Employment lessons education for life

Press, 23 February 1977, Page 16

Employment lessons education for life

A woman’s education for’ employment needs to be.! considered as education for! a lifetime, nd not for a short period, the national president of the Federation, of Business and Professional, Women's Clubs said in her message to the Christchurch club on International Night. > With the advent of equal! pay women were becoming: independent, and she hoped, prepared to accept the responsibilities of authority, j Mrs Joan .Bielby said. Her message from Auck-I land was read before the annual candle-lighting cere-1 mony last evening. A candle; was lit for each of the 34 1 federations and 26 associate' clubs in the world-wide or-, ganisation. “We need to study how; best we can help women returning to the work force to adapt to the new responsibilities, to help women who! are suddenly on their own [to cope with their new style of life and all its pressures, | “We also need to look at jthe wife and mother who 1 needs to be many things to her family. How many men, would accept the complex, :role of being a wife, mother,! : housekeeper, gardener, accountant, seamstress, taxi-: driver, psychologist,[ confidant and teacher to the! family as well as, in many! cases, working either full or part-time?” 1

By understanding and [studying the priorities for [change themselves, members could help all people to enter the next century prepared to cope with their changed life, said Mrs. Bielby. “New Priorities in Chang-[ ling Life-styles,” the theme: [for the third part of the or-[ [ganisation’s triennial theme,! “Looking Towards the, 'Twenty-first Century,” would, have different significance for different people, the international president, Professor Beryl Nashar, of Australia, said in her message. I “There is no doubt that I for the developing countries the priorities outlined by , our vice-president, Mrs Sa- 1 [lima Ahmed, of Pakistan,, [will be all-important.” The struggle for preservation of the environment (and removal of threats of Ih u m a n survival, the: problem of over-population, i 'the protection of women and [children through a literacy campaign, and the elimina-i 'lion of malnutrition were' really global problems which • would ultimately affect : [everyone. “All of us would. Ido well to direct our atten-j ,tion to them.” she said. Priorites flowed from the; [study of the first two parts: [of the theme — “Full Rec-! ognition of Women as’ People” and “Women — Their Full Potential”. I

I The patterns of women's lives were changing. Mem'hers should determine solutions to the effects of these changes on society and on the family. They should [work towards achievement [of their new priorities. “Do not talk about them, [for just one night,” Profes-, [sor Nashar said. “Plug them into your club's programme for the year.”