Legal > Nationality and status of women : statements presented by international women's organisations : supplement

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the wife's right of choice and demanding that she “ would have the righ^ to decide on her
marriage to a foreigner, whether or not she wished to accept her husband s nationality and
that she must not run the risk of losing her own nationality and becoming a foreigner without
her consent ” ; and further renewing its support of the principle that “ a woman must be
able to keep her nationality even after marriage . , _ . ^ n
The question was further discussed by the International Socialist Women s Congress m
July 1931, when the following statement was adopted :
“ The necessity for the international regulation of the nationality of married women is
^^itdependent of the fact that the obtaining or changing of nationality should be made
as easy and simple as possible for all men and women by international agreemenT and t ra
in particular, the tragic fate of being without nationality should be avoided, efforts must
be made to obtain for women :
<< (!) A right of option at marriage. In the majority of cases the woman will be desirous
of having the same nationalitv as her husband. This she should be entitled toa mere
declaration of will within a legally stipulated period. But, in order that she shall not be
compelled automatically and compulsorily to lose her own nationality and adopt that
of her husband, as is the case with regard to the relations between a number ot States
to-day, she should herself be able to choose whether she will retain her own nationality or
adopt that of her husband.
“ (2) In order that a change of nationality during the course of married life on the
part of the man shall not automatically apply to the wife should this be contrary to her
desire and interests, the woman shall also have the right of option in this eventuality.
Should she desire to change her nationality at the same time, however, she shall not be
compelled to commence a separate process of nationalisation.
“ By simply formally placing the married woman upon an equal plane with the man
as regards the obtaining and loss of nationality, the legalpositionof hundreds of thousands
of women would be worsened.
" (3) The right of the women to repatriation (thefright to the re-acquisition ol the former
nationality) in consequence of the dissolution of the marriage by legal separation or by
the death of the husband, which right already exists in many countries, should be made
general by international agreement.
“(4) In order that women ignorant of the law shall also be in a position to benefit
from the laws, women must everywhere be informed of the legal position upon marriage,
as well as in the event of a change of nationality on the part of the husbands, and their
declaration demanded."
In various countries, the same demand has been reiterated by women’s organisations.
In our view, the position was admirably expressed in the resolution agreed uponjby a Committee
representative of Belgian Women’s Organisations which was adopted on March 22nd, 1932 :
“ (!) That a woman’s nationality should not be affected by her marriage unless she
expresses a wish to that effect;
“(2) That, in order to safeguard the unity of the family, a right of choice should be
granted to the wife ;
[a) At the time of marriage ;
{b) During married life, in the event of the husband changing or losing his
nationality ;
(c) After the dissolution of the marriage ;
“(3) That the choice should be operative free of cost, and that the wife should be
asked to declare her wish in full knowledge of the position after a reminder by the
competent authority, so that these provisions may not remain a dead letter for the majority
of women little versed in the law. ’’
It is, then, on the basis of its own resolution that the International Women’s Committee
of the Labour and Socialist International invites the League of Nations to work out the text
of a Convention to safeguard the married woman’s right of choice and to protect her from a
change of nationality without her consent.
Civil and Legal Equality and Equality in the Labour Market.
The International Women’s Committee of the Labour and Socialist International is
unanimous in demanding the reforms in the sphere of civic rights which are needed in almost
every country. A woman must cease to be “ the eternal minor
Concerning the right of women to work, the Committee holds that the attacks upon this
right are unjust and the restrictions imposed in most countries indefensible. It views with
serious concern the restrictive measures passed and put into operation within the last two years
in seven European countries and New Zealand, to exclude women from posts for which they are
fitted by training or in some cases to force them to resign from posts which they actually held
when the legislation in question was introduced. It also regards with alarm the tendency m