Women's Labor Center

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The women's labor center was part of the War Office founded in 1916 . She was responsible for the problems of recruiting and placing female workers and was supported by the “National Committee for Women's Labor in War”, whose management was also in the hands of the head of the women's labor center. Elisabeth Lüders was the first woman to take on this task.

tasks

The work program of the women's labor center was set out in the annex to a decree of the chief of the War Office of January 16, 1917 on the organization of women's work:

  1. The women's labor center has the task of initiating all the measures that promote the ability and willingness to work of female workers of all kinds with the aim of maximum production increases.
  2. The women's labor center must therefore ensure that all work obstacles for women are removed as far as possible. This includes: a.) Protection of health b.) Provision of suitable recreation rooms, living and sleeping facilities c.) Procurement of appropriate work clothing d.) Improvement of transport conditions and means of transport e.) Improvement of the organization of food procurement and distribution for the women
  3. In addition to providing care to increase the women's personal ability to work, the women's work center must set up facilities that serve the welfare of the family members belonging to the women and help to increase the willingness to work: design of foster homes, crèches, custodial institutions, kindergartens, day nurseries, nursing homes, Advice centers for mothers, babies, toddlers, etc., recruitment of house, community, country nurses, district welfare workers, etc.
  4. In order to carry out and ensure the designated tasks, it will be necessary to increase the number of female civil servants working in trade and housing supervision as well as in factory welfare. Since the time of the civil servants' training on the usual training path is insufficient, the women's work center will recruit suitable women from other professions and prepare them for their new tasks in a shortened training course.
  5. In order to fulfill the planned social welfare, the women's labor center will be in constant contact with all of its affiliated organizations, encourage them to expand their existing facilities and to work closely with the responsible authorities, and work with them to recruit and train the necessary skilled assistants .

meaning

For the first time in Germany, women were integrated into the military apparatus in large numbers through the women's labor center and its subordinate and subordinate bodies. It also gave significant impetus for the development of welfare as a public service. The infant and child welfare institutions that she created were of considerable importance to the willingness of women to use their labor in the war industry .

The Women's Department of the War Office also set up its own commission for child welfare , whose reports on “guidelines for child welfare” were drawn up. The guidelines anticipate the demand for a local “child welfare office”, which is referred to as a youth welfare office in the Reich Youth Welfare Act of 1922 (RJWG) . The women's labor center also influenced the development of training for social work, e.g. For example, with the expansion of factory maintenance (factory welfare), which should serve to ensure adequate working conditions for women in war production.

literature

  • Christoph Sachße, Florian Tennstedt: History of poor relief in Germany. Vol. 2 (= care and welfare 1871–1929) . Stuttgart 1988, pp. 61-63.