The herald., 1894-03-25
WOMAN'S WORLD.
GOOD SHOWING MADE BY WOMEN IN
THE CIVIL SERVICE.

Woman In Public Anairs-The Bicycis
Made UsefuI-wonon Doctors For In.
sane Womsn-Dressing the Bride-Leg.
islation For Women.
Time, according to the Iatest-ninth
published report-1se1-e - of the
United States civil service commission,
has brought about decided increase in
the chances for women who wish to en-.
ter the public service. The civil serv-
ice law practically went into effect in
1888. The report for 1884 stated that
while tho "law" made no distinction on
account of sex the appointing power"
had this far used its discretion in the
selection from the list of eligibles of less
than one-sixth as many women as men,
although a larger proportion of female
than male competitors passed. During
the fiscal year 1901 f47 women were
appointed to the classified departmental
service-exclusive of 1879 printers as
sistants in the bureau of printing and
engraving. During the same period 776
men were,appointed or proportion Of
women to men of somewhat less than
to s. In the year 1e91-2-the period
covered by the present report-the
number Of women appointed in cor
responding departments was SO and
of men 245, showing a proportion of
women to men of little more than
in 3, very decided gain for wom-
en-. While the commission naively
expresses itself as unable to account for
this change of animus on the part of the
appointing powers it comments on the
fact as one of general interest and sug-
gests that it probably shows that the
prejudice which has heretofore existed
to some extent against the appointment
of women to the classified service is
gradually disappearing.
When, however, the lists of tables of
promotions are scrutinized, we feel that
the mystery is partly explained. By
executive order December, 1891, promo
tions were put on the basis of the eff
cheney records kept in the departments
and the close competitive tests which
have supplemented these records. These
show that when women in the public
service have a fair and even chance
with the men they win their full share
of the more lucrative and responsible
positions. 1t has been noticed that this
is especially true with reference to those
who have come into the service through
the competitive examinations of the
commissions.
That the extension of the merit sys-
tenn is the main explanation of the re-
markable increase in the number of
women appointed and promoted i'll the
classified civil service is disclosed by
the elaborate tables incorporated in thi5
report AT the civil service examina-
tions throughout the country higher
general average of marks is secured by
women than by men, except in the more
difficult technical examinations, where
as a rule women do not compete" when
they do the showing is decidedly in ia
vor of the men," The earlier reports of
the commission did not always indicate
the sex of competitors, but table has
been prepared which gives the ratio of
women to the whole number examined,
as well as their ratio to the whole num-
Der who passed the examinations for
different branches of the service from
January, 1886, to June 80, 1892. We
find that whereas the women were only
10 per cent of the number examined,
over n per cent of women passed as
against some go per cent of the men.
The men record is improved, however,
the general proportion being raised to
CO per cent, if we add the examinations
for the railway mail service, for which
women are Ineligible York Post.