Why Many Wives Go To Work In N.Z.

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29246, 2 July 1960, Page 2

Why Many Wives Go To Work In N.Z.

Recent statistics show that one woman in every, four goes to work in New Zealand and one third of them are wives. In Britain, a survey showed that the of wives working was one in every three. Are wives happier because of their jobs? In England, the survey showed that they were. The same probably applies to New Zealand, and yesterday, Mrs W. Grant (president of the National Council of Women in Christchurch) gave her personal opinion on the subject.

“Whether the married woman »njpys working outside the home, on the individual woman and her reason for working,’* she said. “If, for example, she goee to work from economic necessity, she would perhaps get less pleasure than does the woman' who works from choice. “Those women who return to employment in order to help to overcome some labour shortage in industry or in the professions should have a feeling of satisfaction, if not pleasure, in their work. “Likewise, a woman who works to earn extra money in order to fulfill some long-cherished dream should derive pleasure from it,”' Mrs Grant said. Young Families “If, however, a woman works from .choice and leaves a young family inadequately cared for during her absence I should hope her conscience would prevent her from attaining full happiness in her work.” Mrs Grant said she thought the woman who enjoyed her outside work most, was probably the older woman whose family was off her hands and who was looking for other interests. “This would apply especially to the woman who did some form of training before her marriage,” said Mrs Grant. “She would feel she was making a further return for the time and money spent on that training." With all these provisions, Mrs Grant considers that whether a Woman enjoys the. work she does outside her home or not, depends essentially on the satisfaction she gains in relation to the price she pays in other ways.

sport and recreation." The meet popular job for women, apart from this, is clerical work (28 per cent.) and production process work (18 out of 100). Professional and technical jobs number 18 out of 100 also. Why do women work? Brides complain of boredom and loneliness during the day. They have not sufficient housework to keep them busy, they say, especially if they live in a flat. The same point is mentioned by older women grandmothers, many of them—whose families have grown up, married, and left home. These women, if they feel they are not able to keep an office job in competition with the younger girls, will join some welfare organisation and work just as hard, if not harder, at it. Women with school-age families very often take clerical jobs, or return to former professions such as nursing, on a part-time basis Many do this because they need the money for household expenses which are heavy when their children reach .secondary school, and there are others who do simply to give themselves more confidence. They feel that housework and children have put them “in a rut.” These women will very often put the money aside towards a gala holiday for the . whole family, Or even an overseas trip. But for all women, apart from brides who carry on with the job they had before their marriage, working in a city office can present a challenge. They will very often be rated among the hardest workers as they prove to themselves that they can do their work as efficiently as the younger girls. They have to speed up their household duties and adapt themselves to office routine. Therefore, the task they set themselves by taking an outside job is ■no, small one and by accomplishing it they feel more than satisfied.

In New Zealand, women outnumber men in one occupation, which is classed as “service workers and workers in entertainment,