WOMEN TEACHERS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23273, 16 February 1939, Page 15

WOMEN TEACHERS

WORK AFTER MARRIAGE OTHERS' CHANCERS SPOILED TARANAKI BOARD'S VIEWS [by telegraph—OWN correspondent] NEW PLYMOUTH, Wednesday " It is keeping our young men out of positions they are justly entitled to," declared Mr. J. A. Valentine, chairman of the Taranaki Education Board, when the board to-day discussed what was considered to be the harmful and unfair effect on young men and single women teachers of the employment of married women teachers. The board left it to Mr. Valentine to write to the Minister of Education, the Hon. P. Eraser, to ask that discretionary powers be restored to education boards to enable them to decide in the light of circumstances whether women teachers who married should be allowed to remain in employment or not. ■ "Here are five young women assistants who are marrying," said Mr. Valentine, when teaching appointments were being considered. "Hitherto we were able to say when a woman teacher mnrried that her position was no longer open to her, but now we have no power to ask her to quit. These women are occupying positions which should be filled by young teachers, who are consequently forced to fill supernumerary positions, which mean. l ! that they are on a lower salary scale and can be shifted about from school to school as relieving teachers. " I think power should be given to boards to give notice to quit to girls who marry," the chairman continued. "We have got to the position to-day where married women are preventing single women from reaching full status. In two cases young men are concerned. When we had power to decide we never once forced out a married woman who was entitled to employment, but now we are forced to keep her on." "Wo ought to be attracting the cream of our youth," said Mr. S. GSmith, "but what is the good if they are pushed about from position to position and have only supernumerary status?"

"It is definitely a reflection on our outlook on life if women can get married in the belief that they can go on as before," said Mr. W. H. Jones. "A married teacher has two positions in life —as a teacher and as a wife and mother."