Quaint memories of DFAT's "battleaxe spinster"

Geoff of the RadWaste blog has posted an absolute gem! This is a minute paper from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on the pros and cons of hiring women as trade commissioners. Here's a sample of the list (which was almost all cons):

A man normally has his household run efficiently by his wife who also looks after much of the entertaining. A woman Trade Commissioner would have all this on top of her normal work; (source)

I think that for me, and plenty of other cusp gen-Yers and gen-Xers, it's easy to under-appreciate the truly radical shift that occurred in the way the role of women in society was viewed. Because it happened before we were born or were old enough to see it, we kind of have this feeling that women must have been liberated from unwanted/undeserved domestic drudgery and child-bearing ever since the condom and washing machine were invented.

But as late as 1963 — just six years before they put a man on the moon — the value of a woman was still clearly seen to be 99% in her ability to attract men by her charms (and, by default, to "run HIS household efficiently").

Given this knowledge, it's no surprise that the Trade Commission was seeking young women since they pointed out that only a "relatively young attractive woman could operate with some effectiveness".

But the problem with young women at the time was that they either got married...

...most of them [single graduate trainees] would probably marry within five years... (source)

...or that they remained unmarried...

...A spinster lady can, and very often does, turn into something of a battleaxe with the passing years. A man usually mellows... (source)

(That one is hilarious!) Then if all else fails to prevent women entering the Trade Commission, residual misogyny could be trusted to prevail.

...such [a female] appointee would not stay young and attractive for ever and later on could well become a problem... (source)

Germaine Greer's writings suddenly seem so much less loopy and like something that was truly influential in galvanising action at the time!

It's a very expensive process [hiring women], but External Affairs lack courage to slam the door because of parliamentary opinion, pressure groups and so on. (source)

Update: For clearer source images on the National Archives website (thanks to Colin's comment) see PAGE 1 and PAGE 2.

Battleaxe spinster image thanks to Lintukoto.net Banner generator.
Categorised as: society
Technorati Tags: womens movement, Germaine Greer, DFAT, chauvinism, feminism, gender roles, gender divide, Australian government