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German History: 4 Women - Weimar Germany - Coggle Diagram
German History: 4 Women - Weimar Germany
Role in Society
Apperance
Bob haircut
Androgynous attire (smoking costumes and tuxedo jackets)
Ideas of the 'New Woman'
Marlene Dietrich challenged traditional femininity and became in icon through films like "The Blue Angel"
19020s Louise Brooks was a silent film actress and did portrayals of strong independent women
Public behaviour
Middle class could now venture out alone to engage politically, for leisure and go shopping
New activities for women involved swim, tennis. gymnastics and self-defence
75% of cinema attendance was female
Engaged in social activities like dancing (Charleston)
Lesbian subculture
Didn't have the same restrictions as male homosexuals
Berlin became a popular destination for this known as the 'lesbian Eldorado of the 1920s
Still had popular hostility towards them for example in 1928 lesbian magazines were banned
Political Role
Still male dominated in terms of legislature, parties and political institutions
In the June 1920 election 37 women were elected (made up 9% of the Reichstag)
Enfranchisement was later in France (1944) and in Great Britain women didn't get the equal 21+ voting age with men until 1928
The Constitution granted women over 20 the right to vote and stand for election in the Reichstag
There were feminist organisation like the Women's Democratic League which were affiliated with the SPD
Role in the workplace
1.7 million more women in full time work from 1907 to 1925
There was an increased number of women going to university and by the end of the Weimar Republic 20% of university students were women
Women entered new professions
Architecture
Medicine - female doctors increased from 196 in 1914 to 4367 in1932 (9% of total doctors)
Law - Dr Marie Munk was the first German solicitor in 1924
Limitations
Most women remained housewives due to new technology like the dishwasher and iron
Women were less likely to be trade union members as in 1920 only 22% of members were women
Depression caused tensions and law allowed female dismissal prioritising male employment
Women were paid less (average of 25%) justified by the fact younger working women didn't have a family to support
Majority of working women continued traditional female roles (domestic service)
All white collar female workers were single (2/3 of women white collar workers were under 25)
Legal Rights
Weimar Constitution saw gender equality as a basic right
Article 109 gave men and women equal rights promoting equal education and stop gender discrimination in schooling
1922 Washington Convention on the Employment of Women
Inspired by exploitation of women in the workplace
Aimed to improve women's working conditions
Involved number of standards and principles to protect women
Maternity protection was involved which included nursing breaks and childbirth time off
Reproductive Rights
Included family planning, contraception and abortion
More access to contraception and by 1932 1,300 condom machines had been installed in public toilets
Abortion Laws
Generally illegal
Abortions by professionals were difficult to obtain which led to unsafe procedures
There were exceptions to the ban if pregnancy was life risking, a result of rape or if there were fetal abnormalities
Divorce Laws
Article 119 established marriage as a "foundation of family life"
Pre-war strict on divorce
Marital duties
Gross neglect
Attempted murder
Adultery
Abandonment
Mental insanity
Weimar divorce laws
Only possible if one partner was guilty
Wanted to disincentivise divorce
'guilty' spouse had to give financial support or pay other legal reparations
Backlash
Family life and fertility
Claimed there was a 'crisis' as in 1928 the average child number was 1.98
From 1922 Mother's day was widely celebrated inspired by the US
Mother's day was the second Sunday in May
New Women
1932 the Prussian government passed legislation which meant swim costumes had to be higher than the bottom of the shoulder blades and the upper body and bosom had to be covered
Films rejected male anxieties seen in "The Blue Angel" 1930
Conservative religious institutions condemned the New Women
In Bauhaus Art School female students faced discrimination as they weren't allowed to be architects
Some experienced physical violence, harassment and intimidation
They were depicted negatively by the media and were given stereotypes by newspapers, magazines and films