WOMEN AND PARLIAMENTARY REPORTING.

Lyttelton Times, Volume C, Issue 11657, 13 August 1898, Page 4

WOMEN AND PARLIAMENTARY REPORTING.

The dispute now going on at Wellington over the admission of women reporters, to the Press Gallery is A ' phase, and a rather interesting ty&f, of the perennial problem of mstnAii., sphere, capacity and rights. Is then!' any sound reason why , woman : if qualified, authorised and &1posed to work as ; parliamenftsry reporters should be denied the facilities and conveniences as are! enjoyed by pressmen ? We our inability to perceive any. The! work is suited to women’s mentdand 1 physical powers and op sisthesis grounds, a “ row .of roeorew?’ ing angels” of. the gentler sex would be more pleasing: than . ope: of bald or bearded male jouroslists.iSir Maurice O’Sorts, the chief official of the House of Eepresenta-i. tives, is understood to have strong objections to the mixing of the sexed' in any part of the Chamber. Women.' auditors of the proeeedhigs of the House are confined to one jpdlery,apdi. when that is fully occupied, women : who seek admittance mre tamed) away, and tire denied opportunities of studying politics even if the galieriea . set apart for men are only ialf-fiUed-L Similarly, the Speaker is opposed women mixing with men hi the Frees Gallery, and yet there is itq attempt made to . provide adequate accommo-j tion for them in another part of the' building. His attitude has the merit'/ of consistency, - but we qutqot see; any other that it possesses. Men and*' women used to be kept rigidly apartat churches, public met tings, and! places of amusement, but the absurd’ prejudice or social etiquette which, dictated that arrangement has long since disappeared, and the sexac. mingle freely in the social and trial spheres. It will be anomalous ifi a Parliament representing as many; women as men should continue to deny women equal opportunities of . listening to and reporting its debates. 1 , . It will be more strange and anomalous still if the members of a profession like, that of joumaKTOj should be found interposing barriers! to the admission of women " to; the Press gallery. At present it seems that the hostile opinion or Sir Maurice O’Sorke has been! ‘ obtained on a partial view of thei, situation, and he may, when thei other side of the case is placed before him, see his way to modify his deci-f sion. There is no outrage upon] propriety in the intermingling of the 1 sexes at common occupations in' offices, shops, warehouses and facw - tories, and we are loth to belieye that. .. special danger would arise from thei propinquity of the sexes in the galleries of the House, under the very eye of the law-givers of the country.! The situation that has arisen afi Wellington is simply an exemplifiea-i - tion of the power -.of prejudice and;. custom/and of the difficulties that' beset tbe woman who dares to seek a fresh outlet for her energies and abi-[ litres, or a new means of earning »U independent livelihood.