Married women workers

Press, 15 December 1983, Page 12

Married women workers

Sir,—What a wonderful Christmas it would be for our young unemployed if married women who do not need to work, and men turned 60 years, gave up their jobs. As to the skills of older women, they were not born with them, and they will not live for ever. Skills must be passed on. When jobs were plentiful, I worked part-time to buy those little extras, but I would choose to be a housewife any time. There is no need to be tied to the kitchen sink, there are plenty of craft clubs around. Think what it must be like for today’s schoolleavers: is it the kitchen sink for them, while mother works? — Yours, etc., I. A. ROGERS (Mrs). December 9, 1983. Sir,—Why is the public so quick to underrate Mr Muldoon? He may not have expressed all his thoughts on why he advocated married women should leave their jobs. Perhaps we could also take it a step further and mention that it was suggested some time ago that older married men give up their jobs voluntarily. In strained economic times everyone is concerned with his livelihood. It is the root cause of unrest. There are many solo parents receiving benefits. If they do not wish to become dependent on another partner, have no qualifications, or have reached a certain age, what chances are there for them? — Yours, etc., HELEN STACK. December 10, 1983.

Sir,—lt takes minimal intelligence to understand that in general a married person’s wage is divided among more persons than that of a single person. Therefore a single wage-earner’s family often earns less a head than a single person would earn. Either doubt is cast on the intelligence of the Prime Minister when he states that unmarried women should have priority over married women in the workforce, or he is being blatantly discriminatory. What of the solo mothers whom he expects to live off the State? An expensive exercise, surely. The desire to keep married women and mothers in a state of economic dependence not only divides the genders, but attempts to divide women. One can only hope that single women, who may themselves be forced into a state of economic dependence one day, will take heed of the trends. — Yours, etc., JULIET NEILL. December 8, 1983.