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Role of women in the war
As housewives, married women were obliged to spend time queing for supplies of vital foodstuffs when shortages occured
As mothers, had to shoulder even more the task of childcare when their husbands were away in the armed forces
As workers, women played an increasingly vital role in the German war economy
Nazi efforts to educate women
The National Socialist Women organisation (NS-F), organised classes to teach women how to cope with wartime conditions.
Cookery classes on how to make the most of food shortages, sewing classes to repair worn clothing
Women were also mobilised by the NS-F to help with the harvest, prepare food parcels and clothing for soldiers at the front and evacuated children
Community evenings were organised to sustain morale and for indoctrination
Women in paid employment
In May 1939, as a result of the Four Year Plan, the number of women in paid employment had increased
6.4 million married women in employment and women as a whole made up 37.4% of the industrial labour force.
There was pressure for more women to be employed in the armaments industry after conscription to armed forces
Hitler’s views on women in paid employment and conscription
Hitler was advised in the summer of 1940 that the industry needed more female workers
Hitler refused to sanction this on the grounds that women shoud be devoted to child bearing
Despite this regime had taken powers to conscript women into war work
By June 1940, 250,000 women had been conscripted
However due to this, there was pressure for married women with children to give up employment due to working hours - resulted in the number of women in industry declining between 1939-1941
1941 Decree on women in employment
June 1941 - Goering issued a decree that all female workers who were in the receipt of family allowance and had given up paid employment but had not produced children should be forced to register for work or lose their allowance
First proper step in the conscription of women - however only had a limited effect as it only applied to women who had been employed previously.
As a result of this decree, only 130,000 extra women were sent to armaments factories
The defeat at Stalingrad (USSR)’s effect on female employment
The defeat at Stalingrad in January 1943 meant that the total mobilisation of labour was essential
January 1943 decree forced all women aged 17-45 to register for work - suggests Hitler abandoned his ideological rejection to employment of married women
However didn’t apply to pregnant women, mothers with two or more children, and farmers’ wives
Summer 1944 - labour situation had become so grave Hitler raised the age limit for forced work to be 50
By 1945, women compromised 60% of the labour force
Women’s auxiliary roles within the armed forces
Was increasing - despite Hitler’s misgivings
1943 - women began to replace men in servicing anti-aircraft guns
1944 - women began to operate searchlights
By the end of the war 50,000 women were involved in anti-aircraft operations, and another 30,000 worked on searchlights
Summer 1944 - army established an Auxiliary Coprs for women serving with the armed forces, by January 1945, there were 470,000 female auxiliaries, many of whom were conscripted
Duties were mainly secretarial and communications, but in many cases this involved serving at the front line
The militarisation of women was taken further in the final stages of war when women’s battalions of the army were established and women were trained for combat roles.
