The progress of women in this period is supported by Stevenson who writes with regard to “employment that when jobs became scarcer, employers had the pick of the labour market, and often they chose to employ women, as cheaper labour” (Stevenson 1975:79). This indicates in the long run they could progress in society. Also Stevenson claims the Nazis regime was “unable to force its will on the German People” (Stevenson 1975:91). This argument suggests that women in Germany were able to advance themselves in society during this time leading to greater opportunities in the future.
Looking at the arguments surrounding women’s employment it is apparent that there is a different attitude to women during the 1920’s than in the 1930’s. For example the Weimer Constitution in Germany promised equal pay and opportunities to women in the 1920’s. But by the 1930’s women were being moved to the home by the Nazi regime. There is a trend towards progress as major political parties are making policy for them indicating women’s increasing power in society. The economic cycle seems to dictate to the progress of women for example, “in the wake of the inflation, married women have lost their right to employment” (Koonz 1986:102). Women seem to progress in employment when the economic cycle is good but they loose out when the economy is in downturn. There is a difference between the actions of authoritarian and democratic regimes with respect to women’s progress. The long term prospects for women as stated by Koonz is that under fascist regime “women could never become equal” (Credential 1987:529).
The inter war period saw a differing view of the standard of education women received. Stephenson highlights how “the 1920’s saw an improvement in educational and professional opportunities for women”. But also points out “Hitler’s dictum that future motherhood is to be the definite aim of female education”(Stephenson 1975:116). This highlights that in Germany progress for women’s education was being made. The Nazi’s only allowing an anti-progressive education for women halted any such advancement. It is clear in Germany that the progress for women is different in the 1920’s than the 1930’s. In Britain there were 1, 253 doctors and surgeons by 1921 and there was double this by 1931 (Marwick 1977:136). This shows illusory progress during the inter war years, as medical associations put quotas on the number of females allowed to enter the profession (Bridenthal 1987:486). The longer implications of allowing women into education is that it is a catalyst to change. The evidence indicates that the authoritarian Italian and German states offer fewer opportunities for progress in the long term than the more democratic states like Britain. From the writings of historians it is clear that education is a prime example of illusory development during the inter war years but it will lead to advancement in the long run.
During the inter war years women in France experienced policy aimed at replacing the French manpower (some 1,350,000 slaughtered in trenches) lost during the war. In France to save them from a demographic disaster they created laws stopping abortions, July 1920, and stopped the preaching of family planning (McMillan: 189). This problem was similar throughout Western Europe with “England, Denmark, Germany, Sweden, Austria… all had birth rates below the acceptable minimum” (Bridenthal 1987:488). Unemployment and government policy pushed women back into their homes, especially under authoritarian regimes. Low birth rates lead to a rise in income, per person, in working class homes. “In the area of sexuality, women made the clearest gains. Female desire was recognised, lesbian identity acknowledged and unmarried women could flaunt their freedom in public”(Bridenthal 1987:495). There was the bachelor girl image described in the widely read novel of La Garconne, 1922 and a change in fashion. This shows the progress and independence women achieved in the time, but it was deceptive as only a few well-paid professional women could afford this “girl culture” (Bridenthal 1987:492). The majority did receive illusory progress, but the long-term implications are that the few who lived the bachelor girl life will pave the way for the many.
Women did make actual progress in the political systems of some Western European countries, women got the vote in 1928 in Britain and even as early as 1919 sex disqualification acts were being introduced. The authoritarian regimes did not allow women to vote and in Italy women were not given passports till 1937. Independence within women’s party allowed women to behave in “un-lady like ways: managing funds and making speeches” (Koonz 1987:5) in Germany. Historians such as Koonz state women were given “a measure of independence from fathers and husbands”(Bridenthal 1987:529). Koonz suggests that under authoritarian regimes women gained greater progress with “leisure programmes and liberalised divorce laws” for example than in more democratic states such as Britain. This shows that even though the regime halted progress by way of the vote, they gave women greater freedom under the “male supremacist state”. Benefits under this system have a hidden cost that they would never gain access to ultimate power; in this system they voted into power. For women in more free societies, like Britain, the change in political policy did not reflect attitudes. This shows that in both authoritarian and more democratic countries illusory progress was gained.
To summarise, there is a gradual change in attitude towards the progress of women from the 1920’s to the 1930’s in Western European countries. This is particularly the case for education in Germany; the diminishing education for women indicates illusory progress. The economic cycles affected women’s progress; there is a positive relationship between progress for women in society and the economic situation. An exception is Germany under the Nazi regime as it is an inverse relationship. The type of regime within a country greatly affected women’s progress. Authoritarian regimes, of Italy and Germany, seemed to allow independence in the welfare state in order to tie women to their regimes. The greater implications though were that women would not gain power under these regimes. The long-term trends were that women were achieving better employment opportunities, experiencing a greater freedom socially and politically in Western Europe.
To conclude my essay it is clear women gained illusory progress during the inter war period. This illusory progress appeased women in the short term but in the long term it inspired and allowed women to gain equality and access to power. The First World War had a great influence on the interwar period, using a quote from Bruley to close my essay, “Historians are still assessing the impact of the war British society” (Bruley 1999:59). This shows that answering the question “Comment on the suggestion that women gained an “illusory progress” in the societies of Western Europe during the inter-war period?” cannot lead to a definitive answer.
