rere dons learning as students as well as educators. access of women to vocational training. Also, information was requested on 138. The report seemed to indicate that the Government supported a natalist policy !d raked linsk ltrial :ary "m , by providing awards and benefits to families with large numbers of children. That could be construed as discriminatory to women or families with few or no children at all. It was also queried whether official support for population increase was to compensate for the great losses incurred during the Second World War, in which case it should be assumed that there was no need for it any more. Several members of the Committee noted that the child-care leave was granted only to women, which still reflected the belief and practice that mothers were still primarily involved with the responsibility of caring for children. Information was requested as to whether child-care leave extended to fathers as well. 139. Some experts remarked that no information was given regarding family 1 :s of women Lt i and md i to was :>rity iIDent relations, provisions governing equality between the sexes at home and the responsibilities of fathers in carrying out household work. Furthermore, no mention was made of legal aspects, such as the Light of a woman to transmit her family name to her children. Also, it was asked if women could initiate paternity suits. They noted that no information was available regarding rape, prostitution and rehabilitation programmes. 140. In her reply, the representative of the Byelorussian SSR described in detail the prevailing system in her country. The Byelorussian SSR was one of the 15 republics of the Soviet UnionJ it had its own pol~tical and socio-economic structures. However, representatives of the Byelorussian SSR did participate in the higher bodies of the USSR in order to take part in decision-making affecting the country. Women were reported to part~cipate quite actively in political and jUdicial bodies. In the Supreme Soviet, 37.1 per cent of the deputies were women and in the local political bodies, 49 per cent. Furthermore, women comprised 25 per cent of the jUdiciary. to 141. Regarding the involvement of women in matters related to peace and in the rts 1 Iltry jer armed forces, women were involved in peace-related activities such as participation in the Stockholm-Moscow-Minsk Peace March and worked in support of the constructive position of the Government in that area. Women were not subject to compulsory military service, although women with a medical qualification were registered and, whenever necessary, might be employed as medical personnel in the armed forces. ~ere antage 142. Equal pay for equal work was enforced regardless of sex, age, race or ed ons , nationality and the employment rate for women was high in general. Women were found in all areas of occupation, except for those consiaered as harmful for future motherhood, such as those which involved carrying heavy loads or working underground in mines or in certain chemical factories. Women occupied high-level posts in various fields, but had a preference for working in the electrical industry, precision machine bUilding and tailoring. They were active in trade unions, where 46.2 per cent of the leading posts were occupied by women. Retraining was an important component of work-related activities and wae considered especially useful for mothers returning to work after periods of maternity leave. sed in n the ITer, s of 143. The importance of the role of women in non-production areas such as teaching, health, commerce, food, etc., reflected del~berate cho~ce rather than restrictions imposed on women. With regard to the question as to which sectors of industry were dom~nated by men and women respectively, she specified that in her country inaustry -23-