Why were men and women seperated in concentration camps?
Men and women and children were seperated in concentration camps because the Nazis viewed them as inferior and therefore by keeping them seperated it not only prevented them from reproducing, but it also lowered moral and made it easier for the Nazis to control each group better; if you were seperated from your spouse without knowing what happened to them your moral would go down and you’d be more likely to submit to authority figures thinking that he/she were killed (when in fact that might not have been true at all). Also, usually the older men; women and children under the age of 12 were likely taken directly to their death from the trains..stronger men and older boys were forced to work to survive.
Keeping husbands and wives apart gave a psychological advantage to the oppressors because the traditional gender roles put men in the role of the protector. Separated, the women felt helpless and the men would not attempt to escape without their wives (and children) Also, because of the traditional gender roles, able bodied males over the age of 12 were used for physical labour. Children (and the elderly) were usually killed immediately, as well as women who did not have exceptional skills over and above their traditional roles as homemakers and nurturers. It was also much easier for the oppressors to abuse women in the absence of men who would probably have tried to intervene.
