The Surplus Woman

Unmarried in Imperial Germany, 1871-1918
1. Auflage 2009
ISBN: 978-1-84545-480-7
Verlag: Berghahn Books

Buch, Englisch, Band 30, 272 Seiten, Format (B × H): 157 mm x 235 mm, Gewicht: 568 g

Reihe: Monographs in German History

The first German women’s movement embraced the belief in a demographic surplus of unwed women, known as the Frauenüberschuß, as a central leitmotif in the campaign for reform. Proponents of the female surplus held that the advances of industry and urbanization had upset traditional marriage patterns and left too many bourgeois women without a husband. This book explores the ways in which the realms of literature, sexology, demography, socialism, and female activism addressed the perceived plight of unwed women. Case studies of reformers, including Lily Braun, Ruth Bré, Elisabeth Gnauck-Kühne, Helene Lange, Alice Salomon, Helene Stöcker, and Clara Zetkin, demonstrate the expansive influence of the discourse surrounding a female surfeit. By combining the approaches of cultural, social, and gender history, The Surplus Woman provides the first sustained analysis of the ways in which imperial Germans conceptualized anxiety about female marital status as both a product and a reflection of changing times.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Dollard, Catherine L.

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Deutsche Geschichte
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Soziale Gruppen/Soziale Themen Gender Studies, Geschlechtersoziologie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Acknowledgements

Abbreviations

Introduction: Single Women in Imperial Germany

PART I: DER FRAUENÜBERSCHUß - THE FEMALE SURPLUS

Chapter 1. The Alte Jungfer

Chapter 2. Sexology and the Single Woman

Chapter 3. Imagined Demography

Chapter 4. The Maternal Spirit

PART II: ALLEINSTEHENDE FRAUEN - WOMEN STANDING ALONE

Chapter 5. Moderate Activism: Helene Lange and Alice Salomon

Chapter 6. Radical Reform: Helene Stöcker, Ruth Bré, and Lily Braun

Chapter 7. Socialism and Singleness: Clara Zetkin

Chapter 8. Spiritual Salvation: Elisabeth Gnauck-Kühne

Conclusion: The Surplus Woman

Bibliography

Index

Über Autor(innen)

Dollard, Catherine L.
Catherine L. Dollard received her Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and currently is Associate Professor of History at Denison University. She is the recipient of Bundeskanzler and Renewal Fellowships from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and also has received fellowships from DAAD, the Mellon Foundation, and the Lilly Foundation.