“Women Negroes Of N.Z. Society”

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31728, 11 July 1968, Page 2

“Women Negroes Of N.Z. Society”

(N.Z. Press Association) AUCKLAND, July 10. Women were really the Negroes of New Zealand society, the medical superintendent of Kingseat Hospital (Dr D. M. F. McDonald) told about 200 Auckland women last night in the fifth lecture in a university extension series. He said they were remarkably underprivileged and not given the opportunity to develop as a complete individual. They were victims of the present social role that was demanded of women. Four of every five of his outpatients were women, and

two females were admitted to Kingseat Hospital to every male. A large proportion of his patients were married women with children, supposedly in the prime of their lives. So many so-called happilymarried women were left to perform chores that Dr McDonald claimed his feebleminded patients in Kingseat were capable of—washing, ironing and so forth. Something was wrong if highspirited, intelligent, goodlooking girls developed into “slobs in slippers and dressing gowns with their hair in curlers.” Pressures To Marry A great number of marriages took place because the girl thought it was time she got married, he said. A number of these girls would be

better off pursuing their chosen career. “I would like to see a society where only the girls who want to be married do so. “There is no reason why every girls should marry but the pressures in New Zealand towards this are awful.” Dr McDonald suggested

that the marriage of the future could have the man working for four hours a day and the women for four. The household and domestic chores would be divided between the two partners. “The woman would then be an essential part of the economic unit—an Independent individual."

This would envelop not only the university graduate but also the skilled machinist. It would Involve the real sha'ring of all the responsibilities of marriage.,