The impact of policies on women in Nazi Germany

• Background: pre-Hitler – Weimar republic was very progressive – encouraged women to express themselves, all sorts of freedom and equality
  • Women over 20 yrs given the vote
    • 20 females in Reichstag
  • Women more likely to go out to work and work in professions, often paid equal to men
    • More than 100,000 female teachers by 1933
  • Enjoyed more freedom outside family drinking, going to nightclubs
  • Dressed differently, more provocative and free
  • As an ultra-right wing party, naturally, the Nazis had very traditional ideas about the role of a woman in society. COMPLETE reversal of Weimar policies. ⇒ rejecting Weimar era and further emphasising anti-semitism)
  • Role of Women (ideology)
    • To limit participation to kinder, kuche, kirche (children, kitchen, church)
    • Woman’s role to complement man’s role –> partnership between the two serves the nation. Separate roles in society and within marriage: woman to care for children, clean the house, cook food, man to be involved in the political, academic spheres

 

• (another place for Nazis to infiltrate lives of German citizens – in their relationships and determining the roles they play!)

 

• • • With women out of the workplace –> more jobs for men –> decrease unemployment rates
  • Reinforce role of woman as a mother, reinforce importance of the ‘family unit’ = in turn, increase the birth rate (lowest in Europe at this time – a problem for a state with expansionist ideology)

• Societal status/Political rights
  • No women in parliament after November 1933 election
    • Goebbels said: “it is necessary to leave to men that which belongs to men”
      • Exiled from political life: couldn’t sit in Reichstag/regional parliaments/municipal councils
    • Women could be members of the Nazi Party, but newcomers to the party were only admitted if they were “useful” (nurses or cooks for example)
  • Women’s associations banned, in some cases, members were arrested/assassinated
    • Replaced with organisations to approve Nazi-approved values e.g German Women’s Enterprise (DFW), Nationalist Socialist Womanhood (NSF), Reich Mother’s’ Service (RMD)
  • 1936: law passed banning high-level positions in judicial system and medical field to women
    • Female doctors not allowed to practice
• Pro-natalist policies, pursued through incentives + disincentives
  • Income-tax reductions for married couples with children, child support payments, maternity benefits, reduced school fees = incentives.
  • 1933 Law for the Encouragement of Marriage
    • introduced to increase birth rate.
    • Gave loans of 1000 marks to young couples to marry (wife had to leave work). For each of their first 4 children, couple could keep 1/4 of loan
  • May 1939, The Mother’s Cross award
    • awarded to women based on number of kids they had, Bronze for 4, silver for 6, gold for 8+. Medals distributed on Hitler’s mother’s birthday (12th April)
  • The Lebensborn program to encourage childbirth.
    • Started in 1935 by Himmler, tried to encourage creation of ideologically pure kids for adoption.
    • Made single women available for fertilisation by SS men.
    • In one home alone, 540 mothers gave birth from 1938-41. Essentially a Nazi brothel.
  • Disincentives
    • denying women control over their own bodies in terms of reproduction
      • illegalization of abortion
      • closing down of birth control centres and access to contraceptive devices
        • breaches of these regulations resulted in convictions
• Prohibitions and regulations regarding physical appearance
  • Wearing makeup was prohibited
  • Modesty expected of women – couldn’t be ‘painted and powdered’, couldn’t smoke, no dyed/permed hair
  • Regulations over clothing they should wear – to wear historical traditional German clothing
    • Less regulations in this area as Nazis did not want to prevent German clothing industry from gaining profit – wanted to encourage consumerist society based on German domestic products
  • In line with Nazi racial theory – “women were to be blonde, beautiful, tall, thin and robust all at once”
• Education for women
  • 1933: programs changed for girls – discouraged them from pursuing higher education
    • Replaced science and Latin classes with courses in domestic skills and German language
      • Domestic skills = cooking, camping, motherhood activities
• Failures
  • Birth rate did not rise much

• • Marriage rates increased from 516,800 in 1932 to 740,200 in 1934 – though birth rate didn’t increase significantly
    • couples preferred to have one or two children, disadvantage > advantage
  • The number of women in employment actually rose by 2.4 million between 1933 and 1939 because there was a shortage of workers for the rearmament factories and the autarky drive.
    • In 1939, the Nazis had to reverse their employment policy and encourage women to return to the labour force.
• Historiography
  • Hitler claimed to be a supporter of the traditional family but some of his policies contradicted this, for example making divorce easier and the setting up of Lebensborn.
  • Was success due to ….
  • Successful implementation?
    • Policies in all areas – politics, social life: every little detail, even what they could wear
      • –> Control in all –> more power to the Nazis
    • Propaganda to promote image of mother as ‘ultimate woman’
    • Indoctrination through education –> new generation that had Nazi beliefs and ideals engraved into them
  • Existing approval
    • Anti-feminism was nothing new in Germany
    • As a traditionally nationalistic and conservative society, many (even some women) rejected the progressive ideas that the Weimar era brought and preferred Nazi policies towards women
      • There was not widespread opposition to implementation of Nazi policies (HOWEVER then you could argue this is because of the comprehensive police state & terror system – people were too scared to oppose Nazi policies)
    • Churches, DNVP, Traditionalists all agreed on a more stereotypically patriarchal role for women
      • –> was it due to excellent policies or were they just already popular ideas?