HOME IS WOMAN’S WORKSHOP AND MAN’S DORMITORY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18614, 16 November 1928, Page 8

HOME IS WOMAN’S WORKSHOP AND MAN’S DORMITORY.

CAPABLE WOMEN SHOULD NOT THINK DOMESTIC WORK INFERIOR

“There are manv exceedingly clever women, suited to deal with domestic science subjects, but they seem to be suffering from an inferiority complex against them, and so deliberately turn their abilities elsewhere,” said Miss Eleanor F. Rathbone, speaking at the summer school in England of the National Union of Societies for Equal Citizenship. “This is a great pity, for we do want women to bring their best brains to bear on such vital subjects as maternity, child-welfare, nursing and home-making.

“I do not want women for one moment to give up doing what used to be considered entirely men's jobs, such as engineering and architecture, but I do not want them to do these to the exclusion of the other equally, if not more important, ones, simply to show that they can do them just as well as men.”

They had amply proved they could do them, but there was a tendencynowadays to think that women with first-class brains must only do, or go in for, such professions, leaving women with second-class brains to take up more womanly work.

Physical Difference Alters Viewpoint. “While claiming equality between the sexes in all things, the physical difference between a man and woman does in some respects alter their individual points of view. A woman will regard her home as her workshop; for a man it is merely his dormitory. (Laughter.) They regard outside things in a different light, as was proved to me a short time ago when I was watching a peacock and its mate. The beautiful male bird strutted across the lawn, followed by a very dishevelled and bedraggled little wife. A woman friend remarked that from appearances the peacock did not give his mate a very good time. Soon after her husband came up. He said: ‘That peacock has not much of a wife, has he?’ (Laughter.) “For the good of the world, I think women should learn to stand on their own feet and talk about things which only women can do, as well as study means for removing injustices, which, from past history, seems to be peculiarly a woman’s job.” Suffragist, But No Man-hater. Miss Patricia Hall, of Portsmouth, said: “Although I am a keen suffrage speaker, I am not a man-hater. In fact, I like them extremely. But I do find it necessary to be a! ;olutelv rude to them sometimes, particularly in the vicinity of stations or theatres, when I cut them dead until they have got their own tickets so that they will not