MARRIED WOMEN TEACHERS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 3657, 25 June 1927, Page 3

MARRIED WOMEN TEACHERS.

PROTEST FROM PALMERSTON,

The employment of married women in the teaching profession was a subject debated at considerable length at the annual meeting of the Palmerston North School Committees’ Association on Wednesday, when it was decided to make strong representations' to the Education Department, recommending that married women should be employed only itn those eases where their husbands were unable to support them.

“I have been told,” stated the chairman (Mr. W. B. Cameron) in introducing the matter, “that it is necessary that there should be married women teachers, because they are more capable of dealing with certain aspects of school life, but I hold that there are many married women whose positions should be dispensed with and the vacancies tilled by younger people coming out of the training colleges.” Mr. W. R. Mayes believed that there should be one matronly teacher at each of the bigger schools, lml lie did not see why there should be half-a-dozen. lie wished to make it clear that he was not attacking the qualifications of ' the married women; it was the principle that lie objected to. “If the woman is the bread-win-ner then she should have the same right to teach as a man,” stated Mr. S. W. Oliver, “but where she has n husband to support her she should not bo in the profession.” Another speaker commented ilia, lie knew of young men and women from the training colleges who were out of employment at the present time and of others who were going from one school to another getting casual employment. Some of them had not earned enough this year to keep themselves and it was very hard on these people to see women whoso husbands wore in good billets keeping them out of positions. ‘‘The school exists for the welfare of the child, and the ultimate consideration of the school committee centres round that, Said Rev. Harold (Peat. ’ “At present the position is that a number of brainy young men and women are discouraged from entering the leaching profession because they arc led to believe that they are entering a blind alley occupation.” Married women teachers were taken on as a war measure, and he would certainly say that they would he well advised to send on a recommendation that legislation be introduced preventing the employment of married women whose husbands were unable to support them. Mr. W. C. Collier instanced a case where, to his own knowledge, a married woman teacher and hei husband were in receipt- of salaiies totalling £6OO per annum, the woman getting more, than the man.