O\'Brien Interview Miriam O\'Brien Began Her Teaching

O'Brien Interview

Miriam O'Brien began her teaching career in 1959. After several years hiatus in the mid-1960s, during which time she gave birth to two children, Mrs. O'Brien returned to the classroom in 1967. She remained there until her retirement in 2002. In a 2011 interview, Mrs. O'Brien spoke about her teaching career and about women's roles in County Wexford, Ireland, during her life and working years. One can reflect on the struggles for equality that American women faced and the changes that were effected thanks to the women's movement of the 1960s and 1970s. In Ireland, women faced even greater roadblocks in a traditional, patriarchal society. Mrs. O'Brien spoke of the inequity of men's and women's roles in the teacher profession. It is a fascinating look at practices that many people find shocking at the beginning of the twenty-first century.

Mrs. O'Brien first discussed the competitive nature of gaining a place in a teachers' training program. Students had to fulfill rigorous prerequisite requirements, including English, geography, math and history. Requirements were more challenging than for students who sought places in medicine, dentistry and law. Musical ability played an important role, as the Irish traditions were highly valued. Mrs. O'Brien, as did all teaching candidates, demonstrated that she was able to sight-read, sing, and pass an ear training test. She also had to demonstrate her facility as a needleworker.

Men and women in teacher training went to separate colleges. The men's college was smaller and accepted fewer students. Conventional wisdom held that men would stay in their careers for life, whereas women would leave the profession for marriage and motherhood. More young women needed training in order for there to be a constant supply of qualified teachers.

New teachers were generally hired by the parish priest. According to Mrs. O'Brien, qualifications mattered little in contrast to one's connections in the community. Interviews rarely took place. She explained that one replied by letter to an advertisement for an opening and received an invitation, or not, by return post to take the position. In many cases, teachers were hired in the villages where they grew up. They were known in the community and their families were known as well. The parish priest wielded a tremendous amount of power in a village. He would decide whether a candidate was suitable for a position and his opinion was respected without question. Mrs. O'Brien recalled an instance in which she was not hired for a position, even though she was told she had better qualifications than the candidate selected. The other young woman was "a local girl," and preference was given to her.

Mrs. O'Brien entered the teaching profession because, she said, she was told that she would not be get a place in a training program. She relished the challenge and found it to be a powerful incentive to be successful. This mindset served Mrs. O'Brien well in her teaching career, where advancement was nearly impossible for women and wages were poor. Her determination to enter the profession and to remain in it speaks to the dedication she felt. Although she did not address this aspect of her teaching career in this interview, it is clear she must have felt that teaching was a higher calling. Lack of opportunity, discriminatory practices, and poor wages did not deter her from the job.

Male teachers and male students were considered superior. With respect to children's studies, boys had more advanced training in math, while girls were schooled in needlework. It was considered more important for boys to have a strong academic background. With respect to leadership positions within schools, a woman could only be a principal if no man wanted the job.

Society and the school system diminished the roles of women in the classroom. There were two salary scales, one for married men and the other for women and single men. It is shocking to see that people were paid according to their perceived needs rather than their merits. Men were considered the breadwinners and thus needed, and were awarded, higher salaries. The government taxed married women at a higher rate, presumably to discourage them from holding jobs that could go to young people and married men. It was a clear attempt to force women into their traditional roles as wives and mothers.

Financial gain was hardly a motivating factor for Mrs. O'Brien. From her smaller salary, on which she was taxed at a greater rate, she had to pay for her own substitute teacher while she was on maternity leave. This was standard practice In Ireland during the 1960s, another incentive for women to leave the teaching profession and stay at home to raise their children. That was a choice that Mrs. O'Brien apparently did not consider, for she remained in the profession for nearly forty years.

Mrs. O'Brien's experiences typify those of Irish women during the second half of the twentieth century. They mirror experiences American women had in the teaching profession perhaps a generation earlier. It is interesting that education was valued, but teachers, at least women teachers, were not. The fact that women sought careers in teaching, despite poor salaries and lack of advancement, shows that they were eager to expand their roles beyond the traditional ones of wife and mother. They entered one of the few professions open to them and persevered, despite the challenges. Ireland's society was patriarchal and women's roles were clearly defined. It was expected that they stay home as wives and mothers; it was not expected that they enter the workplace.