passed a decree allowing for the dismissal of married women in gov services if their husbands were unemployed
- same happening in the private industry - last to be hired but first to be fired
10
Q
Nazi attitude to Women
A
- adopted the slogan Kinder, Küche, Kirche - children, kitchen, church
- THOUGH Nazis discouraged church membership - rival for influence
11
Q
Lebensborn Programme
A
- started in 1936 - run by a special branch of the SS - aimed to produce healthy Aryan kids
- selected men - usually SS - encouraged to mate with as many racially pure young women - many from the BDM youth group
- programme had hospitals + clinics + homes for the children born - adopted by fit German couples struggling to conceive
- ALSO took suitable children from foreign families and put them in homes
12
Q
Women as mothers + organisations
A
- women removed from the Reichstag - place of woman was home
- women’s Nazi organisation was the Nationalist Socialist Womanhood - NSF
- ## wonder movement called German Women’s Enterprise organised activities for non-Party members
13
Q
Eugenics
A
- belief that controlling reproduction can produce a healthier population - 1916 Society for Population Policy set up
- encouraged pure Germans to reproduce + couples given marriage loans to help marry ONLY IF they had a license proving they were fit + racially pure
- help with school fees for families if suitable - poor families granted upto RM 100 per child
14
Q
Nazi Policies regarding Women Timeline
A
- 31 Dec 1931 - SS Marriage Order - SS memebers can only marry Aryan women
- 1 June 1933 - Law to Reduce Unemployment - interest-free marriage loan to Aryan couples if woman gives up job + is fit to have kids
- 30 June 1933 - married women in civil service with earning husbands dismissed + wages lowered for others
- 1936 - women excluded from working in law APART FROM admin posts
- 1939 - Mother’s Cross introduced for mothers with 4 + 6 + 8 kids - given on Mother’s Day
15
Q
negative impact of Nazi policies on Women
A
- large number so women lost their jobs - surtout married women
- single women had lower-skilled jobs - domestic work + shop work + secretaries
- even highly-skilled doctors made to work in maternity + GP - teachers only taught primary level
- civil servants had to work in the female section of their office
16
Q
Positive impact of Nazi policies on Women
A
- racially suitable women + women who wanted to be mothers had higher level of health-care + status
- mothers of active + dead soldiers given more support + honoured - Mother’s Day made a national holiday
- level of state policing to ensure mothers ate well + no smoking + faithful
17
Q
Impact of WW2 on women
A
- women urged to join workforce - more childcare provided - 31k creches by 1942
- number of women in workforce was less than in WW1 - 76% from 1913-18 vs 2% in *1939-44**
18
Q
Why small increase in women joining the workforce?
A
- Nazi propaganda had worked well - women reluctant to join + organisations tell them to go home if they had children
- gov didn’t use women in all types of work - replaced male teachers + farms work rather than mines + heavy industry
- Germany had use of foreign labour from conquered lands - wasn’t a great need for women
19
Q
Post 1940
A
- allowed to join armed forces in women’s auxiliary services for clerical + support jobs
- BDM members had to serve in forces for 6 months
- by 1941 compulsory military service for women 18-40 but NOT enforced rigorously
- by 1944 shortage of men meant women were being trained to operate machine-guns and sent to signal stations near the Front
20
Q
Directly Post war 1945
A
- in 1948 there were 7.3 million surplus women
- many wanted Year Zero so that men could come home to familles and start again
- divorce rate rose sharply in late 1940s - from 1946-48 it rose by 80%
21
Q
Rebuilding
A
- military govs in occupied zones tried to rebuild economy + ideas suppressed by nazis
- women helped clear rubble + building + office work
22
Q
Lack of immediate change for women post war
A
- few got involved in politics - those that did had been active pre-1933 - ingrained Nazi propaganda
- ideal woman for many was still a wife + mother
- 1953 Ministry for Family Affairs set up to provide mothers + wives with financial benefits
- Chancellor Adenauer made speeches about getting women to work BUT little actual gov change
23
Q
Gov. View on women
A
- Bundestag was split between supporters of equal rights SPD vs CDU who did’nt want women to work
- Article 3 of Basic Law guaranteed equality under the law
- until 1958 women needed husband’s permission to work + husband got full control of woman’s property
24
Q
Marriage and Family Law revision
A
- 1977 the law was revised to give women EQUAL RIGHTS in marriage
- overturned Civil Code Law that said women could only work if it didn’t interfere with their role as mother and wife - had been in force since 1900
- significant part of Kinder, Kuche, Kirche thinking
25
Action Council for Women’s Liberation
- *1960s + 1970s* - popular with students + radicals - mostly **city-based**
- *January 1968* **Action Council for Women’s Liberation** set up in West Berlin
- set up day-care centres + campaigns to change the way daycare + schools were run
- split by *1969* - didn’t look at women outside the family
26
Paragraph 218
- Parapgrah 218 banned abortion in *1871*
- journalist **Alice Schwarzer** was a leader of the campaign against Paragraph 218 - published magazine with photos of 30 women who had had abortions
- **protests** + set up **refuge for victims of domestic abuse**
- city-based **lesbian movement** evolved
- magazines + pamphlets explains women’s health + contraception
27
Women’s role and status by 1989
- women in the DRG had a different **more equal** status - more likely to work full-time - **state crèches** provided
- women in DRG worked for the family to have **sufficient income**
- in FRG motherhood had a higher status - **tax breaks + benefits** to encourage staying home
- only **50%** of **married women with a child under 15 had a paid job** - school hours were still a problem
-
