maternity

Mrs. Lora Wagner (LOC)

from The Library of Congress

• pennylrichardsca (now at ipernity) said:

  Mrs. Lora Wagner was a married New York City teacher who protested the New York City policy of suspending teachers who became mothers. She gave birth just 13 hours after leaving the classroom; while still recovering, she wrote to the mayor, asking him to direct the Board of Education to change their policies about teachers and maternity leave. See: Patricia Carter, "Becoming the 'New Women': the Equal Rights Campaigns of New York City Schoolteachers, 1900-1920," in Richard Altenbaugh, ed., The Teacher's Voice: A Social History of Teaching in Twentieth-Century America (Psychology Press 1992): 54.

• swanq said:

  See NYT of November 12, 1914, select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F00612FD3C5C1373... "The Board of Education for fully two hours and a half yesterday afternoon wrestled with the case of Mrs. Lora M. Wagner, the teacher-mother in the Curtis High School. First, it decided by a vote of 25 to 8 against the report of its Committee on High Schools granting her a leave of absence from Nov. 3, 1914, to Sept. 10, 1915, for the purpose of rearing her child. .... "

• Barbara (LOC P&P) said:

  Thanks to both of you for the information and citations. Fascinating! We'll add some information to the description when we update.