Women under Weimar (4) Flashcards
Women Pre-WW1
- German Civil Code 1900 = couldn’t vote as they were regarded as men’s property
- Single women could study at uni but couldn’t take exams to qualify + practice.
- Married women had no legal status - men did legal business on their behalf.
- Equality campaigners dismissed as ‘socialist’.
- Believed in kinder, Kurche, Kirche (private sphere).
During the WW1, what roles did women take on in employment?
- Women replaced men in factories, farms and other workplaces typically for men because of conscription.
- In 1913, the armament industry had no women employees - seen to be hard labour - but increased to over 28,000 by 1918.
End of the war
- 75% of women working age in work.
- 1.6 million men killed - results in surplus women + majority of the electorate = politicians potentially have to steer their policies towards women to stay in power.
- Women enter the public sphere for the first time.
What’s the issue with Weimar’s attitude towards women?
Liberal in theory but traditional in practice.
When did the govt gave women the vote?
12th November 1918
Women and politics in 1918-38
- Political parties wanted women’s votes to ‘educate’ them on women’s issues.
- First elections had a 90% women turnout and took seats in the local government.
- Women made up 52% of the electorate in 1919 and 10% of the delegates of the Assembly.
- 112 women in total elected in the Reichstag between 1919-32.
Did women’s status actually change?
- Article 109 stated equal rights - marriage should be an equal union, and able to enter professions - but no change.
- SPD members were divided: some supported equality but others argued women should return to being wives and mothers.
Increase in rights (divorce)
- Divorce rates increase - allows freedom from abusive husbands, or unhappy marriages.
- Removes the idea of the ‘traditional family’.
+ 1913 = 27 per 100, 000 inhabitants
+ 1920 = 59 per 100, 000 inhabitants.
+ 1932 = 65 per 100, 000 inhabitants
What does the falling birth rates showcase about women’s increasing freedom?
- Women felt independent and liberated.
- More options than being mothers (jobs).
- Allows more bodily autonomy.
- More financial resources and can spend on herself.
Per 1000 women:
- 1911: 128
- 1925: 80
- 1933: 59
What did women begin to campaign over?
- For contraception.
- Right to abortion (reversed under Nazis) under certain circumstances like rape.
- Women now makes decisions on issues important to them.
Women and work after the World War
Under Weimar’s policy, women were asked to give up their job to returning soldiers - appeared to be less valued than men - forced to be nurturers/homeworkers again.
What did the 1st post war consensus (1925) show about female employment?
- Around 36% (similar to pre-WW1 of 34%).
- 1925: Higher number of women were employed than any other European country (11-12 mil).
- Mostly did ‘white-blouse jobs’ (clerical + shop work) rather than hard labour.
- In 1933 - few women in professions (36 lawyers) and lower professions, like notaries, rose from 54 to 251.
Issues about single v married women working
- Idea of single women working was more acceptable than married women - seen as temporarily working until marriage and not expected to pursue careers.
- Women in professions faced hostility and discrimination: alongside this, married women dealt with the school-day structure; had to find childcare if they wanted to work.
Women’s inadequate pay and working conditions
- Paid 33% less than men - 250, 000 women in 1925.
- 1925 = 18% of women worked in poorly paid manual jobs with strongly male dominated trade unions which opposed all women workers and demands for equal pay and conditions.
- Hostile to ‘double earners’ (married women bringing a second wage) since men were the providers. Especially in times of unemployment - women were cheaper to employ.
What slogan of thinking did the women’s liberation movements aim to stop?
Kinder, Kuche and Kirche
