<P> A marriage bar is the custom and practice of restricting the employment of married women in general or in particular professions or occupations; and sometimes the practice called for the termination of employment of a woman on her marriage, especially in teaching, clerical and other occupations, and sometimes widowed women with children were still considered to be married preventing them from being hired . </P> <P> The practice never had an economic justification, and its rigid application could be disruptive to workplaces . It was justified during depression years as a social policy to find jobs for more family units, but the policy persisted beyond such economic times . The practice was common in some Western countries from the late 19th century to the 1970s . Marriage bars created a disincentive for women to marry, at least until they were ready to give up work, and some women, including Ruby Payne - Scott, kept their marriage secret to keep their jobs . Marriage bars did not affect employment in lower paid jobs, and therefore lowered incentives for women to acquire education . Marriage bars were widely relaxed in wartime . </P>

When was the marriage bar lifted in ireland