The role of women within Germany between the years 1871-1991 did see some changes, however the significance of these changes is arguable considering the improvement made within the Weimar period was completely reversed by the emergence of the Nazi reign.
‘Women’s participation in the movement created an ersatz gloss of idealism.’1 This view infers that the role of women was predominantly within the home, looking after the children and her husband. Therefore taking on a central role that had been enforced by the 1000 year old Kaiser Reich. During the Nazi era, women were encouraged to imitate Hitler’s ideology of ‘Kinder, Kuche, Kirche’ which translates to ‘children, kitchen, church.’ This intensely objectifying idea was spread throughout Nazi Germany and used to enfoirce the idea of a women’s place is at home and not in education or in employment. This arguably also reinforced a women’s dependence on her husband which added to the stereotypical view that women were frail and unable to provide for themselves. Furthermore the three K’s was taken from the influence of Kaiser which arguably was a step back from the previous Weimar period. Additionally, the fragment of the women’s movement that had grown massively within England and America hadn’t take off in Germany as it had there. The leaders of the German feminist groups were happy to follow the Gleichschaltung which reinforced and encouraged Nazi support. Moreover, Koonz is acknowledging in this quote that female supporters of the Nazis accepted their policy’s on women and their division of the sexes and so although from an outside view there is an obvious step back into the Kaiser ideals however the women of Germany perhaps wanted to return to their sheltered lives locked away in the kitchen as their lives in the Weimar period was an independent one but a tough one as there was a significant lack of rights that actually protected them against ridiculous working hours and gendered discrimination. On the other hand, Gisela Bock argued that ‘Nazi Policy was the intended elimination of the female sex’ which although not explicitly going against the views of Claudia Koonz, Bock does not mention that there were women supporters of Nazi policies and rather that the Third Reich era was completely set on erasing their role. Evidence for this can be found in the 1933 set up of Deutshe Arbeithsfront (For Women From Working Class) argued that physically and physiology of a woman was perfectly suited for for a production line (which encouraged women to join the work force to make machinery for the war.) Additionally this policy pushed the ideal that a woman’s work should be physicially and mentally undemanding to ensure that women have time for their maternal duties which links to the idea of Kinder, Kirche and Kuche.
Additionally, during the 19th century, there was a strong view of a traditional role for women. This was possibly caused by the significance of Prussia values were the main source of German social values after 1871. The role of the man was to provide for his family and fight for his country whereas a women’s role was to fulfil the patriotic duty expected of them through maternal care and offering emotional support to her family and society around her. Furthermore, the German national civil code made the perceived lower status of women legal throughout society. Therefore separating male and females roles into two categories, the protectors and the mothers. In the 19th century, women were still denied a vote, and were restricted educationally to ensure that their focus never strayed from the traditional housewife, in other words women were blocked from education in order to maintain their complacency. Knowledge means power and women were ultimately denied of that in 19th Century Germany and the progress made in the Weimar century was ultimately erased during Hitler’s reign. Thus, the Kaissereich period in German history was a strict hierarchal society, which through legislation reasserted the males dominant position over women.
However, with the surge of industrialization after 1871 there was also a surge in political reform which in turn brought about the Weimar Women. Despite the industrial economy being severely segregated for the female sectors of the work force compared to the male sectors, this can still be viewed as a significant improvement in terms of the role and status of women in Germany. Women were being paid the lowest wag as their work was considered unskilled (their work including textiles and food processing) and women overall lacked union protection within the work place, a privilege only enjoyed by male workers. Additionally, although women were allowed to work they were still restricted to employment within heavy industry or management (this was seen as strictly male employment.) Furthermore, although women were still paid the least and work within the lower areas of the workforce in Weimar Germany, the expectations from the Kaissereich had prevailed through rapid industrialization and so their maternal roles within the home were still expected of them. However, the introduction of welfare provisions by Bismarck did allow special benefits or the working women. Bismarck’s reforms meant that by 1891 maternity leave of up to six weeks was guaranteed along with the working day being restricted to 11 hours a day minimum. Moreover, the mining industry was blocked to women through these reforms to protect them from unsafe conditions. The most important change that was brought with Bismarck’s reforms was women were permitted more time off of work in terms of longer lunch breaks and a fixed day off on Saturdays. However, there is an underlying sense of misogynistic undertones for these reforms as they were out in place purely on the basis that women had more time to dedicate to their traditional maternal duties of the household. Additionally, throughout the Kaissereich there was a growing fear that further industrialization would lead to more women in joining the workforce and in turn further need for reform concerning women’s rights. Moreover, the low health rate of women was considered as a direct link to their role in the work place and not the lack of health care for women and or healthy working conditions. This contributed to growing mortality rates and miscarriage, which made the increased presence of women in the workforce undesirable. However, despite the issues with women’s rights in the work place there was a growing sense of feminism within Germany. The Society for the Protection of Women Worker’s Interests set up by Emma Ihrer worked as a union to women workers and provided the service of doctors and lawyers without charge as women were not earning enough through their working wage to pay for such necessity’s. Furthermore the society campaigned for women’s rights and even pressured the Reichstag into conducting a survey of wage of women in the clothing industry. However in 1886 the government banned the society despite them being over a thousand members strong. On the other hand, Ihrer then went on to become the first woman elected to the General Commission of German Trade Unions in 1890 and used her position to try an ensure greater rights for the working woman.