Nazi social policies

Progress made by women in the Weimar Period:

• Equal voting rights
• Encouraged to get a good education taken up higher careers (e.g law, medicine, teaching)
• Women who worked in the civil service earned the same as men.
• 1933 - 1/10th of Reichstag members were female
• Women could go out unescorted, wear fashion, wear make-up and smoke/drink in public
• Women often wore (relatively) short skirts and short hair. 

Ideals of women in the Nazi period:

• Women were responsible for the home and bringing up children.
• Men were the decision makers and women were subservient and had no place in politics
• Women were discouraged from wearing make-up, high heels and smoking.
• Women were meant to be blonde, heavy-hipped and athletic
• Women did not go out to work

1900 - 2 million live births dropped to 1 million 1n 1933. Nazis were concerned about this so a propaganda campaign was launched to promote large families.

1933 -  Law for the encouragement of marriage

Loans were given to help young couples marry (As long as the woman left her job)
Couples were allowed to keep 1/4 of the loan for every child they had (up to 4 children)

1936 - Lebensborn programme

Unmarried Aryan women were encouraged women to  'donate a baby to the fuhrer' by becoming pregnant by 'racially pure' ** men

Medals and 'The German Women's Enterprise'

On Hitlers mothers birthday (12th august) medals were awarded to women with large families.
The German Women's Enterprised organised radio broadcasts on the skills of motherhood.   

The Three K's

Women were asked to stick to the 3 k's
Kinder, Kuche, Kirche - Kids, Kitchen and Church

Every job left by a woman was open for a man (Jobs promised by Nazi party)
Female Civil servants, teachers and doctors were forced to leave their jobs.
School girls were trained for work at home and discouraged from higher education.

How these Policies backfired

1937 - Germany was rearming, men went into the army and women were needed to fill these jobs.
Marriage loans were abolished and a 'duty year' for women was introduced.
1939 - fewer women working than in the Weimar republic, numbers barely increased.

Indoctrination of children was seen as important to the Nazi party.

Teachers had to join the 'Nazi teachers league' and swear an oath to Hitler. Later, Women and Jews were forced out of education

15% of the timetable dedicated to PE - Emphasis on military preparation for the boys, homemaking lessons for women.

Pupils were made to salute in lessons - Biology taught race theory (Social Darwinism), geography taught the hostile neighbours surrounding Germany.

Textbooks were rewritten - Emphasis on German military victories and how Jews and Communists were 'responsible for the depression'.

The Hitler Youth Law of 1936 - It was difficult to avoid joining
2nd Hitler Youth Law of 1939 - Membership was compulsory 

All other youth groups were banned
1939 - 7 mIllion members

Boys (Hitler Jugend) - Military skills such as shooting, map reading, drill and fitness.
Girls (League of German Maidens) - Physical training and domestic skills.