Survey of N.Z. women at home

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34099, 11 March 1976, Page 6

Survey of N.Z. women at home

CAr.Z. Press Asjn—Copyright) HAMILTON. The myth of the multipurpose New Zealand mum has been shattered by a survey undertaken by the New Zealand Federation of University Women.

A random survey of 1000 New Zealand women at home revealed that while a small proportion are busy baking pavlovas, working at several voluntary community tasks and churning out craft work, there is a majority whose interests and activities inside and outside the home are minimal.

“The big question is what they do?” said Mrs D. Horsman, national president of the federation, who was in Hamilton to meet members of the Waikato branch-

“The survey showed some staggering figures. While those who did voluntary work did a lot of it, 65.9 per cent did none at all.”

Only 33 per cent were affiliated with Church groups and in the big cities 53 per cent did not belong to any club or society- Yet 88 per cent had no transport problems.

“A total of 53 per cent had three years or less of secondary education and 23 per cent did not read any magazines. “One wonders if there is a link between this characteristic of housewifely torpor which has emerged and such increasing social problems as female alcoholism, drug addiction and mental hospital admissions,” Mrs Horsman said. The survey, the results

of which have just been published in a book entitled “Women at Home,” covers aspects such as marraige, women with special needs, caring for dependants, immigrant women, and voluntary and leisure activities.

“We chose to concentrate mainly on women at home in our survey, which was an International Women’s Year study, as the market has been flooded with data about working women. “We feel an area of need has been established, and it is up to the more educated women to look at the problems and help,” Mrs Horsman said.