Good Women and True

New Zealand Listener, Volume 7, Issue 177, 13 November 1942, Page 8

Good Women and True

FTER 20 years’ consistent effort on the part of feminists, the "Women Jurors Bill, 1942" was passed during the recent Parliamentary session, and thereafter duly intituled and engraved, perhaps irrevocably, upon the statute books of New Zealand. Clause 2 of the Act provides that: "Any woman between the ages of 25 years and 60 years who possesses the qualifications for service as a juror required by the principle set in the case of a man, and is not exempted or disqualified by that Act, and who notifies the Sheriff. in writing that she desires to serve as a juror, shall be qualified and liable to serve on juries in the same manner in all respects as if she were a man." "And a good thing, too," said Mrs. Mary Dreaver, M.P., when I interviewed her shortly after the new Act had been passed. "After all, they’ve had women jurors in England and America and Tasmania for a good many years nowit’s time we New ‘Zealanders did something about it." "And are you satisfied with the bill as it stands? You don’t approve of jury service being made compulsory for all women?" No Compulsion "No, I don’t think it should be com-pulsory.-After all, so many women, are tied by their home duties or by their children, and it would be unfair to expect them to serve on a jury for perhaps days at a time. Then there’s another point-you’ve got to make allowance for a woman’s sensibility. To some women the idea of being in any way ‘mixed up’ in criminal proceedings is repugnant.

That’s why I think women should be allowed to choose whether or not they wish to serve on juries." "In that case do you think you'll get the right type of person applying to serve on a jury? Isn’t there a danger that you'll get the type of woman who takes a ghoulish interest in murder trials?" The Right Type "Better that," said Mrs. Dreaver darkly, "than to force to serve on a jury a woman tied by her domestic life or embarrassed by her emotions. However, I think the women most anxious to serve as jurors will be those already active in public life, on committees, health organisations, hospital boards and city councils-older women who no longer have children to look after." Mrs. Dreaver went on to speak of the value of women on juries. "For one thing, they have a much better understanding of young people of either sexyou have to be a mother before you really understand young people. So I would say that especially in cases affecting women and children it is essential in the interests of justice to have women on a jury. Women look at things more psychologically. "Women are built differently from _men," she went on. "They’re more kindly and sympathetic. They don’t like sordid things, and they shrink from anything that smacks of brutality and violence." Sensible at Twenty-Five "Which reminds me," I interrupted. "Don’t you think it a slur on women that men should ‘serve on juries between (Continued on next page)

(Continued trom previous page) the ages of 21 and 60, whereas for women jurors the lower age limit is 25?" "No," said Mrs. Dreaver firmly, "Till she’s 25 or more a girl hasn’t enough sense or knowledge of the world to make her a good juror. And, of course, ‘the same applies to a man. Take any child of 24 and what is he thinking about? Cardboard keys painted gold, or some such nonsense, However, although the Statute says ‘21’ in the case of men J don’t think that in practice you'll find

many jurors under 25."

M.

I.