111 1--As a young housewife and mother, I feel I must
comment on
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• E. Estcourt's interesting article, " Birthrate and Housework," in your of August 18th. The article states the facts of the problem clearly, t offers no very saisfactory solution to comfort the overburdened house- e of today and assure her that the future will bring alleviation. The e suggestion seems to be that there should be " Neighbourhood taurants " which might save the housewife a certain amount of cooking washing-up. Rough work " is barely mentioned, quite apart from washing, looking ter the children and all the countless other jobs connected with a one. The mother, if she is to bring up her children to be worthy [hens of Britain, must have access to some relief from the interminable und of back-breaking chores. One suggestion for overcoming this problem is that domestic hostels uld be set up in every district from which housewives could obtain P when necessary. The status of domestic workers should first be ; it should be an ambition to become proficient at this job just any other. The hostels, as well as forming pools of trained persons, d be training grounds for others, and to encourage proficiency there d be a diploma system standardised throughout the country. Hostels tdd not confine their powers to supplying persons trained in cooking
and housework. There should be others with a knowledge of child welfare capable of relieving a mother of the care of the children when necessary, and others willing to do the household shopping in an emergency and any other necessary jobs.
These hostels should, if possible, be residential, and should provide facilities for recreation. Domestic servants of pre-war days must often have longed for some form of recreation or social life in most cases denied them because their homes were far away and they " lived in." We are told that the birthrate question is a serious one, but how many mothers will undertake to bear more than one or perhaps two children if there is no better promise for the future than continued single-handed
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