Women in Weimar Flashcards
What did the Pre-War Civil Code of 1900 limit women to?
- Women could not vote
- Single women could study for a profession such as law but could not take the exams to qualify and practice
- Married women had no legal status, men had to do all the legal business on their behalf
When did the emergency government give women the vote in Weimar?
12th November 1918
- This was even before the new constitution was established
- All political parties taking part wanted women to vote and to ‘educate’ them on political issues
What was the turnout of women in the first elections in Weimar?
- 90% of women voted
How many women were elected into the Reichstag between 1919 and 1932?
- 112 women were elected
- Women took seats in local gov and the Reichstag
Article 109?
- In principle women had equal rights
- Marriage should be an equal union
- Women should be able to enter professions
Did Article 109 actually do what it should have?
- It did not change the status of women under the civil code
What was the political split on the issue of the role of women?
- SPD members supported equality and women’s rights
- Other more conservative parties believed they should return to their role of the mother
Give stats of the falling birth rate which was of concern?
- Fell from 128 live births per 1000 women in 1911
- To 59 in 1933
Give stats of the increasing divorce rate that was of concern?
- Increased from 27 per 100,000 inhabitants in 1913
- To 65 per 100,000 in 1932
Why did the consensus of 1925 show women in work go back to pre-war levels?
- Weimar policy was to give men coming back from war the work
- Went back to pre-war levels of employment of around 34%
Was the consensus of 1925 accurate of the amount of women in work?
- Work itself was expanding so the number of working women actually rose despite the percentages showing the same
- Many more ‘white blouse’ jobs, e.g clerical and shop work done by women
How much less were women paid on average for doing the same job as men?
On average paid 33% less
Were single women more accepted for working?
- Single women were more socially accepted for working than married women
- However they were still deemed as just ‘temporary’ until they found a husband
- They were still not expected to pursue a career due to this being too time consuming
What was the increase in no. of women working as lawyers?
- 54 —> 251 in 1933
What was the increase in no. of women as doctors?
2,500 —> 5,000 in 1933
What were practical hurdles married women faced when working, and how did this affect them?
- The school day ended at lunchtime so they had to find childcare or work from home or part time
- 1925 1/4 million women were doing poorly paid work from home due to this
Where did women predominantly work in 1925?
- Over half worked in poorly paid manual jobs
- Men in these industries opposed women and were hostile to ‘double earners’ as they were already fighting for men to be paid enough to earn a wage for their family
Who were considered ‘new women’?
- These were young, educated, unmarried women who had come of age during the war
- They wanted independence and worked in ‘white-blouse’ jobs rather than manual labour ones
What was the behaviour like of these ‘new women’?
- They wore revealing clothing
- They smoke and drank
- They cut their hair short (bubikopf)
- Part of a city based culture that emerged in the 1920’s
How did the German gov react to new women?
- They criticised them, calling them immoral and urged them to marry and settle down
- Images of them were blamed for seducing good girls to move to the city and be like the new women
Who endorsed new women?
- Advertising and film industries
- They produced glorified images of the new women
- In the real world however they faced wage discrimination
What was the result of the Great Depression?
- Rise in unemployment meant even more hostility towards working women
- There was even more desperation for those who were the breadwinners in their family
- Both women and men were hit harshly by unemployment
How did women suffer less during the depression?
- They had a less steep level of unemployment due to them being cheaper to employ than men
Give stats of men vs women unemployment during the depression in 1932?
46% of men unemployed
33% of women unemployed
What law did Brüning pass in 1932 that attacked women in employment?
30th May 1932
- Passed a decree allowing for the dismissal of married women in government service if they had husbands who were earning
- Same thing was happening in privately owned industry
