The Surplus Woman: Unmarried in Imperial Germany, 1871-1918 (Monographs in German History, 30)

The first German womenOCOs movement embraced the belief in a demographic surplus of unwed women, known as the "Frauenberschu," 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 Br(r), Elisabeth Gnauck-Khne, Helene Lange, Alice Salomon, Helene StAcker, 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." The first German womens movement embraced the belief in a demographic surplus of unwed women, known as theFrauenüberschuß, 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 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. 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 cultural, social, and gender history, The Surplus Woman provides the first sustained analysis of imperial Germans' anxiety over female marital status as both a product and a reflection of changing times. Frontmatter Acknowledgements (page vii) Abbreviations (page xi) Introduction: Single Women in Imperial Germany (page 1) PART I Der Frauenüberschuß-The Female Surplus (page 21) 1 The Alte Jungfer (page 23) 2 Sexology and the Single Woman (page 43) 3 Imagined Demography (page 66) 4 The Maternal Spirit (page 93) PART II Alleinstehende Frauen-Women Standing Alone (page 117) 5 Moderate Activism: Helene Lange and Alice Salomon (page 119) 6 Radical Reform: Helene Stöcker, Ruth Bré, and Lily Braun (page 143) 7 Socialism and Singleness: Clara Zetkin (page 164) 8 Spiritual Salvation: Elisabeth Gnauck-Kühne (page 176) Conclusion: The Surplus Woman (page 199) Appendix: Tables & Figures (page 219) Bibliography (page 247) Index (page 265) 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 Brè, , Elisabeth Gnauck-Kühne The Alte Jungfer -- Sexology And The Single Woman -- Imagined Demography -- The Maternal Spirit -- Moderate Activism : Helene Lange And Alice Salomon -- Radical Reform : Helene Stöcker, Ruth Bré, And Lily Braun -- Socialism And Singleness : Clara Zetkin -- Spiritual Salvation : Elisabeth Gnauck-kühne. Catherine L. Dollard. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. The first German women's movement embraced the belief in a demographic surplus of unwed women, known as the FrauenuberschuA , 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... The alte Jungfer Sexology and the single woman Imagined demography The maternal spirit Moderate activism : Helene Lange and Alice Salomon Radical reform : Helene Støcker, Ruth Brø, and Lily Braun Socialism and singleness : Clara Zetkin Spiritual salvation : Elisabeth Gnauck-Køhne.