SEXUAL DISTINCTIONS. Man Wants Only the Plums.

Free Lance, Volume IV, Issue 190, 20 February 1904, Page 6

SEXUAL DISTINCTIONS. Man Wants Only the Plums.

THE colony's school-inspectors have been incubating recently in Wellington, and cackling also. Therefore, it is but natural curiosity to take a look over the eggs they have been trying to hatch. One of them arrests our attention me shell was just chipped, and a most promising little fledgling was about to emerge when some stern old roosters happened that way and trod out its innocent life. * * *■ In plain matter-of-fact, this Conference of male school-inspectors wasn't equal to the justice and the gallantry of raising a voice for women's rights. The opportunity was given them, but they refused to embrace it. A sub-committee was set up to bring down recommendations for the consideration of the Conference In the series submitted by this sub-committee was one affirming that all references to distinctions of ssx should be removed from the schedules attached to the Teachers' Salaries Act Its mam object was to have the salary fixed for the position— whether head, or first, second, or third assistant— and not for the sex of the incumbent of that position. That recommendation was promptly knocked on the head * * * The daily papers don't report any discussion on the subiect. They merely say it was negatived Masculine opinion of the school-inspector order apparently wasn t ripe for it Why ? Is it another case of masculine selfishness ? Can anyone tell us why women should be paid lower salaries than men get for doing exactly the same kind of work? Women s competition brings down the rates of wages perhaps m the open labour market, but a State which professes to recognise the equality of the sexes and to abhor all forms of sweating ought not to trade upon women's necessities And so enlightened a body as school-mspectois are supposed to be— philosophers all, wiseacres among teachers, and advanced thinkers — ought really to set us a lesson m fair play and the ennobling influences of a lofty altruism. * • * But, they seem to be of the earth earthy after all They can't persuade themselves to ask the Minister to abolish sex distinctions in school salaries and school staffs And,

again we ask, why not' We have heard the reason assigned that woman's chief end m life is to get married, and that therefore, as her services cannot be regarded as permanent, she has no right to expect the same wage that a man would get. Pure fudge ' The man, equally with the woman, stays no longer in any particular employment than it suits him to do. If he is offered 5s a week more somewhere else, or a step higher up the social scale, off he goes. The guiding principle should be, what is the work worth, and fix the salary accordingly. * * ->■ Let there be a fair field m the service of the State for both man and woman, and let merit have its due reward without regard to sex. It may amaze these school-inspectors to hear it, but we have the effrontery to thmk a woman might possibly be found who could do their class of work just as well as the best of them When that feminine rara avis comes into action, is there any valid reason why she shouldn't get a male inspector's salary for an inspector's work. If not, what reason for making distinctions m the salaries of male and female teachers? The truth is, it is to man's interest m every sphere of industry to welcome woman as his comrade and insist upon equal nghbs for her rather than treat her as a rival and seek to keep her m a subordinate position. We had hoped better things from the colony's school-inspectors.