Should Women Have To Serve On Juries?

Chronicle (Levin), 5 August 1948, Page 8

Should Women Have To Serve On Juries?

. Should jury service for women be compulsory? Opihions on this are being sought by the Auckland Business and Professional Women's Club, through a questionnaire which is being circulated to women. . .

The club, whose chairman is Miss Joah Rattray, poinfcs out in the questionnaire that the question of making jury service for women compulsory, as it is for men, is creating a great deal of interest in most progressive countries. it is considered that women all over the. world wish. to share in the impartial investigation of crime, its causes an-d its hiore effectiVe control. ' The questionnaire states that women throughout the Itnited States and the women in ali States in Australia are advocating compulsory service. This is the position for jury service ih Kew Zealand today: — Men — -Compulsory, age 21-65. Women— Voluntary, age 25-60. The position In other countries today is: — America — 19 States voluntary, 19 States compulsory. Czechoslovakia — Between 19181938 compulsory, and one-^third of every jury was composed oi women Denmark— Compulsory since 1921. England and Wales— Compulsory since 1919. It is laid down in every Juvenile Court that one Justice should be a woman if possible. Queensland— This is the only Australian State where women are eligible, and service is voluntary. New South Wales — Bill approved, but not yet in force. Among the questions are two asking whether it is considered desirable, as some organisations think, that women should not serve on certain kinds of cases, and what classes of women should be exempt.