Women in Nazi Germany
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain how Nazi beliefs about women influenced their policies towards them.
Key learning points
- The Nazis reversed Weimar freedoms for women, promoting traditional roles to support a racially “pure” family structure.
- 'Kinder, Küche, Kirche' summed up Nazi expectations of women: motherhood, homemaking, and moral guidance.
- Hitler wanted a high birth rate and so women were encouraged to marry and have children in various ways.
- Measures were taken to discourage female employment but these policies were not entirely successful.
- The Nazis shaped women’s appearance and roles; some embraced these ideals, others resisted and were punished.
Keywords
Aryan - belonging to an ancient Indo-European people; used by the Nazis to mean a racially ‘pure’ German
Racial purity - a Nazi belief in keeping the Aryan race ‘pure’ by preventing Germans from mixing with other racial groups
Common misconception
All women opposed Nazi policies.
Women's experiences under Nazi rule varied: some embraced traditional roles and rewards, while others resisted and faced punishment, showing a complex, not uniform, response to Nazi policies.
Teacher tip
Source comparison: Hand out two magazine adverts: one 1920s Weimar, one 1930s Nazi. Pupils annotate differences in female portrayal.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Why did many Germans support Hitler and the Nazis by the mid-1930s?
Q2.Why was it hard to measure the level of opposition to the Nazis?
Q3.Why did Martin Niemöller change his view of the Nazis?
Q4.In 1934, Niemöller co-founded the Church, which rejected Nazi interference and insisted on the Church’s spiritual independence.
Q5.What was the purpose of the Pope’s letter "With Burning Concern"?
Q6.Why did the Nazi authorities view the Edelweiss Pirates as a serious threat?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which Nazi slogan summed up their ideal vision of a woman’s role?
Q2.Match each Nazi policy or concept to its description.
a measure to increase birth rate by limiting reproductive choices
a financial incentive for married couples to have children
a public honour for women who had large families
Q3.Which factors help explain why the birth rate in Germany rose between 1933 and 1939?
Q4.Which of the following describe how women’s education and careers were restricted under Nazi rule?
Q5.Why did Nazi policies towards women working begin to change in the late 1930s?
Q6.What did the Nazis mean by the term ‘Aryan’?
To help you plan your 11 history lesson on: Women in Nazi Germany, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 11 history lesson on: Women in Nazi Germany, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 history lessons from the Germany 1890–1945, Democracy and dictatorship unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.