DO NOW TASK

Which one of the photos C

show Hiter’s kind of woman?

B
A
 Driving Question: Were the Nazis
successful in changing the role of
women?
Success Criteria:
- Describe differences between women’s life in Weimar and
Nazi Germany
- Explain how the Nazi’s encouraged women to play a
traditional role in society
- Evaluate the success of the Nazi policies towards women

The three Ks -
1. Kinder – children
2. Kirche – church
3. Küche – kitchen
 The Weimar Republic
had a very open-mind
On the next slide attitude towards
ed
there are statements women’s place in
about women’s life in society.
either Weimar or
Nazi Germany.
The Nazis had very old
You must decide which fashioned views of
women’s place in
pile to put them into – society.
Weimar Germany or
Nazi Germany
Women were given the right to vote
from the age of 20.  for election to the Reichstag. By 1933
Women’s fashion flourished. Clothing
and make up which celebrated the
female form were encouraged.
Married female doctors and civil
servants were sacked from their jobs.
From 1936 onwards women could no
longer be judges or prosecutors.  means ‘Children, Church and Cooking’.
The ideal physical appearance of a
woman was blonde, blue eyed and
sturdily built. She was expected to have
broad hips for child bearing, and to
have no interest in such things as
fashion, make up or slimming. 
Women working for the government
got the same pay as men.
Women were also encouraged to stand
10% of Reichstag members were
female.
Women should not be involved in
politics and they were not allowed to
vote.  comfort of their families, e.g. cooking
The propaganda slogan ‘Kinder, Kirche,
Kuche’ was used to sum up what they
thought a woman’s role was. This
Many women became teachers,
doctors, lawyers, judges and civil
servants. By 1933 there were 100,000
women teachers and 3,000 women
doctors. 
It was believed that men should be the
breadwinners and earn a living to
support their families. 
It was wrong for women to enter paid
employment for two main reasons.
Firstly, this would mean neglecting
their family duties. Secondly, every
woman in employment was seen as
taking a job from a man.  
Women’s role in life should be to bear
many children and ensure the domestic
and cleaning. 
Differences between men and women
and the belief that nature had created
each for different purposes were
highlighted
Women were expected to be
dependent on men both financially and
emotionally, and to obey their
husbands. 
Task: Look at the source
on the right and answer
the following questions…

1. Why would he encourage

women to marry Aryan
men?

2. Why would Hitler want

women to have more large
families ?

3. Why would Hitler want

women to give up their
jobs? (think about
unemployment after 1929)
Check the detail in your picture:
Married to an
Add in any detail you may have Aryan
husband.
missed.
Notice his
sleeves are
1. Why would Hitler want women rolled up to Aryan – Blonde
to have more large families ? show he is haired, blue eyed
the worker. etc.
2. Why would Hitler want women
to give up their jobs? (think
about unemployment after 1929) Traditional
modestC
3. Why would he encourage Germanic
women to marry Aryan men? dress

Wide hips to
B help birth
children.

Main role is mother and

wife she does not work. Large Aryan family
Firstly, the Nazis believed the German population
was growing too slowly This was a major problem for
the Nazis as the expansion off the Master Race was
one of their main ideas, and would provide the
justification for their policy of ‘Lebensraum’ - living
space.
Women, as child bearers, were the key to these two
main Nazi ideas.
Secondly, the Nazis were afraid that their ‘Master
Race’ was becoming impure due to inter-marriage
with ‘inferior’ groups like the Jew’s or those with
disabilities. Woman, and their choice of partners,
would again be the key to overcoming this perceived
problem.
In Nazi Germany it was not
considered a social problem if an
unmarried woman had a child, in
fact it was encouraged. The Nazis
established special maternity
homes called Lebensborns which
were designed to be breeding
centres for the production of pure
Aryan children. Unmarried women
could go along to get pregnant by a
"racially pure" SS man.

2. What does Hitler mean in source C when he says, “a battle fought for
the existence of her people.” Use the terms Lebensraum and Master Race
in your answer.
Practice Questions
1. In what ways were the lives of women in Germany
affected by the Nazi Social Policies (8 marks)
KEY WORDS: long term impact, TIP: Remember to not just list all
initially affected, positive effect, the Nazi Policies that relate to
negative effect, consequence women. You must also think about
 PEEL – 1 way the group was affected the effects they had on women.
was… for example they were… (2
marks)… this is because [context and
further explanation, talking about
impact, and judgement on type of
effect] (4 marks)
 PEEL – a 2nd way the group were
affected was… for example they
were… (6 marks)… his is because
[context and further explanation, link
to first point if possible –
causation and consequence] (8
marks)