Sdružení vysokoškolsky vzdělaných žen v republice Československé (Association of University Women in The Czechoslovak Republic)

As early as in the 19^th century, women started to organize in various associations and societies. Before they were granted the right to vote, this had been the only opportunity for women to be active in public and political affairs. After the formation of Czechoslovakia, German speaking women started to found their associations across the country with the highest number of them active in the Sudetenland. One of the German associations headquartered in Prague and cooperating with Czech women was the German section of the Association of University Women in the Czechoslovak Republic.

Established in 1922, the Association of University Women in the Czechoslovak Republic (Sdružení vysokoškolsky vzdělaných žen v republice československé) followed in the activities started by the Association of Academic Women (Sdružení akademicky vzdělaných žen).

Although it was not originally intended to have national sections within the association, it came out later that German and Hungarian speaking women academicians were also interested in getting organized and primarily in becoming a part of the IFUW, or the International Federation of University Women. The IFUW, however, required there would be only one association representing each country. The German speaking academicians thus addressed the Association of University Women in the Czechoslovak Republic and tried to establish cooperation. Despite initial disagreements, the German section was founded in 1926, and from 1928, it had its own statutes and the name Deutsche Sektion des Sdružení pro zájmy posluchaček a absolventek vysokoškolských v republice československé (German Section of the Association for Female University Students and Graduates in the Czechoslovak Republic). Later, the Slovak, Hungarian and Russian sections were also formed within the association.

The German Sections members were allowed to address the headquarters in German, but they only received responses in Czech. The goal of the German Section was to unite German speaking women with university education across Czechoslovakia, mainly in the Sudetenland. In 1932, there were 150 members. They organized lectures and discussions, provided career counselling for German female students and lobbied for education causes – for example, they objected male teachers at girls’ high schools. Importantly, the Legal Section encouraged collaboration of German and Czech members and promoted equality for women who graduated from law, mainly in professions of attorney candidates and judges. Although women technically had the right to enter such professions, they were still denied these opportunities in the mid-1920s.

The German Section continued to be active until 1938.^[1]

Other association members were: MUDr. Emma Maria Herzig, Dr. Draschtik, MUC. Josefine Heinemann, Ph.Dr. Marie Resch a Ph.Dr. Marie Rösler, později: Dr. Käthe Spiegel, Dr. Anneliese „Nini“ Niethammer.

^[1] I. Březinová: Spolková činnost sudetských Němek v Československu 1918–1938, diplomová práce, dostupné z: https://is.muni.cz/th/zr8wo/MD_Brezinova.pdf.