1. The Role of Women Learning Intentions Starter Task
I will understand the role Hitler envisioned for German women.
I will be able to discuss how German men & women felt about these policies.
Starter Task
Unscramble the following phrases. Once the words are unscrambled, write 2 sentences detailing what you know about them.
LNAANTOI MSSOICLIA (2 Words)
RWAEMI CRIELPBU (2 Words)

2. Weimar woman versus Nazi maiden
Weimar Nazi Rule
Women had become more modern.
The state was more progressive.
Women could vote
Women enjoyed more employment opportunities
Women were respected.
‘Modern woman’ was a degenerate
A threat to racial purity
Would harm Volksgemeinschaft
‘People’s Community’
Women should return to their traditional roles in the home
Banned from many professions
Encouraged to have many babies

3. Monetary Benefits for Women
generous social-security benefits
interest-free loans if they stayed at home with their family.
Couples getting married:
State loans if the woman left her job in the factory or office.
Why do you think this was?
Hitler believed a large population was important for Germany to become great, so encouraged women to focus on having large families.
Think…

4. The Cross of Motherhood
Women were the awarded the gold cross if they had more than 8 children.
Silver if they had more than 6 children.
Bronze if they had 4 or more children.
Why do you think it was seen as important that women had many children?

5. The Cross of Motherhood Task
To be eligible for the Cross of Motherhood, a women needed to prove her “worthiness”
Below is an excerpt from the Cross criteria, written in the 1930s.
Using the word bank, finish the excerpt.
“The ________must prove that her and her _________are of ________ blood, ____________ fit, and that their four ____________ are not of _________ or foreign __________, nor have they ever ___________ to the Jewish religion.”
Word Bank
belonged grandparents Jewish German genetically mother blood husband

6. Task- Home life From the next slide, copy out what the 3 Ks were.
Now explain why they were considered so important in Nazi Germany.

7. Changes in the Workplace
Many professional women lost their jobs
The number of female university students was restricted.
The Three Ks:
Kinder (children)
Küche (kitchen)
Kirche (church)
Women restricted in government posts
‘The Nazi Party secures the national community.
The Volksgenossen [an organization] will advise and help you help your community.’

8. Education Women were educated
However, university spots were slowly closed to them
Required to fulfil a work period of 6 months with BDM
Band of German Maidens
(Like Hitler Youth)
Taught geography of Germany, racial purity
Had to marry a German boy by law (no foreign blood)
Overall, taught to be housewives and mothers
While some were teachers or nurses, most became housewives

9. Task- Education
Use the information on the previous slide, and from the clip below, to list 5 things all Aryan girls were taught either in school or in the youth movements.
Explain why these things were felt to be important.
Girls, would you enjoy living in Nazi Germany?

10. Nazi policy on women – a success?
Some German women enjoyed the changes
they enjoyed the increased status of motherhood
Policy on women was inconsistent
many women kept their jobs (especially teachers)
many women were employed by the Nazis
(Nazi Women’s League )

11. Nazi policy Failures The birth-rate did not increase
After 1935 births actually declined steadily.
Many women were employed to help with the preparations for war
The ‘German family’ was unsuccessful
Divorce increased.
Nazi policy actually caused an increased tension in many families.
Many women were unhappy

12. Policy failures- unemployment
The Nazis believed a decrease in women in the workplace also helped unemployment. Men could more easily get a job if women were at home.
However, German industry did not function without women. By 1937, 37% of women were in work; the same number as had been in 1928 before the Great Depression.

13. Summary video
(short video)
(48 minutes)