WOMEN IN POLITICS THE WORLD OVER

Hokitika Guardian, 11 February 1928, Page 4

WOMEN IN POLITICS THE WORLD OVER

“ Under the auspices of the National Council of Women for Ireland, Mrs Corbet Ashby gave an interesting and comprehensive review of women’s -activities in world affairs,” writes “11.5.” in the “Irish Statesman,” and the facts given .summarised from her address by that writer, will he useful to those interested in the women’s movement. “In twenty-nine countries women now possess the vote, usually on equal terms with men.” says “ 11.5.,” in detailing the points of the review. “ liritain and Northern Ireland are outstanding exceptions for. though women of twenty-one may be elected to Parliament there, no woman under thirty may vote. This anomaly will, however, probably cease before the next General Election, when women of twenty-one will vote, as they do here. “ Nine women were on the Assembly of the League of Nations when that body held its eighth session the other day. Each succeeding year has shown an increase of women, as technical advisers, as substitutes or as lull delegates. 'l'lie Irish Kree State has. as yet. npopiuted no woman fin its delegation. Usually women are put on tho Kifth Commission, dealing with the special and humanitarian side ol the League’s work, this living regarded as woman’s province, but now they are extending their trselulness to other spheres, hitherto held as exclusively masculine. “ The Eternal Feminine is breaking new ground ami other Commissions are including women. When recently Mrs Moss (Australia) appeared on the Fourth Commission, which deals with finance, the President, startled, rose at her entry, anil hastily inquired: .uudamc, are you not mistaking the room?’ He thought, poor man. that toe intrusive female had lost her way. Mrs Swanwick serves on another Commission, dealing with Economies, while M me. Hngge-Wichsel ■'Swollen) has been apiKiintcd to that in charge of the problem of Mandates. “On the Commission for Intellectual Co-operation, whose headquarters is in Paris, are two women, one an authority on Marine Zoology, the other. -Mine. Curie, of world-wide fame in science. Being half-Polish. half-French, she represents both nations. Those countries where women are well organised and enjoy political and economic equality usually include, its a matter of course, women on their delegations, whereas countries backward in this respect still ignore women. “ The Secretariat of the. League is, however, still somewhat retrograde as regards women. lieing tinder the oldfashioned diplomatic traditions, admitting women only its shorthand typists. The diplomatic and consular careers are still almost entirely closed to women. ; though one would imagine these its specially suitable to their linguistic and social talents. Here, too. it beginning has been recently made, women being appointed to consular and diplomatic posts by some of the new States set up since the war. and also liv the Russian Soviet Government. “ Reviewing w omen’s progress in various countries to-day, Holland may he cited its peculiarly favourable to them and as giving them a place in lie sun. This little state, perhaps tl most prosperous in Europe, has fiftee women deputies, and a Queen reignin in her own right. It is according) more inclined than most others to a| point women as representatives intei nationally and more amenable to n reive suggestions favourable to tli fuller and freer admission of wiimo generally to places where they may i still barred. " We re a chart drawn showing tli relative position of women in variot countries, to-day, the Scnndinaviai would he tit the top.” adds the write ill the “Irish Statesman.” “The were the first in Europe (Norway wa actually the lirsli to grant equal sit Irttge to women, with eligibility to s in Parliament. To-day in Sweden Norway and Denmark women and me are on nil absolutely equal basis. Swt den has tho best marriage law in tli world, establishing the fnlelsL partnei ship between man and wife. “ Mritain has six women M.lV> three Labour and three Conservativt though only women over thirty voti Ireland, which before ritaiu. returned woman to Parliament, and which re turned nine women since, now lias on!; one woman deputy. The Six-Count; Parliament also has one woman deput; (Conservative), lit the United States where women enjoy almost complet freedom, hut few have been electot either to'the State legislature or to tin Houses of Representatives. “ Germany, which has full franchise for its women citizens, has front thirty to thirty-nine women deputies in tli. Reichstag; from being one of the mos backward nations where women wen concerned, it has advanced enormously Under the Republic women now posses: full social, educational and economit rights. Unlike Britain and this conn try, Germany does not dismiss womei in civil service, teaching, medical, 01 on other appointments on marriage, re giirding this its a private matter for the individual in which the State has nc right to interfere. “ In Finland, ravaged by war, revolution and counter-revolution, womei have handed themselves in 1 Martin Unions,’ and have succeeded in helping their devastated motherland to her feel again, so that the national output has been multiplied. “ In the new States created by the breaking up of the old empires, the Baltic Poland, and those that sprang from the dismemberment of Austria, women won equality overnight, without a struggle, almost without a demand an their part, as a token of gratitude from the newly-freed men ol the state, the reward of their devotion and loyalty during the revolution that preceded the setting up of the new government. These are now occupied ehieily in helping the agricultural regeneration ol their respective communities, leaving Lite ' men to do the talking ’ in Parlianent. “ Mussolini recently granted the mmieipul vote to Italian women, though he at once abolished municipal •ouncils. At least men and women are ■qual here, for neither can vote, ihe Spanish Dictator has granted municipal •otes to Spanish women, and sixteen comen have been recently nominated o the Spanish Assembly, a body siniiitrly constituted to that of the niediaenl guilds, where women, too. had cerain rights on vocational lines. “ Cuba has just given its women the ote. South Africa is still a black pot. and so is Canada, in parts. Where Vench influence prevails, as in Monreal, women are politically disfrantised. In Africa the mixed race eletent introduces complications. “ Woman, as a factor in international fairs, has established herself firmly id must be treated accordingly, with wholesome and increasing respect, te whole world is Iter province: of her i may say: ‘ nil lmmanum a me alien! ita,’ hitherto, a dictum usually applied ilv to man by man, when ‘ woman’s here ’ was, relegated to kitchen, >thes, and children.” j