2.13 - social policy - women

what were attitudes towards women like in the weimar republic?

very progressive and far ahead most of europe

what demonstrates this?

the fact that women had the right to vote from age 20 and many successfully ran for high office

women also had a…

prominent role in the workforce, as many were doctors, lawyers, teachers and civil servants

the nazi attitude towards women was…

reactionary in comparison to this as they wanted to undo the steps taken by the weimar republic

what did the nazis want?

a return to traditional gender roles where a womans primary role was being a wife and mother

what fears did nazi policy towards women stem from?

the fear that birth rates were declining and the fear that the ‘master race’ was becoming impure

how did nazi policy operate in order to get women to embrace their new roles?

financial incentives, the use of propaganda and the expansion of social welfare

the main financial incentive used by the nazis was the…

marriage loan law of june 1933

what did the marriage loan law do?

it gave newlyweds a loan of 600 marks, with 25% being taken off for every child you had

this loan was done as part of the ‘law for the reduction of unemployment’ because…

in order to qualify women had to leave their jobs

how would this reduce unemployment?

as the womans job could be filled by a man

what else did the nazis introduce which further encouraged women not to work?

tax allowances for large families and free travel

financial benefits were only offered to…

aryans

what propaganda tool did the nazis use to highlight the important role of women?

the mothers cross

who could receive the medal?

any women with 4 or more children

who was a key figure in female propaganda?

gertrude scholz-klink

what did she do?

she led to national socialist womens league and also played a part in the german womens enterprise

what was the german womens enterprise?

a scheme introduced to teach women about mother hood and domestic skills

the classes were…

hugely popular, reaching 6 million members

the expansion of welfare included…

the improvement of health offices, particularly in rural areas

the nazis also developed…

a better kindegarden system to ensure childcare for working mothers

what was made easier by the nazis?

divorce so that people could remarry and have more children quicker

between 1933 and 1939…

the number of marriages increased, as did the birth rate

what does this suggest?

that nazi policy was successful, however there may have been other factors which contributed to this

what were those factors?

the recovering economy and the fact that women would usually end up being wives and mothers anyway

what evidence is there to suggest that the nazis were actually unsuccessful in achieving their aims?

the fact that the birth rate still wasn’t anywhere near pre war levels

how many births were there annually?

only 1.5 million

overall, nazi policy towards women was…

not very successful

why?

most women remained in work and the nazis had to welcome them back during the war

11.5 million women were working in 1933, and even after nazi policies in 1939 there were still…

12.5 million women working