Marriage Bars

Marriage bars were a practice adopted from the late 19th century to the 1960s restricting married women from employment in many professions, especially teaching and clerical jobs. Marriage bars did not affect employment in lower paid jobs, and therefore lowered incentives for women to acquire education. (Borjas)

“The ‘marriage bar’ was not discrimination against women. It can never be understood in that way. It was discrimination in favour of the full set of family households: a fairer redistribution amongst them. It was the progressive policy of its times—an important measure to promote social justice in a period when real want was a problem for millions. Times changed and it was abolished, but that it persisted up until recent decades was partly or even largely at the behest of women—to prioritise women in the work place who had no support from a husband. As soon as it ceased to be of use to women, it was rescinded.” (Moxon)