MARRIED WOMEN TEACHERS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIV, 19 February 1931, Page 5

MARRIED WOMEN TEACHERS

BOARD SEEKS DISCRETIONARY

POWERS .SHOULD NOT BE TWO BREADWINNERS (l!y Telegraph—Special to “The Mail") AUCKLAND, 18th February. A decision to make a further appeal lo the Minister ol Education to take immediate 'steps to give Education Boards discretionary power to deal with married women employees was made by the Auckland Education Board this morning. The board considered a suggestion by the chairman, Air A. Burns, that in order to ease the acute, unemployment situation among teachers, elderly servants (eighteen are near retiring age) should he appealed to to retire, but no decision to this effect was made.

A letter was received from the Onehunga School Committee emphatically protesting against the principle of employing married women teachers and directing attention to the position at the local school where both husband and wife were employed. The chairman, Mr A. Burns. said that there were three married women at the Onelmnga institution. The married couple were recently married and had been engaged at the school prior to their marriage. Mr E. A. Snell urged that the Board should press for consideration of the position of married women employees before the time arrived for the revision of the Education Act. The question was one for serious consideration when tlie country had so many homes receiving two salaries and so many post matriculation students unable to secure employment. The matter should be dealt with if possible at the forthcoming special Session of Parliament. It was grossly unfair for married women whose husbands were earning to continue their service with the Board.