HIGH STATUS OF WOMEN.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13642, 28 August 1937, Page 2

HIGH STATUS OF WOMEN.

RELEASED FROM KITCHEN. CONDITIONS IN RUSSIA. An interesting survey of the position of women in Soviet Russia was given by Miss A. L. Loudon during a luncheon talk to members of the Lyceum Clul> in Auckland recently. “There is ho country in the world to-day in which women hold as important a place as in Russia,’ 3 Miss Loudon said. In 1917, Lenin had pointed out that unless women were iel eased from the kitchen and domestic atmosphere it was impossible to build a democracy. In the 20 years that had passed since then, the position of Russian women had been immeasurably altered.

i; The principle oi equal pay for equal work has operated in Russia for the past 10 years, at least,’’ said the speaker. A woman, whether employed industrially or in a high administrative position, if she could do the work, got the iob, together with the same salary as a man. Women were to be found working at a wide variety of occupations, industrially and agriculturally. The head of a school which Miss Loudon visited was a woman, with n man as her subordinate. The head of the Bureau of Marriage and Divorce was a woman, and she did excellent reconciliation work. Russia had produced some famous women engineers, and at the head of an engineering depot visited by the si>eaker was a woman. In the factories, wives worked side by side with their husbands. ADVANCE IN EDUCATION.

The provisions for maternity were very good. Women received seven to eight weeks’ holiday on full pay before and after the birth of a child, and in the clinics every convenience and comfort was provided for mothers and their children. While before the revolution 90 per cent, of Russian women were illiterate, now a great proportion were educated. The result was .l tremendous advance in the social and cultural life, which reflected on the whole of the community.

Mi ss Loudon, who visited Russia with a party of university women, was impressed first by the cleanliness and comfort of the Manchurian express, and next by the delicious iand plentiful meals which were served at her Moscow hotel. The stories told of dirt and lack of food were quite untrue. The luncheons were so satisfying that one frequently felt no need for dinner until after the theatre, and often the speaker got up Irom her evening meal at two in the morning, meals being eaten at all kinds of odd hours in Russia.

Tho underground railway in Moscow was, she considered, the most splendid system in the world. Beautiful marble and concealed lighting gave it a palatial effect and the trains were very fine. There were no trade advertisements to spoil the appearance ofl the place.