Changes in the position of women in work; politics;leisure

• In November 1918 the government gave women the vote and the right to stand for elections. The turnout of women voters was 90% in the Weimar elections. In 1932, almost 10% of Reichstag members were female.
• Article 109 of the new constitution stated that women had equal rights with men
• More women went into paid work during the war. By 1918, 75% of women were in work – often in jobs previously performed by men. Only 36% of women were in work under the Weimar Republic.
• Women were not treated equally in workplaces despite Article 109. In jobs where men and women did the same job, women were paid 33% less than men.
• Few women entered high-status professions (36 female judges), but more liberal professions (e.g. education, medicine) had a rise. There were 5,000 female doctors in 1932. Lots of women worked in retail or service.
• Some young, unmarried, working women in cities became more financial and socially independent; becoming ‘new women’ who wore short hair; more make-up, jewellery, and revealing clothes. They smoked and drank more and went out unaccompanied. Some were less interested in marriage and families and took advantage of liberal sexual attitudes.
• The birth rate was falling. In 1913 there were 128 live births per 1,000 women. By 1925 there were 80 live births per 1,000 women.
• The divorce rate was rising. In 1913 there 27 divorces/year per 1,000 people. In the 1920s there were 60/year per 1,000 people
• As a consequence women felt liberated but not all liked the changes
• It was often thought that ‘new women’ threatened the role of men in society; conservatives and traditionalists thought that women should concentrate on being mothers and wives