26 NOVEMBER 1965, Page 10

Journalism for Squaws

SIR,—Of course women's magazines present a world of fantasy. We know that, but everyone wants to escape from this world sometimes. I always find it difficult to understand why people cannot accept women as they are. I do not want my friends and relations to change. I find it even more difficult to understand why it is thought so wonderful that women go out to work. Working-class women have been going out to work since the industrial revolution. I grew up with the idea, that, if ever anyone got around to building children, and time for old people, and time for a New Jerusalem, it would be a place where women had leisure and time to spare. One needs time for everyone.

I do not know if any woman would be capable of saying, as John Macmurray does, that the mature person has no existence in himself, but exists only in relation with others, but all the women I know act as if they believed this. And, if I remember right, it was Plato who said, if you want to know 11‘vhat people believe, do not ask them—watch what they do.

I suppose ours is a squaw-like existence, but what is the alternative for most women? Going out to a routine job, and leaving all the interesting chal- lenging aspects of a woman's work to trained pro- fessionals.

At least we squaws are all equal. Being a mature person has nothing to do with intelligence, income group, or social class, but can anyone argue that