In praise of women’s work

Here’s to two complementary articles that highlight the dedication of voluntary work (‘‘A southern woman moving mountains’’), and the sheer necessity of the femaledominated profession of midwivery (‘‘She saved Jess’s life’’, Focus, March 18).

Both reflecting services our society cannot function without, and, sadly, in the case of midwives, the woeful lack if importance given to any work associated with traditional female occupations that involve caring, nurturing, homebuilding and anything that involves having to think fast on your feet and make crucial decisions while juggling several other things at once. Women’s work.

About two years ago my lovely landlady, a senior midwife at Middlemore Hospital, came over to Waiheke for a 24-hour break at her family bach. She said then that the maternity unit, one of the busiest in the southern hemisphere, was seriously short of midwives. She had just finished a shift where there were 25 women in labour and only six midwives available, an ongoing and tiring routine with the huge responsibilty for life as so well illustrated in the story by Marjorie Cook and Te Ahua Maitland. Tired, but aware of the rewards of 40 years’ service to her work, she has just retired.

The specialty, professionalism, and wholehearted connection with their patients and community, must be reflected not only in decent remuneration, but recognised and acknowledged as a vital service that upholds our society. The unpaid and voluntary part of women’s work that enables everyone to function, as in stay-at-home mum, and all the voluntary and time-consuming work associated, could at the very least, be factored into the economic equation, stats, etc. I won’t hold my breath! Julienne Sainsbury, Auckland