You may think so far the Duensing Saga has been largely dominated by the male of the species, but with this post, I will try to balance this equation. Another fact is that not all of our tribe attempted to avoid the difficult situation that led many to America, but as they say, that's another story. While our closer relations sought to root themselves in an entirely new country, the ones who remained had the advantages of playing on the home court, or at least that's what you would assume. But some stories have a twist, especially if you happened to be born of the "fairer sex." which then, had it's own baggage.
Freida Duensing, in her own time, was described as " excitable, moody, idealistic and compassionate." Which is perhaps not so surprising, as she was a driven woman in a time where women were supposed to be docile, at least in theory anyway. She and several other women were far ahead of their time in a largely patriarchal Germany. As one of the major women's rights activists embroiled in a range of social issues from sexuality to gender roles and family rights, she was born on June 26, 1864 and passed away, in Munich on January 5, 1921. This role was brought about in 1892, when visiting a Hanover "poorhouse." In her own words;
" Seven mothers with their children were crammed into a single room, a large whitewashed, disgusting, filthy room. I could see how a woman could sink in such a poorhouse."
She left Hanover immigrating all the way to Zurich, Switzerland to avoid the glass ceiling of sexism, to become one of the first female attorneys in Germany and became immediately recognized as "the leader" in juvenile court advocating for illegitimate children.
She was one of the first women who documented and wrote many articles on the subject of child abuse. She wrote many studies, one of which is typical, " Investigations Regarding the Illegitimate Population of Frankfurt-on-the-
Main," Dresden, 1906 ; Frieda Duensing,"
One can imagine her on the streets and back alleys, ignoring perhaps her own safety to document such conditions. In this she was certainly self-less.
In 1904, the newly minted lawyer reached the position of of Professor,Chairman of the "Association To Protect Children", (from exploitation and abuse) in Berlin. Under her leadership, the German Central Association and the Berlin Centre for Jugendfürsorge were combined into German Central Jugendfürsorge in 1907. No mean feat. In her work, in this context she founded the Association of Female Guardianship. In addition, another major commitment was that mentally sick children and young people should be taken not to the then brutal insane "asylums" but instead housed in therapeutic facilities. She was one busy woman.
The first mention of her I came across in Germany arose in association with another famous woman,Marie Baum, who is pictured below and was one of the leading figures in Germany's women's movement. "She was on friendly terms with a number of famous fighters for women's rights like Gertrud Baum, Frieda Duensing and Marianne Weber and various letters in the nachlass bear testimony to these relations."
They later were instrumental in founding The Association for The Protection Of Mothers, which stressed, among other things, women's education, health issues, legal rights and so forth for single and unmarried women but all women were considered inclusive to these issues.
From the prospectus issued after the Congress;
"The attempt has already been made by means of creches, foundling institutions, and the like, to deal with this matter. But the protection of children without the protection of mothers is, and must remain, no more than patchwork ; for the mother is the principal source of life for the child, and is indispensable to the child's prosperity. Whatever ensures rest and care to the mother in her most difficult hours, whatever secures her economic existence for the future, and protects her from the contempt of her fellow-beings, by which her health is endangered and her life embittered, will serve to provide a secure foundation for the bodily and mental prosperity of the child, and will simultaneously give the mother herself a stronger moral hold."
While virtually unknown in the U.S, in Germany, you will find a Dr. Frieda Duensing Street in Diepholz as well as The Duensing Museum In Hannover.Many books about her are available. The major work on her is in The German National Library:
https://portal.d-nb.de/opac.htm?method=showFullRecord¤tResultId=Woe%253D119164078%2526any¤tPosition=1
Bibliography
* Ricarda HUCH, Marie tree, Ludwig Curtius, Anton Erkelenz (hrsg.): Frieda Duensing: A Book of Remembrance, Berlin: F. A. Herbig, 3. propagated ed. 1926 (1.) Ed. (1922) (Includes texts by Duensing herself, including letters and diary entries text editor of Duensing,
* Lina Koepp: Frieda Duensing as Leader and Teacher: 12 years In Berlin Jugendfürsorge, Berlin: F. A. Herbig, 1927.
* Herbert Major: A Genius of Charity: Dr.: Frieda Duensing, Bahnbrecherin and developer of Jugendfuersorge in Germany Diepholz 1985.
* Florentine Rickmers: Duensing, Frieda. In: new Deutsche Biographie (NDB). Volume 4. Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1959, p. 162 f.
* Regine Heining: Frieda Duensing - its importance for the social work, Mühlau 1999 (unpublished thesis; archived in Ida soul archive)
* Gabriele Ullrich: "" the bonds broken."" Frieda Duensing - pioneer Jugendfürsorge. In: upheavals. Women images from four centuries between Weser and dumber Fischerhude 2000, p. 56-77 (with 8 photos) and S. 179-187 (112 notes); ISBN 3-88132-608-1
* Ann Taylor Allen: Feminism and Mütterlichkeit in Germany 1800-1914, Weinheim 2000
* Susanne Zeller: Frieda Duensing (1864-1921). Head of the ""German Central Jugendfürsorge"in Berlin" In: women worlds. Biographisch-historical sketches from Lower Saxony (Ed.: Angela Dinghaus), S. 221-228
* Manfred Berger: Women in Social Responsibility: Frieda Duensing, in: Our Youth 2009/H. 9, S. 389-392
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