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Hedwig Dohm, "What the Pastors Think of Women" (1872)

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Secondly, you doubtless know that the great majority of women in the lower social strata take part in the men’s economic work (or does the proletariat in your view not figure at all?); and, to my knowledge, no substantial objections have ever been raised against this, not even from the most pious and conservative gentlemen.

Why do you not rail against these classes of women, these women who trample the laws of nature, these female miscreants who lock their children up at home or otherwise act recklessly, who go off, perhaps for three days and three nights in a row, to do laundry?

Why does one tolerate these crimes against a woman’s natural calling?

All you housewives, chase these women from your dolly tubs, from the windows that they wish to clean! Do not tolerate this frivolous waste of time; drive them away and back to their children, so that they nurture and look after them like mothers, dressing them in clean clothes and taking them for walks as duty commands!

But that is likely too difficult for these irresponsible persons; they cannot tear themselves away from the dolly tub and the cleaning rag; they succumb to them just as men do to drink, and they die from them often enough as well, when rheumatism and gout help them along!

They deserve it!

Of course, if they happen to be widows, this dishonorable passion may be excusable to some degree, but that is a factor that cannot be reckoned with. Being a widow is not woman’s calling. Let her pay for this perversion against nature!


(pp. 56, 23)

To women, though, he [Nathusius] calls out:

“The most important of all your assignments, even in economic terms as well,
is to provide society at large with a husband refreshed in body and soul every
day and with well-behaved children in every generation.”

But who then, Mr. von Nathusius, will refresh the poor women after a hard day’s work? For surely you will concede, what’s good for the goose is also good for the gander.

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