Labour promises women ‘the power they need’

Press, 21 August 1978, Page 6

Labour promises women ‘the power they need’

The Labour Partv would provide me Committee on Women with the resources and power that it needed, said the Leader of the Oppo--Uion (Mr Rowling) in Christchurch on Saturday. Much more information was needed on women’s aspirations. Nobody knew how many New Zea and women, for instance, would like to work half a day shift. “What’s more, no-one in power at present seems to care," he said. "When we looked at New i Zealand's taxation structure wo found it incredible that it is so oriented against women," said Mr Rowling. The part-time workers, manv of whom were women whose earnings were desperately needed by their famines. were "clobbered” in the 1978 Budget. Their earnings were regarded as pin money, a fair target for the tax man. “We know that for most women this is survival ; money,” he said. Women were no longer an appendage in a marriage. Marriage was now' a full partnership. Mr Rowling spoke of ah

I woman he had met recently who had, with the full agreement of her husband, gone back to work while he stayed home and looked after the house and thel children. This role reversal had relieved a lot of the strain building up in the marriage. But when she lost her job and applied for unemployment benefit she was told that only half a benefit, could be arranged. “If a husband goes along , he is registered as unemployed and gets the full I bnefit,” said Mr Rowling. Hundreds of women hehad spoken to who were on a social welfare benefit of! some sort w'ould like to go! out to work to be indepen-i dent — “despite all the! propaganda.” The present system ofj benefits was fragmented and! - confused. It was an anach- - ronism that most were' administered as social welfare. Action to ensure a child’s welfare was part ofj the education of children.; For this reason Labour’s, commission for children I .would be funded by the Edu-'

cation Department, not the ! Department of Social Wei- < fare. i A Labour government l : would subsidise the salaries , J •of qualified child care super- ! visors and workers. Child ' care centres would receive'■ the same Government aid as kindergartens and play centres. More mobile school: units would be provided to serve both rural areas and . new suburbs. In the last few years an* atmosphere of intolerance ] and suspicion had been fosItered by people who, byj their responsibilities andj c position, if not their in-1 s stincts, should have led the a country to something much : ? better, Mr Rowling said. The most vulnerable: I : always suffered most in -' these circumstances. But I r : people would always resist!' change. especially rapid change. The greatest battle It : was always against fear. ; 1 “People may be desperate I ( with what they have now, I but they will be even morel 1 I fearful of change.” he said. c I “With lack of understanding, > a j there is always fear. “On women’s issues we I

have a long way to go, a lot of people to change. People will continue to be hurt — the battered wives, the solo parents — until we make those changes. Some change will come too late.”