Show Women's Bureau of Labor abor Department 25 Years Old BUSY With Present and Postwar Needs of Workers I Agency Watches Over Rights and Security Of Eighteen Million By C. C V. V PETERS Eighteen and a half million women a are e now working for wages mostly in jobs essential to war Some five million of these are new to the labor markets markets markets mar mar- they have gone into factories factories factories fac fac- tories and fields since 1940 when the nation began to buckle down for the great conflict All in all women have been doing a magnificent magnificent magnificent mag mag- job No task has been too dirty or dangerous or difficult difficult difficult cult they have cheerfully accepted accepted accepted ac ac- ac- ac all discomforts and haz haz- ards In World War I when as now millions of women were called upon to replace men in a thousand occupations occupations occupations the department of labor beI became became be be- I came interested in the special needs and problems of working women I In 1920 a permanent subdivision the Women's bureau was established I which superseded the temporary Woman in Industry Service set up in 1917 II Miss Mary Anderson director of the war agency was appointed head of the Women's Bureau After I developing the Bureau to its present present pres pres- ent impressive status she retired last June at the age of 71 with 25 years of service to working women women wom worn I en accomplished Under the guidance of Miss Anderson Anderson An An- derson the bureau made intensive study of conditions and problems of women wor workers kers in various types of employment professional employment professional business industrial and domestic She was responsible for calling two important important important tant conferences of women in industry industry industry indus indus- try in 1923 and 1936 attended by representatives of all important women's organizations The principles principles ples pies she advocated were 1 Complete equality of opportunity opportunity opportunity for men and women on the basis of their individual merit skill and experience 2 Wage Vage rates based on job content content content con con- tent without regard to sex 3 Establishing of precise and objective objective objective ob ob- ob- ob I standards for determining job content as a basis for determining determining I ing wage rates In 1918 there were eight and a half million women workers In the u y 4 Mrs Nora T. T Sterns outstanding member of a class of pilots a big machine on the Ule acre Sterns farm She is a Triple-A Triple woman and organizer of her class of women tractor operators spring of 1940 there were 13 million N Now ow there are 18 million women inthe inthe in inthe the labor force These 18 million women make up 36 per cent of the total nonagricultural labor force and 20 per cent of the agricultural labor force of the United States I Machine Age Changes Life The amount of gainful work done by women at home has has' decreased steadily while the amount of their ga gainful work outside the home has increased At the beginning of the century women still were spinning spinning spinning spin spin- ning at home but the yarn was brought for weaving to large rooms where looms were in use The earliest earliest earliest ear ear- liest cotton mill was established in 1814 and thereafter weaving became became became be be- came a factory occupation In 1831 there were women employed in various cotton factories in the United States By the middle of the century the sewing machine I came into effective use usually operated operated operated op op- op- op by women Thus into a world of gardening and raising sheep in the back yard of grinding flour of weaving cloth in the front room the first machines machines machines ma ma- chines appeared and revolutionized our whole manner of life Since many of the earlier machines did work that had always been done by women at home manufacturers I S 'S j T r F I 4 1 j 1 4 A I- I i k This specially trained girl makes some sonic adjustments on the nose assembly assembly assembly as as- of a P 39 There is scarcely any task in aviation manufacture women have not mastered I looking for factory operatives turned to women The factories located with a view to available power and future marketing marketing marketing mar mar- soon developed communities and these attracted other workers in various lines of activity As towns grew in size many of the older household occupations became im im- im- im possible The entrance of women into wage- wage earning occupations was tremendously tremendously speeded up by the Civil war and World War Var I. I Of the role women women wom worn en played during the first World war we have a dramatic picture The war itself wrenched the whole industrial machine In the quick shift from peace to war women as well as men were rapidly absorbed absorbed absorbed ab ab- ab- ab by the iron and steel mills metal factories and foundries they were practically drafted to make munitions and other war supplies Aerial warfare created a new industry industry industry indus indus- try in which women were indispensable indispensable indispensable sable and it expanded the industries industries industries indus indus- tries that made the material necessary necessary i sary for aircraft manufacture I Meanwhile the army of men had to be fed and clothed andin andin and andin in addition the nations nation's industries had to continue to supply the needs of the people at home There are striking parallels between between be between be- be tween the first World war and the present one in regard to women workers In steadily increasing numbers then as now women entered entered entered en en- fields which had been regarded regard regard- ed cd as mens men's exclusive province province province-al- al although though thousands of women carried on in traditionally feminine food lood and fabric labrie industries Experienced women women wom worn en who were already in manufacturing manufacturing manufacturing turing in 1917 were utilized largely for munitions making They helped to train new groups formerly otherwise otherwise otherwise other other- wise employed such as school teachers teach teach- ers ens who joined their ranks as well as the large numbers of inexperienced inexperienced women never before in the labor force Growing numbers of i women were hired in such industries industries industries indus- indus tries as iron steel lumber transportation transportation transportation trans trans- equipment chemicals metal and metal products and oth oth- I ers The Women's Bureau had recorded record record- ed cd World War I experience record record-I in the use of women labor so it was natural natural natural nat nat- ural that the bureau should be recognized recognized recognized rec rec- as the official agency for all matters relating to women's employment employment employment em em- in the present war ef ef- ef- ef fort On March 15 1941 the Undersecretary Undersecretary Undersecretary Un Un- of War indicated that he would take measures to see that the War department take up all matters of concern to women workers workers work work- ers ens with the Women's Bureau and there has been close cooperation tion since that date Cooperative relationships have been established with the Navy Department with other Government departments and with state organizations organizations organizations organ organ- and war contractors Can Do Any Job If Trained The peacetime work women were doing on punch presses drilling machines machines machines ma ma- chines milling machines lathes grinders and polishers as well as their high record of achievement in inspection assembly filing bench work in metal and electrical industries was well known to the bureau The extent to which these developed skills would be useful to war-implemented war industries was easily demonstrated In the last war women had proved themselves able in an emergency to make good goodon on any job if adequately trained The transfer of vast numbers of agricultural workers to the war in industries industries in- in as well as the rapid induction induction induction tion of others into the armed forces resulted in a growing demand for forthe forthe forthe I the employment of women in agri agri- p im I I cP cPS S y cultural work In interesting women women women wom wom- en in such work the bureau cooperated cooperated cooperated cooper cooper- with other government agencies agencies agencies agen agen- cies concerned and in addition formulated formulated formulated for for- and helped put into practice practice practice tice standards for women's employment employment employment employ employ- ment on farms Today women are being utilized in three broad categories of jobs 1 Those that women have always done now multiplied by the demands demands demands de de- de- de mands of war 2 Those where they have been used as substitutes for men either as replacements or in expanding in in- in 3 Those that are new processes never performed by either sex some of these are arc the result of subdivision subdivision subdivision sub sub- division of skilled operations to facilitate fa facilitate fa- fa a- a mass production while others other's oth OUI- ers erOs are the result of manufacture of new kinds of equipment Though men are arc still found in most of the top and highly skilled industrial industrial industrial indus indus- trial jobs women to an increasing degree are doing the more skilled difficult and disagreeable jobs as aswell aswell aswell well as certain dangerous and sometimes sometimes sometimes some some- times inappropriate types of f work During World War Var I the question was Would women remain as workers workers workers work work- ers when the war end ended d Many people thought this question would be answered by the return of women to their homes or their old This time the question is How may we best organize and carry carry carry car car- ry out the shift from wartime to peacetime employment Three Million Will Quit The Women's Bureau believes that at least 3 million women will voluntarily voluntarily voluntarily vol vol- withdraw from the labor market market young young girls will go back to school older women at retirement age or past will retire many of the housewives who joined the labor force for the duration only will be glad to take over full time homemaking duties This will leave leavea a force of about 15 million women workers for the immediate postwar period Miss Frieda S. S Miller who became Director of the Women's Bureau on August 17 1944 believes the shift to peacetime jobs is a manageable thing if we are both forehanded and farsighted as to planning She believes this planning must mutt begin at local levels and provide for advisory advisory advisory sory counsels for all groups and facilities for training and retraining of war workers for peacetime em em- After Alter the last war the Assistant Secretary of War acting as the Director Director Director Di Di- rector of Munitions at at that time paid this tribute to women For the successful carrying out of our program for the production of vast quantities of explosives and propellants as well as shell loading the women of America must be given given en credit on account of the highly important part they took in this phase of helping to win the war Fully 50 per cent of the number of employees in our explosive plants were women who braved the dangers dangers dangers dan dan- gers connected with this line of work to which they had been of course entirely unaccustomed but whose perils were not unknown to Ui them em Miss Miller believes that women's contribution has been much more extensive in World War fl fI In the postwar world she says Let us dovetail the skills and experiences of men and women workers so as to produce all the varied and numerous numerous numer numer- ous goods and services needed for a well-balanced well economy and well well- rounded living for all our people With the war still far from being won women of America give every indication of surpassing all previous goals in war production Both young and old find there is a place for them in war var production At left a middle aged woman drills parts for Flying Fortresses in a Seattle Seattle Se Se- attle attIc Wash factory Center picture picture pic pie ture shows Miss Nita Carlin of Wee Wee- ha bawkin N. N J. J inspecting a high- high power radio transmitting tube Miss Carlin who is only 21 years old isa isa is isa a graduate of Hunter college in NewYork New J York city where she majored in physics She is being trained in factory engineering and is the first girl ever to be hired for Cor this work worl |