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hand, there is no doubt that this work, when undertaken continuously, may easily
result in as much neglect of the home and the children, as factory work does.
The return to work of many mothers is usually caused by necessity.
Many of the fathers are casual labourers, and whether through their own fault
or not, it is certain that these men rarely work throughout the week, with the result,
that the allowance received by the wives, is quite inadequate for the purposes which
it has to cover. Is it to be wondered at, that in cases such as these, many a careful
mother feels that she must work herself, to increase the income, rather than, her
children should want ?
That several of the young mothers return to work, when there seems no real
need, is due to the lack of any deep feelings of responsibility, either to their children,
or to the homes.
One case is known of a young mother with two children. The father enlisted
recently, and the mother went back to her work in a factory at once, giving as her
reason for doing so "that there was nothing to keep her at home now. The younger
child is 12 months old."
Another soldier's wife with 3 children persists in going out to work, although
she knows that her mother, with whom she leaves the children, is incapable of looking
after them adequately. The sense of motherhood, surely, is but imperfectly developed
in these mothers.
It is no rare occurrence to find children suffering from want of care where the
mother goes to work.
A family was found to be in very poor circumstances when first visited, for the
father was out of work. Dinners were obtained for the mother from the Invalid
Kitchen, for a period of three weeks, in order to strengthen her, and when the baby was
4 weeks old, the mother was able to resume work. The family removed, soon after,
and was lost sight of. Some time later, a complaint was made by a mother, who was
being visited, that the two children of the family occupying the upper part of the house,
were neglected. This family proved to be the one that had removed. It seemed that
the children were left in the father's care while his wife was at work, but he failed
to look after them, and they were found to be in a filthy condition. The bed and
bedding were also very dirty. The baby was wasted, the older child was covered
with sores, and had bad eyes. Both were verminous. The case was referred to the
Relieving Officer. The Parish Doctor visited, and ordered the immediate removal
of the children to the Infirmary, where they were kept for three months. This intervention
frightened the parents into greater efforts for cleanliness. The home was
visited, occasionally, to ensure that the improved conditions were maintained.
Fortunately bad cases such as this are exceptional