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To conclude, I should like to make a plea for the provision of special
facilities for mothers to attend to their children in railway trains and
stations.
LEISURE
We are constantly being reminded of the need there is for increased
leisure time to be occupied usefully.
Mothers of young children, however, almost alone among all sections
of the community, have been excluded from the great social gain of
leisure in the last 50 years, and it is particularly about the services which
would help them in this matter that I wish to write.
The difficulties of mothers have been aggravated by war-time and
post-war conditions, but the essential problem is independent of these
conditions. It arises from the fact that the care of young children is a
twenty-four hours a day job.
Outside help, whether paid or voluntary, has become increasingly
difficult to obtain, whilst at the same time standards of parental responsibility
have risen and women have gradually attained a more independent
status, greatly extending their influence beyond the home. Hence, there
arises amongst many women a sense of conflict between having children
and leading what they regard as a tolerable life. This conflict cannot be
resolved without community help which is justified in fairness to mothers
and in the interest of the community as a whole, and the extension of the
following services could do much towards this end:—
Domestic Help Service
The need for help is felt (1) in household emergencies, e.g., illness,
confinement of the mother, caring for elderly relative, etc.; (2) in the
normal running of the home where there are young children and (3)
in the desire for recreation and rest.
When the domestic help service was originally started it was intended
to cover mainly home confinements but was later extended to include
other emergencies.
The National Health Service Act, however, has given a general
power to local authorities to provide domestic help for "Households
where such help is required owing to the presence of any person who is
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