Frauenwohl ("Women's Welfare") was a German women's society composed of philanthropic women who took as their work the devising of schemes for bettering the conditions of less fortunate women. It was founded by

Minna Cauer Wilhelmine Theodore Marie Cauer, née Schelle, usually known as Minna Cauer (1 November 1841 in Freyenstein – 3 August 1922 in Berlin), was a German pedagogue, activist in the so-called "radical" wing of the German bourgeois feminist moveme ...

in Berlin in 1888, who also served as the editor of the association's official organ, also called ''Frauenwohl''.

History

Cauer founded the first Frauenwohl organisation in Berlin in 1888 with the aim of encouraging the establishment of associations of the same name in Danzig,

Königsberg Königsberg (; ; ; ; ; ; , ) is the historic Germany, German and Prussian name of the city now called Kaliningrad, Russia. The city was founded in 1255 on the site of the small Old Prussians, Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teuton ...

Frankfurt (Oder) Frankfurt (Oder), also known as Frankfurt an der Oder (, ; Central Marchian: ''Frankfort an de Oder,'' ) is the fourth-largest city in the German state of Brandenburg after Potsdam, Cottbus and Brandenburg an der Havel. With around 58,000 inh ...

, Breslau,

Bonn Bonn () is a federal city in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, located on the banks of the Rhine. With a population exceeding 300,000, it lies about south-southeast of Cologne, in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr region. This ...

Bromberg Bydgoszcz is a city in northern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Kuyavia. Straddling the confluence of the Vistula River and its left-bank tributary, the Brda, the strategic location of Bydgoszcz has made it an inland ...

Rudolstadt Rudolstadt is a town in the German federal state Thuringia, within the Thuringian Forest, to the southwest, and to Jena and Weimar to the north. The former capital of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, the town is built along the River Saale inside a wide ...

and finally, also in

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

. It was focused on advancing the basic demands for equal rights for women in all areas. The association was established in Hamburg at the end of 1895 and, like four other associations, was based in the women's center founded by Lida Heymann at Paulstraße 9 in Hamburg. Heymann and especially Cauer came to the fore as founders. Although the scope of the association overlapped with that of the local group of the German Association of Female Citizens, there were major differences in the way it worked and in the political approach. In the Frauenwohl association, there were never cautious "ifs" and "buts"; it was never asked whether something would cause offense to the authorities or in the high society and families of Hamburg. The progressive feminists of Frauenwohl association protested with undisguised objectivity against everything that seemed unfair to it, made criticisms at public meetings and in the press; it made its demands and made no compromises. Their activities included: holding meetings and discussions on current political issues; courses on civics, constitution, guardianship, political parties; and prisoners were visited and following their sentences they were socially supported. The association's demands included: a uniform association law for all of Germany; employment of female doctors in schools; a total transformation of the prison system; thorough reform of the girls' school system; and expansion of women's employment, especially new types of jobs of a scientific and commercial nature. Twellmann, 1992, pp. 69, 101 Cauer was also the editor of the association's weekly pamphlet, also called ''Frauenwohl''.

Notable people

(1841-1922), pedagogue, feminist activist, pacifist and journalist *

Hedwig Dohm Marianne Adelaide Hedwig Dohm (; née Schlesinger, later Schleh; 20 September 1831 – 1 June 1919) was a German feminist and writer. Family Hedwig Dohm was born in the Prussian Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a German ...

(1831-1919), feminist and author * Helene von Forster (1859-1923), women's rights activist and author * Lida Heymann (1868-1943), feminist, pacifist and women's rights activist *

Bertha Kipfmüller Bertha Kipfmüller (28 February 1861 – 3 March 1948) was described by an admiring journalist as a "small person with a powerful voice and an iron will". Her work as a German confederation , German school teacher made her a women's rights activ ...

(1861-1948), school teacher, women's rights activist, pacifist * Jeanette Schwerin (1852-1899), women's rights activist and social work pioneer

References

Bibliography

* Cauer, Minna: ''25 Jahre Verein Frauenwohl Groß-Berlin'', Loewenthal

ruck Ruck may refer to: * Ruck (rugby union), a contesting for the ball in Rugby Union from a grounded player * Ruck (Australian rules football), an aerial contest in Australian-rules football between rival rucks * Ruck (rugby league), the area surro ...

Berlin 1913
online
(in German) * Twellmann, Margit (ed.): ''Erlebtes, Erschautes: Deutsche Frauen kämpfen für Freiheit, Recht und Frieden; 1850–1940. Lida Gustava Heymann und Anita Augspurg, 1941''. Helmer Verlag, Frankfurt a. M. 1992, ISBN 3-927164-43-7 (in German) {{Authority control 1888 establishments in Germany Organizations established in 1888 Women's organisations based in Germany Liberal feminist organizations Women's rights organizations based in Germany Feminism in Germany

History

Notable people

See also

References

Bibliography