4 thoughts on “Session 5, Gender – New women, new men?”
Thanks, Adriana, for this summary, and I hope the rest of the group can add their thoughts soon. I wonder if we can explore the idea of ‘freedom’ – in its multiple facets – in more depth here – what kinds of freedom are we talking about?
I’m also interested in the idea of ‘acceptance’ and ‘respectability’ as explored in Sutton. She discusses a particular case study, but I wonder if we can widen this into a discussion of the Weimar Republic itself?
I thought the first source written by Roberts was really interesting and the writer really conveyed the kind of controversy and tension which surrounded this new image of women which was being adopted. The source does mention that during the war this shift in fashion style was evident however I felt as though the actual role the war played in creating this new kind of independent and ‘liberated’ women, and perhaps even really sparked this change in fashion was downplayed slightly. I would say in terms of freedom it was really this independence of women in terms of breaking away from traditional norms and values, and simply not conforming to societal, particularly male/patriarchal pressure, to become submissive to the demands and desires of others. I think what the writer mentioned about this idea that women weren’t conforming to traditional maternal roles as ‘expected’, whether true or not, really highlights the kind of threat felt, in such a patriarchal society, where women challenge the expected norms and role they have been consciously assigned by others.
I also found the second article (Sutton) interesting and like others have said something I have never really studied before. The author conveyed that despite the increasing influence and more ‘visible’ network of Transvestites in Germany, there was a clear Transvestite identity publicly, almost kind of ‘morally’ conveyed, and those who did not fit the image were essentially further marginalised and the Transvestite influence/publicity/visible network didn’t effectively represent or support the whole Transvestite community.
Bethany
Thanks for these thoughtful comments, Bethany. I wonder if we perhaps overemphasise the role of the First World War in ‘liberation’ – or, to put it another way, we conflate many different things in a single category of liberation: there were new opportunities for factory work (although many women had worked in factories before), but these were gruelling, dangerous and subjected to harsh industrial discipline during the war; there were also the pressures of the ‘double shift’. At the same time in some contexts women had already been in charge of family finances before, even if they did not earn the wages prior to 1914. I think this encourages us to think hard about what we mean by liberation in this context.
For me, this topic was very interesting. I had never really been aware of issues like this before.
The first reading was quite an eye-opener. The issue of legality was one that stood out for me. The lack of a clear interpretation of the existing law, especially by police led to many being wrongfully imprisoned and shunned by society. The main thing for me was the difference in legislation and culture. The liberal attitude of the media, in particular, aided the gradual acceptance of transvestites.
The second reading was quite staggering. For me, the standout was the clash between new and upcoming cultural practices, new haircuts etc, and the attitudes of older generations, even towards their own children. This article was very effective in highlighting this period and its challenging of social and cultural norms.
Thanks, Adriana, for this summary, and I hope the rest of the group can add their thoughts soon. I wonder if we can explore the idea of ‘freedom’ – in its multiple facets – in more depth here – what kinds of freedom are we talking about?
I’m also interested in the idea of ‘acceptance’ and ‘respectability’ as explored in Sutton. She discusses a particular case study, but I wonder if we can widen this into a discussion of the Weimar Republic itself?
I thought the first source written by Roberts was really interesting and the writer really conveyed the kind of controversy and tension which surrounded this new image of women which was being adopted. The source does mention that during the war this shift in fashion style was evident however I felt as though the actual role the war played in creating this new kind of independent and ‘liberated’ women, and perhaps even really sparked this change in fashion was downplayed slightly. I would say in terms of freedom it was really this independence of women in terms of breaking away from traditional norms and values, and simply not conforming to societal, particularly male/patriarchal pressure, to become submissive to the demands and desires of others. I think what the writer mentioned about this idea that women weren’t conforming to traditional maternal roles as ‘expected’, whether true or not, really highlights the kind of threat felt, in such a patriarchal society, where women challenge the expected norms and role they have been consciously assigned by others.
I also found the second article (Sutton) interesting and like others have said something I have never really studied before. The author conveyed that despite the increasing influence and more ‘visible’ network of Transvestites in Germany, there was a clear Transvestite identity publicly, almost kind of ‘morally’ conveyed, and those who did not fit the image were essentially further marginalised and the Transvestite influence/publicity/visible network didn’t effectively represent or support the whole Transvestite community.
Bethany
Thanks for these thoughtful comments, Bethany. I wonder if we perhaps overemphasise the role of the First World War in ‘liberation’ – or, to put it another way, we conflate many different things in a single category of liberation: there were new opportunities for factory work (although many women had worked in factories before), but these were gruelling, dangerous and subjected to harsh industrial discipline during the war; there were also the pressures of the ‘double shift’. At the same time in some contexts women had already been in charge of family finances before, even if they did not earn the wages prior to 1914. I think this encourages us to think hard about what we mean by liberation in this context.
For me, this topic was very interesting. I had never really been aware of issues like this before.
The first reading was quite an eye-opener. The issue of legality was one that stood out for me. The lack of a clear interpretation of the existing law, especially by police led to many being wrongfully imprisoned and shunned by society. The main thing for me was the difference in legislation and culture. The liberal attitude of the media, in particular, aided the gradual acceptance of transvestites.
The second reading was quite staggering. For me, the standout was the clash between new and upcoming cultural practices, new haircuts etc, and the attitudes of older generations, even towards their own children. This article was very effective in highlighting this period and its challenging of social and cultural norms.