Women at work

An issue which has triggered a lot of discussion lately, sometimes also heated debate, is whether women in our society should seek either full time or part time employment and work away from their home.

As a first step, it should be made clear, what we mean by "work". Of course, a whole list may be drawn up of many areas of work, both paid and unpaid, including the "invisible" work of raising children, caring for relatives or neighbours, and so on.

According to figures published by Unicef some years ago, women form 50 per cent of the world's population, do 66 per cent of the recognised work, receive l0 per cent of the world's income and own less than one per cent of the world's property.

A great deal of work is done by people of both sexes which is not classified as "employment" simply because it does not gain regular payment. The most obvious example is work done within the family walls, especially by women whether married or not. Many care for the sick and elderly, help children grow up and build enduring relationships. Not only is the value of this kind of work often underrated and undervalued, it is actually discouraged by many modern economic policies.

But the argument should not be based on economic criteria alone, because women's employment also has social, psychological and moral aspects which must be taken into consideration before jumping to any conclusions on this issue.

Nor should we lose sight of the coefficients of place and time - which are other important factors - in our discussion on the subject. It is one thing to talk about countries in our western civilisation and quite another when we consider countries with different cultures. Besides, even in European nations, ours included, ways of life have changed profoundly in recent decades. There has been a rapid evolution of women's participation in the job market and this trend will invariably continue in future, perhaps gaining even greater pace.

The traditional pattern, where men used to work away from their family while women remained busy at home, has for a long time been challenged in many countries, both by economic requirements and the women's movement. These changing social mores have been seen by some people, both churchmen and sociologists, as a threat to family life. But it is hard to say when and where danger really lies. Moreover, arguing that there is a possibility that a married woman may be tempted to neglect her family duties is a far cry from saying that women should not take up roles in various fields of public life.

There are many variables in the discussion on how a grown-up woman should spend her time and feel fulfilled, and every case should be judged on its own merits. But the sad reality is that very often women are left with no choice over what path to take. Take single women and female heads of households; they usually have to support themselves financially, which in most cases means finding work outside their home for the majority of the day and for long periods of their lives. Under such circumstances, they cannot do otherwise except to try to cope simultaneously with the exigencies of their employment and their duties at home. Even in today's world they still consider themselves fortunate to find a line of work which is congenial to them and be allowed to have some flexibility in their working hours.

Working outside the home is no bed of roses where one can rest undisturbed. Very often it involves more than one difficulty. But if a woman takes a free decision to work away from home, that is, her decision was made without any constraint or pressure of any kind, then surely they should be allowed to take such a course though they cannot complain or blame anyone except themselves for their predicament.

There is little doubt that women in employment are often envied by those who have been made to feel second rate because they are "only" housewives. A good number of these women, though very active within their household, yearn to find a job or establish a career outside the home, sometimes perhaps for the sole motive of having a regular income and becoming more affluent.

Given advances in modern technology, more changes for women can be expected in the near future which may allow them more time to serve both roles. The availability of home computers, for example, has made it possible for more and more women to opt for a flexible lifestyle, where they can work and earn money on a self-employed basis from home. Changing attitudes have also meant that husbands play a bigger role in the household.

Notwithstanding changes of every kind, the principles remain the same; whatever their work, or their walk of life, no matter what kind of occupation women may have, they are human beings, with the same rights and duties as male workers.

This fundamental truth was recognised by Pope John XXIII as long as 40 years ago. He wrote: "Since women are becoming more and more conscious of their human dignity, they will not tolerate being treated as mere material instruments but demand rights befitting a human person both in domestic and public life".

However, in a democracy such as ours the human dignity of women and their rights - whether they serve at home or are in paid employment - should be unviolable and protected by law.