Real Problem

How a university degree can prove a disadvantage to women is little known to the general public. But the problem is nevertheless real.

Do not urge any girl to take a university degree unless her desire for a professional career and her abilities are both outstanding—outstanding to the point where she would be prepared to forgo marriage for her career.

Firstly, you are needlessly handicapping her chances of marriage as well as narrowing the field of possible husbands.

Secondly, once she has married, you are presenting her with a mental conflict to which there is no truly satisfactory conclusion, the conflict of professional life versus family life.

Thirdly, in her professional career itself, you are asking her to overcome still lively prejudices against her because of her sex.

In support of these three main points I am going to quote representative opinions and experience of women graduates I have questioned.

To illustrate my first main point that a university degree handicaps a woman's marriage prospects, I quote this conversation between women with degrees representing four faculties.

Mrs A., former economist, now married with two children:

"Your university degree is anything but an added attraction to men. How can it be?

"It makes them think because you are capable of earning a high salary yourself you'll expect them to keep you like a duchess.

"When I met my husband, who is not a professional man, I did not dare to tell him I was earning more than £30 a week—it would frighten him off. So I said I only earned £20.

"He did not like the idea of a working wife, either, and made it quite clear there was room for only one bread-winner in the home."

Miss B., honours arts graduate, now in the teaching profession:

"But I'd be quite happy with an ordinary house. What's wrong with me? Don't men like intelligent women?"

Miss C., a pharmacist:

"Of course not! They pretend to despise you if you're stupid, but they hate you if you're intelligent."

Clearly, all these women believe a university degree has a definite effect in discouraging suitors.

As to how it can also narrow the field of prospective husbands, I quote Mrs E., a former industrial chemist, now mother of two sons:

"After all, you can't really marry a labourer if you are a scientist yourself, can you?

"Nor are there all that many professional men who want to marry you.

"If you can earn as much as they do, you mean competition, both professionally and socially, and that is an affront to masculine vanity.

"They don't call it womanly. Australian men, anyway, still think it is feminine to scrub floors, but not feminine to use a slide-rule."