How did the lives of women and families improve in Nazi Germany?

Authors Avatar by kvorovskaya1111outlookcom (student)

‘Life for women and families between 1933 and 1939 improved under the Nazis’. Do you agree? Explain your answer. (16)

I agree that life improved for women and families in some ways. However, life got worse in other ways.

Life improved because women were able to take advantage of the courses, lectures and radio programmes provided by the Women's Front organisation set up in 1933. These provided information on household topics and child-rearing. The Law for the Encouragement of Marriage also provided financial incentives for couples to have children. Newly married couples could apply for a 1000 mark loan, which was worth half ay ear's earnings. The amount they had to pay back decreased with each child they had. if they had four children they did not pay back any of the loan. Women and families also benefitted from the People's Welfare Organisation set up in 1933 as it provided financial help to poor families. Some women also benefitted by winning the Mother's Cross. Women who had eight children won the gold award and this would have been very prestigious.

Join now!

However, life got worse in other ways. Women were forced from their jobs, especially those who were married or were in professions such as law and medicine. Women were also put under great pressure to have children which might have created problems if they did not have the money or size of house to support a large family. Contraception was difficult to obtain and abortion became illegal. This meant women had less freedom to decide if they wanted to have a baby. Women who could not have children might also find themselves being divorced by their husbands who sought ...

This is a preview of the whole essay