On The Existential Conditions Of German Jewish Women During The Nazi Reign

The purpose of the Nazi Germany is to kill all the Jews regardless of gender.But the difference of men and women in social role and both physiological and psychological characteristics,led to the gender distinction in the experience of Holocaust for the Germany Jews.As early as the Jewish liberation movement,the German Jewish men and women showed significant gender differences in the way of liberation and integration into the mainstream society.Due to both the sex discrimination and the limit of anti-semitism,the German Jewish women took a different way in modernization,which is reflected in their religion and family life as well as career and social life.In traditional gender roles,men are responsible for maintaining family material life and women for housework including family spiritual life and the basic religious education of children.This gives men and women different fields of knowledge in professional skills and social networks.Nonetheless in the face of the drastic changes in the social environment as the nazis came to power,German Jewish women were forced to change their gender roles constantly to meet new challenges.During the Nazi period,Jewish men and women confronted different problems in family marriage and social life,which led to the distinction in their final destinies.First of all,in social life,the anti-semitism of the workplace has less impact on Jewish men than the isolation of the informal social network on women.Second,in marriage,Jewish men are at greater risk than women.Jewish women are not bound by the Nazi anti-semitic laws in a mixed marriage with a "Aryan" man.Whereas the mixed marriage of a Jewish man and an "Aryan" wife does not enjoy any privileges.Third,in the family life,in front of new social reality,the Jewish family’sgender role changes.Women began to negotiate with authorities on behalf of male relatives.More and more Jewish women are working and joining the Jewish self-help group.Finally,among the survivors,the subordination of women makes them less likely to develop professionally and prefer to emigrate.However parents are more willing to send their sons abroad,and daughters tend to stay at home to take care of their parents.Therefore,Jewish women bear a smaller emigration rate and higher murder rate.