Evening star., 1934-03-09
WORKING WOMEN
NEW VITAL FORCE
Civil Works Employment of
Thousands Demonstrates
Versatility.
BY the Associated Press.

by tne Associated freSS,
Women have proved themselves so
surprisingly "sportsmanlike" about the
working women has sprung up, says
Mrs. Ellen Woodward, director Of
women's employment for the Civil
Works Administration.
women have been willing to work
wherever there was work to do" she
says. and as result they have
shown themselves amazingly versa
tile.
"They are doing everything from
scrubbing tombstones to checking up
on strayed, lost or stolen husbands
who are not supporting their fam
lilies"
She points to a huge map on the
wall opposite her desk. It is elab-
orately marked to show where women
are working under c. w. A. There
have been 242,00O women given Jobs.
Just three months ago the map show
ing their employment centers was
blank, as far as Federal relief work
for women was concerned.
First Lady's Interest.
But, previously, Mrs. Franklin d.
Roosevelt had been gathering in
formation on the hundreds of desti-
tute, unemployed women. A confer
ence was called to consider the mat
ter and Mrs. Roosevelt presided over
1t at the White House November 20.
In few days it was announced that
y. w. A. funds were to give work
to women as well as men,
Mrs Woodward was brought here
from Mississippi to head the. project.
Women were added to each State
G. w. A. Office to find and create Jobs
for other women.
The originality and thoroughness
they displayed is evidenced in the
wide variety of jobs undertaken.
women are repairing school houses
IN the South says Mrs. Woodward
They climb ladders, painting the
buildings inside and out and where
fences need repairing they even 90
into the nearby woods to chop down
trees for posts.
Rural workers have been cleaning
up the little graveyards which had be-
Sottic oAo1i1dlly run DOWN.
In Nevada children would have
gone without school books except for
the corps Of c. w. A. woman workers
VINO repaired, rebound and cleaned
thousands of text books. The State
had no money to replace them.
Many cities now are sending
women out to instruct the unemployed
IN raising vegetable gardens.
Women even have followed State
ana repair the boundary posts.
This out-of-door work is proving
fine thing. Many women have writ
ten 10 us to say that after four weeks
work they feel like new persons.
Help on Road Work.
"They are helping on road work
IN seven States. They follow the
man workers, digging and planting
grass and shrubs along highways.
Others are gardening in rundown
public parks.
"Colored women have proven val
liable in draining and cleaning
swamps in the South, where we are
working on mosquito control.
1t has been a personal relief to
all OF us that we have been able to
help the highly trained, professional
workers who were penniless. I know
OF one elderly woman In Boston who
had been an art teacher. We found
ner work as guide at an art museum.
In another museum we placed a
woman taxidermist, who is doing such
flne work that we have received sew
era1 letters about her.
In California woman c. w. A
workers have been doing a survey of
women'S occupations to Law the
ground work for some longtime plan
Tor the eventual placement Of all the
unemployed woman workers."
The cooperation and SYMPATHETIC
of the man workers
has delighted the women's division.
Ihey have received several reports
d man c. w. A. employees giving up
their Jobs in favor of women known
to have small children to support.
1t means" says Mrs. Woodward.
'that our standard Of living has not
been affected enough yet to kill the
old ideal OF chivalry. And when such
an Intangible ideal stands up in the
face OF poverty we have not slipped