The Social Role Of German Women In Nazi Germany

As a response to the issue of women, the woman policy of the Nazi government to some extent reflected the social philosophy of Nazism, constituted an important component of its social policy, and also resulted in controversial issue. Through probing into the source of the Nazi women concept, reviewing the assigned role of women in family, career and wartime, this article tries to give an objective judge of the Nazi woman policy and the living condition of women in Nazi Germany.The principle part of the article was composed of four chapters, and there are an exordium and an epilogue additionally.Chapter one gives a detailed discussion to the formation of the Nazi women concept. Women's social status and living condition had undergone improvement during the Weimar Germany. But the "Women issue" also became the focus of social confliction. As the issue of women highlighted, Nazism offered its theory of women. And the formation of the theory also had its social background and philosophy.Chapter two mainly deals with German women's family role set by Nazi government. In according with Nazism on the division of gender space, wife and mother's role had beyond the private nature and became women's public duty in Nazi Germany. Around women's family role, Nazi government launched a powerful campaign to raise the social status of the mother, accompanied a series of policies and regulations to reinforce the protection of the mother and the guidance of the housewife. However, while Nazi government paid great attention, the effect was not significant.Chapter three mainly deals with German women's career role set by Nazi government. According to Nazi women theory, the main role of a woman was to be a wife and mother, so the Nazi government didn't support women at work. At the background of economic crisis, Nazi government launched the "women go home" campaign in its primary. But that can't stop the general trend of female's employment. On the contrary, many women got more opportunities in the Nazi rule for the division of gender space.Chapter four mainly deals with German women's wartime role set by Nazi government. Forced by the situation, Nazi government had to adjust the relevant policies on women in the wartime. But its women concept hadn't changed much. "Mother" was till the primary role of women, and was further generalized, new functions were derived flexibility. National's interest and the courage to sacrifice of the motherhood had become Nazi government's wartime slogans to mobilize women. However, due to the slow adjustment of the concept, as well as the misconduct of the related policies, German women haven't been fully mobilized during the war.The issue of women is a problem which can't be avoided in every industrial society. It involves not only women's own interest, but also the family and all aspects of society. As a social movement, Nazism put forward its own solution. It was a response inconsistent with the trend of the time, and therefore bound to its end. Yet it deserved human being's soul-searching.