Reducing Unpaid Hours Of Housewife's Work

Chronicle (Levin), 1 May 1948, Page 4

Reducing Unpaid Hours Of Housewife's Work

WELLINGTON, April 30. To expeet women to do the full work of a hoine in present-day contiitions whs neither good for. their happiness nor their health. It Was neeessary to relieve thein as a meashre oi social justice said Lord JBeveridge in Cul hd,df^.-tq-day. Now that social se-_ haidty vvas- in , opCration, said Lora Beveridge, hi's main publie interest Was to develop a housing scheme in which every working man and wonian would waht to live. Meeting the needs of the liousewife would be regarded as a cohtfibution to the greatest domestic problem of- modern tinies, a reduction in thfe unpaid hours of the housewife. Though the housewife^ of to-day coilld buj- some of the thihgs hef grahdmo'thef had to make there was 'the present disadvantage of less domestic staff and much additional in shopping and car/ying the purchases home. lnside, the ideal house of the perfect town must be made'as labour-saving as possible, but a, real impression would not be iiiade on the hohs'ewif e 's diffi-. culties tinless hduses wete gfouped, as it were,- around a village. green whare common services could be shared. It was tiriie for coneentratio'ii oli justice fdl' .those Who did not WorJ? for wages — the women in hoine. Again it was neeesshty for women to liave greater leisure in order that they might be educated ih publie' matters to the staiidatds reqhired- by democ.racy.. If the position of the woman in the home was not inade lighte^ the cOhntry would lose its population. The addregs was given under the aliipices of the Wellington branch of tHfe Institute of Publie AdhiiUistfatioU. tio'n. '