Emily Dorothea Pavy

Emily Dorothea Pavy (19 June 18858 September 1967) was an Australian teacher, sociologist and lawyer. In 1912, she became the first Catherine Helen Spence scholarship recipient. While at London School of Economics, she researched the conditions of female factory workers and wrote a thesis named Welfare Work. She died in 1967.

Early life

Pavy was born on 19 June 1885 in North Adelaide to Cornelius and Emily Proud. Her family was liberal, and her father advocated for women's rights, including their suffrage in South Australia. She completed her secondary education at the Advanced School for Girls and then graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Adelaide in 1906. In 1917, Prime Minister Lloyd George had appointed her a C.B.E. by King George V; she married Lieutenant Gordon Augustus Pavy in London on 10 November 1917.

Career

In 1906, Pavy commenced working as a teacher at Kyre College for five years. Pavy studied the industrial conditions of female factory workers at the London School of Economics and wrote a thesis named Welfare Work which aimed to improve welfare policies and working conditions in British factories. She believed welfare measures could enhance individuality and living standards without reduced productivity, and advocated widely for women's issues through law, community service, and research. Pavy then studied law and was admitted as a lawyer in 1928, where she worked with her husband, also a lawyer, in general practice. She lectured in social science at the University of Adelaide and studied the children of divorcees. She retired in 1953.

Personal life

Pavy and her husband had two children, a son and a daughter, both of whom became medical doctors. Her husband died in 1964. Pavy died on 8 September 1967.

Publications