In Germany, when Hitler came to power, the attitude toward women in Germany changed. There place in Germany society and the hierarchy shifted.
The man was soon see as the dominate sex and Hitler's belief that women were naturally inferior to men was soon imposed of the German people. This shift in the position of women was for a number of reasons. This change in German thinking was achieved over a number of years through propaganda and policies introduced by the Nazi government.The overall reason the Nazis changed the place of German women was to create more Germans; this was done for 2 reasons, for war and for colonisation of the lebensraum (living space). Hitler's demands for what he called living space, would seem weak as the German birth-rate was levelling out so Hitler did all he could to encourage women to give birth. He did this by a variety of means.
Some of these included the law to encourage marriage and child birth, this gave the couple a loan of 1000 marks upon the couples marriage and the couple got to keep a quarter of this amount for every child they had.This contributed to a rise in German births. The Nazis also introduced the 'Mothers Cross' as an incentive to have children, this was an award for mothers who bared more than 4 children. The medal had gold, silver and bronze: the bronze was given to those who had more than 4 children, the silver was awarded to those who had more than 6 children and the gold cross was reserved for those who bared more than 8 children. As a wearer of this cross the mothers where entitled to a special salute from Hitler's Youth and had an honoured place at Nazi meetings.Hitler also made abortion illegal and restricted contraceptives and contraceptive advice all in a bid to increase the birth rate.
Furthermore the Nazis also wanted to remove women from work. To encourage this there was a loan that was given to women who gave up work to get married. This was for firstly, to get unemployment down by removing women from being counted in the unemployment tallies, to show his leadership of Germany was working so he could produce propaganda without overstretching the credibility barrier, and secondly to free jobs up for men, who in his eyes where the naturally superior gender.Hitler also wanted women out of work so they could be in the home which the Nazis believed was the naturally role of the woman. These ideals where also re-enforced by the League of German Maidens, who focused on a combination of good physical heath and house keeping skills. There was also reinforced at school where girls where trained to work at home and where discouraged to go on to higher education.
This also enabled women to have children. Devoices also became easier if the woman was 'unproductive' (i. e. infertile).Women in Germany where removed from high paid jobs to be at home and then often took up low paid, low responsibility jobs.
All these ideas are summed up in 'Kinder, Kirche und Kuche' (children, church and kitchen) this was how the Nazi viewed women in pre WWII Germany. Another reason for the policies that Nazis imposed toward women was to not only increase the birth rate but was to increase the birth-rate or racially pure Germans. This was done by preventing some people having children and then encouraging others to have children.The Nazis made a policy for the sterilisation of people with mental illnesses, hereditary diseases or showed anti-social behaviour such as alcoholism.
By 1939 a total of 375,000 Germans had been forcibly sterilised to ensure that Germany was full of racially pure Germans. And after 1935 there was a law preventing Jewish women from marrying Aryan men. The Nazi obsession with race was very specific as well, with them wanting preferably tall people with blue eyes, blonde hair, muscular (in the case of men) and beautiful (the case of women). He wanted to conquer all he believed were the 'untermenchian' (inferior race).
