The Press SATURDAY, JUNE 14, 1975 The roles of women in New Zealand

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33869, 14 June 1975, Page 14

The Press SATURDAY, JUNE 14, 1975 The roles of women in New Zealand

The report on the role of women in New Zealand society shows a clear enthusiasm for ensuring that women have opportunities as great as men to play whatever role in society they choose. At the same time, the committee that produced the report wants to make sure that changes do not harm family life. Very few New Zealanders are likely to take exception to these views, but general agreement on these points changes nothing By no means everyone will agree with what the committee would like to see done to enact its ideals For example, some will certainly feel that a ‘motherhood wage” will do little to help women who have a genuine grievance against society. Pay ment for a job does not necessarily alter the conditions under which it is done. The idea may even provide a logical argument for no longer treating a living wage as a family income. The motherhood wage, however, is not central to the theme of this report The mothers and housewives who find they are unable to play the roles in the wider community they would like to are not always inhibited by lack of money. The universal constraint is that the time and effort needed to look after young children and to discharge the responsibilities of running a home virtually preclude active, full-time roles in commerce, politics, administration, and many other fields in which more women might prosper. The women in New Zealand society whose financial worries should cause concern are those who are obliged by financial nressures to attempt to combine raising a familv with working to supplement the family's in' ome A " motherhood wage ” might seem to be the obvious solution to their problems: but that is not lhe fundamental purpose of the motherhood endowment. and recourse to this as a means to satisfying a family's needs will undermine the basic idea that a single family income should be sufficient to support a familv in a decent fashion The provision of childcare centres, which the report also recommends. : would ensure that mothers who want to work, or to 1 further their education or training for work, or to ; engage in some community service, need not be ; prevented from following their wishes. ! Inevitablv the committee is concerned about I family life. So many social ills are already being 1 attributed to faults and failures in family life. The community would he committing a great folly if it set out systematically to reproduce on a huge scale the distractions, neglect, and emphasis on material gain at the expense of human understanding and personal care that are at the root of many of its troubles today. Nor will all women agree on who among them holds the greatest advantage. The I essence of the problem is to enable choice and to find practicable and satisfying combinations of opportunities for self and duties to others for both sexes Even when women are given the time and freedom from household responsibilities to do what they want, some will still face difficulties in entering upon or succeeding at certain activities because of entrenched social attitudes and. in certain instances, administrative and legal disabilities. The report makes a convincing case to outlaw discrimination on the grounds of sex and to review legislation and administrative practices in government and private enterprise But the report also sensibly acknowledges that the worst barriers to full equality for women are traditional attitudes. Altering these attitudes will be a slow process. Further changes, along the lines suggested in the report, in the country's educational institutions will help to change attitudes. So will changer in the ways in which the various mass media present men and women in stereotyped roles that do not fit individuals. But like all movements of public j oninion. changing attitudes towards sex roles will be slow if it is to be thorough and not subverted by passing eccentricities or fashions.