Germany
In Germany, women faced gender discrimination and job instability. In 1923, Germany’s economy was already suffering due to high levels of inflation that stemmed from the effects of World War I and the increasing government debt. In order to solve the problem, the government printed more money. However, more printed money meant increases in prices. This flood of money led to hyperinflation. By the autumn of 1923, it cost more to print a note than the note was worth. As a result, the government declared an economic crisis and started creating solutions that aimed to downsize employees from jobs in order to save the economy. The criteria put forth for prioritizing who lost their job included the following:
- Oldest employees
- New hires who have not completed the minimum time to acquire an official title for their position
- Those with the ability to have financial support of a family member
- Those who have no dependents
Most individuals that fit these descriptions were women. While women were not specifically targeted in the downsizing plan, the Luxemburg Frau of the Catholic Women’s Organization claimed that women were the focus of this solution. Attitudes towards women in labor varied according to the stability of the economy. During times of economic crisis, such as the hyperinflation in 1923, women returning to their “traditional” roles as wives and mothers was believed to be a solution to the problem of unemployment.
In response to this development, women’s organizations filed petitions that addressed the importance of women maintaining employment within their jobs, such as teaching and social work. They argued that replacing women with men would harm the community. Women were irreplaceable in the positions they had acquired, and they often exhibited exemplary work in these positions. Fraulien Gertrude Baer and her followers stood against “protective and labor welfare laws” that targeted women only.
