WOMEN IN NAZISM HAVE THE POWER!

All new states constituted by the end of World War, adopted democratic constitutions and universal suffrage. Even in countries with long democratic tradition, such as Great Britain and the United States, reforms were introduced trying to make the system more representative. The most notable innovations occurred around the recognition of women's civil rights. In Europe, recognition of women's suffrage had already been established in Finland (1806), Norway (1913), Denmark and Iceland (1915) and Holland and Russia (1917), before the end of WWI. In 1918 the Weimar Republic also recognized women's suffrage.

The women that lived under the ideology of Nazism during the interwar period, they are called the women in the Third Reich. These women were living within a regime that was characterized by a policy of confining women in the roles of mother and wife and their exclusion from all positions of responsibility, especially in the political and academic spheres. Nazi ideology advocated excluding women from political involvement and confining them to the spheres of "Kinder, Küche, Kirche" (Children, Kitchen, Church). This summarizes the future role of German women: "Take a pot, a dustpan and a broom and marry a man". This was anti-feminism because the Nazis ideology said that the only role which they could develop and best serve the interests of the nation was reproduction. Many women voted in favor of the Nazi Party, but once in power, the party introduced legislation that limited women's legal rights. The Nazi woman had to conform to the German society desired by Adolf Hitler.

The model of a Nazi woman was that she was responsible for her kids and their education and also the housekeeping, but they didn´t had any career. They were restricted from teaching in universities, from medical professions and from parliament. No women were allowed to carry out official functions; however some exceptions stood out in the regime, for example, Magda Goebbels, Leni Riefenstahl and Hanna Reitsch.

The wearing of makeup was prohibited and they couldn´t smoke in public. Abortion and sexuality were prohibited too, unless for a reproductive goal. In the physical standars, the Third Reich promoted standards of beauty; women were to be blonde, beautiful, tall, thin and robust all at once. I think that the Nazi ideology was very radical and strict on the aspect of the role of women in society, because she was deprived of many aspects that only man could achieve and there is a chauvinism well developed.

Under the Weimar republic in 1919, the role of women was one of the most progressive in Europe. The Weimar Constitution of January 19, 1919 proclaimed their right to vote, the equality of the sexes in public matters, non-discrimination against female bureaucrats, maternity rights and the equality within marriage. They remained under-represented in the parliaments, maternity was promoted as their most important social function, and abortion was still prosecutable. They were often working as secretaries or sales staff, where they were generally paid 10% to 20% less than male employees. The doctrine of the Nazi party was clear and made no secret of its desire to exclude women from the political life of Germany. Germany went from having 37 female Members of Parliament out of 577 after the German election in November 1933. The role of women started improving and developing very fast and strong and they also started having a position in society.

Made by: Daniela Sanguineti Cornejo.