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MARRIED WOMEN IN JOBS

MOSTLY THE BREADWINNERS LITTLE EVIDENCE OF ABUSE LSpecial to the ‘Stab.’] CHRISTCHURCH, January JO. Thera are some people in Christehurdh who think that married women whoso hnsbuiuls are well able to support them arc holding business positions and keeping others in need of work out of employment. They arc quite wrong. There are exceedingly few eases in Christchurch .of women working and bringing more money into homes already sufficiently supplied. There seems to be a misconeeution on the question abroad. A correspondent last week made a statement that “there are hundreds of women working while their husbands are doing well. Comb them out and there would he very few unemployed.’-’ There may be hundreds, but a ‘Sun ’ rcportei spent most of to-day looking for them, and the attempt was a ghastly failure. “ Comb them out ” bv all means, but it will need a comb with a very fine tooth, indeed. There certainly are married women employed in various capacities, especially by the big (inns, but almost every one of them is compelled by circumstances to work. For instance, interviews with, the managements of three of the largest drapery houses in Christchurch disclosed the position that the married women employed are practically all “ on the bread-line,” with husbands out of work or invalids; or else they are widows or divorcees, or their husbands have left them. Even so, there are few married women on the staffs. The same rule appears to hold in offices. The married women employed arc, in nearly every ease, compelled to work by circumstances, and are much more entitled to a job, since they generally have to support one or more children. In the Public Service there are hardly any married women, except in one or two cases where they arc experts and highly-trained specialists. The Public Service Commissioner secs to it that no injustice is done to unmarried women. Again, out of over 1,000 teachers on the "staff of the Canterbury Education Board, between fifty and sixty are married women More than halt of these arc widows, and some are filling positions for which no one else is suitable. There are a few married women with husbands working who are engaged in the tailoring trade, and, indeed, in some branches of the trade the need for workers is so great tnat there is room for many more employees, whether married or single. At slack periods there is sometimes dissatisfaction expressed at the employment of married women, but in practically every case those women arc the breadwinners of their homes. Women go to work _ n their husbands arc out of work or ill, or if there is no male bead of the house. , The secretary of the Tailoring Trades Union, Mr F. R. Cooke, points out that conditions in the trade are so severe that no married woman is anxious to work in it, except of absolute necessity. “ T can understand, if a woman is pretty, her wanting to go and serve behind a shop counter instead of being in the home; but they don’t engage in the tailoring trade, except under necessity; it has no such attractions.” Undoubtedly, however, there is some abuse. An instance was told the ‘Sun reporter of a woman who is in a fairly limb position, who openly boasts to her fellow-employees that the sura of CM a week goes into her homo. Her husband is working as well, and there is a family of daughters also assisting.

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Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ESD19280131.2.13

Bibliographic details

Evening Star, Issue 19778, 31 January 1928, Page 3

Word Count
580

MARRIED WOMEN IN JOBS Evening Star, Issue 19778, 31 January 1928, Page 3

MARRIED WOMEN IN JOBS Evening Star, Issue 19778, 31 January 1928, Page 3