In this episode we cover how Nazi ideology promoted a specific role for women focused on domesticity and motherhood to bolster the Aryan population. Incentives such as marriage loans, which were partially forgiven with each child, and the Motherhood Cross, awarded for multiple births, encouraged women to have large families.
The Nazis promoted the idea that women should focus on Kinder (children), Küche (kitchen), and Kirche (church). Though initially discouraged from professional jobs, the demand for cheap labor led to an increase in female employment.
Education for women was redirected toward domestic skills.
Despite the Nazi's efforts, measuring the true impact of these policies on birth rates and female employment is complex.
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