Women In Nazi Germany

1. Physical Culture

1.1. *Could not wear trousers *Could not wear makeup *Could not wear high heels *Could not wear hair extensions, dye their hair or perm their hair *Must be wide hipped or chubby as it portrayed a child baring body.

2. Political Rights

2.1. Before Nazi Germany (>1933)

2.1.1. Women were allowed to vote, hold office and had the same constitutional rights as men and other citizens. *Females held majority of the electorate. *Post WW1, women began filling jobs that had been previously dominated by men. *The role of women changed to “independent wage-earner”. * The Weimar culture allowed women to hold an intoxicating sense of freedom.

2.2. After Nazi Germany (<1933)

2.2.1. •Discouraged from paid employment •Weren’t allowed to vote •Women were only seen as housewives, cleaners and “Baby Makers” •Single women Marginalized •Women were inferior to men and didn’t have a voice to their own opinions

3. Societal Norms

3.1. •Married women were encouraged to bear as many children as possible and to have any number under 5 was •Should not work for a living •Unmarried women were also encouraged to have children and for those without a husband they could visit the local Lebensborn where they could be made pregnant by a racially pure member of the SS.