Norwich bulletin., 1917-02-08
STORIES OF THE WAR
Million Women at Work.

Almost million wOmen-exactIy 9SS. .50O-have entered all kinds of po- lsitions held by men before the war began. and of this number nearly all l exactly 33,O0O-were actually subst1- tuted for men called to the front or diverted to other war activities. | This is shown in a survey or the whole movement toward woman labor since the outbreak of the war. made officially by the British labor depart ment. with data down to the last two months It shows ,, ,231 900 women now employed in all branches Of industry ! and commerce. or about a million more than when the war began It is this | new million of women workers one sees at every turn, on the tramWays i and motorbuses taking fares, in the government offices taking the place or the men clerks, in the hotels ana res taurants as walters and cashiers, in banks and business houses. and run ming cinemas, theatres, public houses, and the whole range of business ac- tivitieS.
 ernment has now figured out to a nicety. In banking and finance, for instance there were only $500 women employed before the warr; now the 500. In government departments also the women workers have increased from 66, 900 to 133,O00, displacing men in all but 5000 cases In industrial
 
 greatest. reaching 39S, 900, of which 314, GOO replaced men. Another veTT large increase of women is in the government ammunition works, where there were 1000 before the war and l117,O00 now. The government figures give the entire 117,000 as directly re- placing men.
 In commercial occupations, clerks in stores, offices. etc. the increase or placed men. In professional occupa- tions, connected with the law, medi- cine, magazine and newspaper work, etc, the increase of women is 15,eoO, Of which all have replaced men, curious fact is that each woman has replaced about two men in hotels, pub- lie houses, cinemas. theatres, etc, the increase of women being 16,000 and the displacement of men 30, 900. On buses, trans and various kinds of transport service the women have increased 41,000, the entire number re- placing that number of men, Men teachers are also largely replaced: all so men on municipal transport work, the total increase of women in this line being 34,000, of which 31,000 replaced men. In farm work many men have been drawn off 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 farm workers is S0,0O0. and the in crease since the war only 5O0- Women
 
 war.
 Summing up the substitution of women for men, the government state ment says there has been an increase of 15o. 900 since last July in the mum 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 workers has increased, the demand is also in- creasing in many branches.
 This replacement of men by women is introducing new elements in econ on1ic and social conditions which will have to be worked out when peace comes. The women are doing the mems work quite we'll as the men, so that 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 men. when the million men come back. Many commerciaLxhouses have prom ised to take back tJhe men but wheth- CT this means displaci the women, or keeping both, is still open. The lab- or unions are also apprehensive over the great swelling of woman labor, as women workers are now about half the total strength of the unions, which are chiefly mems organizations strong in politics and with representatives in Parliament $and the Ministry. NSo that the comne tition between the sexes is being extended all along the econoIni- cal. political and social lines.