Social Impact of Hitler’s Ruling (Role of Women in Nazi Germany)

SOCIAL IMPACT

Role of Women in Nazi Germany

• Under the Weimar government, women were given the right to vote as well as equality in areas such as marriage and civic matters. Women could hold political positions and other bureaucratic roles, though they remained under-represented in the Reichstag.
• Under the Nazi government, women were confined to roles of mother and spouse, as Hitler believed that German women could best serve by being good wives & mothers as well as by bearing children.
• Women were excluded from politics and academics. After the 1933 elections, Germany went from having 37 female members of the Reichstag to none.
• Women were discouraged from pursuing university studies, & all women associations were banned.
• Instead, the Nazis made young German girls undergo vigorous training in domestic tasks through activities such as farming and sports.
• Political education for women was meant only for managing women’s affairs according to Party lines
• Women could join the Nazi Party but only if they are seen as ‘useful’, such as being nurses or cooks
• Many German women also saw these policies as oppressive
• However, others, in their admiration for Hitler, saw this as an opportunity to establish a firm identity for themselves, which they never enjoyed under the Weimar government.