MARRIED WOMEN TEACHERS

Northern Advocate, 8 November 1934, Page 5

MARRIED WOMEN TEACHERS

SOME UNUSUAL CASES. BOARD PERPLEXED. [Special to "Northern Advocate ”3 AUCKLAND, This Day.' Difficulties experienced by the Auckland Education Board in dealing With , married women teachers were commented upon at yesterday’s meeting of the board.

Discussion arose when a letter‘was read protesting against the retention of a married woman in a country school. The woman’s husband, it .was alleged,, was in a Government job. Mr R. Hoe said that although he could' quote no definite cases, > he thought that there were probably some married, women in the profession who should not be there. Inquiries into such cases, he thought, might be made more thorough.

Another member .said -that he knew of one case. where, a: woman teacher still retained, in the service had been able to afford a trip ; 'to Melbourne with • her' husband.’ ' '■>

Mr WV J; Campbell mentioned that the. board, frequentlyhad extreme difficulty’ in' 'proving' that a married worhafi had no just claim to be retained as a teacher!

. Mr W. I. Bowyer expressed the opinion that, at a time when so many teachers. were out of r employment, it was not' fair for married 1 women to be retained if their circumstances did not warrant it. The position of young teachers who .had been put to considerable expense in their training had to be considered.

The chairman, Mr T. U. Wells, said that frequently the statutory declarations furnished by married teachers put a different complexion on their cases. Those declarations often showed that the people concerned werestaggering under heavy liabilities.: He added that the executive would be only too glad to hear of cases where it appeared that the services of a mar--ried woman should not bp retained :