Mohave County miner. [volume] (Mineral Park, A.T. [Ariz.]) 1882-1918, 1917-02-10
NEARLY MILLION
WOMEN Of ENGLAND
IN MEMS PLACES
rrrnm Wednesdays Daily Mlnsrl

LONDON, Jan. 20.-Almost a mil
lion women-exactly 98S,500-have
entered all kinds of positions held by
men before the war began, and of this
number nearly all-exactly 939,00O--
were actually substituted for men call
ed to the front or diverted to other
activities.
This is SHOWN in a survey Oh the
whole movement toward woman labor
since the outbreak of the war, made
officially by the labor department, with
data down to the last two months. 1t
shows 1921, 900 women now employed
in all branches of industry and COM
merce, or about a million more than
when the war began. 1t is this new
million of women workers one sees at
every turn, on the tramways and mo-
tor bases taking fares, in the govern
ment offices taking the place of the
men clerks, in the hotels and restua-
rants as walters and cashiers, in
banks and business houses and run
ming cinemas, theatres, public houses
and the whole range of business &C
tivities.
Just how far this has gone the gov
eminent has now figured out to
nicely. In banking and finance for
instance, there were only $500 women
employed before the war; now the
number has increased four-fold to 49,
500. In government departments also
the women workers have increased
from $4,000 to $4,000, displacing men
in all but 5000 cases. In industrial
trades the increase Of women has
been greatest, reaching $4,000, Of
which $4,000 replaced men. Another
very large increase of women is in the
government ammunition works, where
there. were 1000 before the war and
117,000 now. The government figures
give the entire 117,OOO as directly re-
placing men.
In commercial occupations, clerks in
stores, offices, ETC., the increase of wo-
men is 5000, of which 264,000 re-
placed men. In professional occupa-
lions, connected with the law, medi-
cine, magazine and newspaper work,
etc., the increase Of women is 5000,
of which all have replaced men. A
curious fact is that each woman has
replaced about two men in hotels, pub
lie houses, cinemas, theatres, ETC., the
increase of women being $4,000 and
the displacement of men $4,000.
On buses, trans and various kinds
of transport service the women have
increased 1000, the entire number re-
placing that number of men. Men
teachers are also largely replaced;
also men on municipal transport work,
the total increase of women in this
line being $4,000, of which 81, 900 re-
placed men. In farm work many men
have been drawn of for the war, but
few women have replaced them. The
men On farms replaced by women is
given at 10000, while the number of
women warm workers is $4,000, and
the increase since the war only 500.
Women nurses have increased $4,000
since the war.
Summing up the substitution of wo-
men for men, the government state
ment says there has been an increase
of 10000 since last July in the num-
Der of women directly replacing men.
This shows a slight check in the rate
of replacement. In some trades, like
clothing and textiles, women workers
have decreased, probably because they
were able to get better wages in the
many new fields now opening to them.
In October 40 per cent of the textile
firms reported they were unable to
get all the women they required, SO
that while the supply of women work
ers has decreased, the demand is also
increasing in many branches.
This replacement of men by women
is introducing new elements in eco
nomic and social conditions which will
have to be worked out when peace
Lit WOLlGA OOAlAS IllS
mems work quite as well as the men
so that a new element of competition
is introduced between the sexes. The
women have the advantage of posses
sion of the million places, and it re-
mains to be seen whether they will
hold them, or whether there will be
another displacement of women fol
men when the million men come back
Many commercial houses have promis.
ed to take back the men, but whether
this means displacing the women OF
keeping both is still open. The labor
unions are also apprehensive over the
great swelling of woman labor, as wo
men workers are now about half the
total strength Of the unions, which arr
chiefly mems organizations strong il
politics and with representatives il