Evening star., 1936-03-15
Unrevd Assent Presence of 100000
Jobs CountyLbor Leaders Agree Unemployment
Would Not Be Solved by Return of Group o the Home

should say" he went on. "the greatest
executive in the world is, and always
will be, the wife with six children,
with a pay envelope of $40 per week"
Women's struggles to do their share
of the worlds work have moved along.
Their share in the hundred-year bat
tie could be made into the theme de-
velopment of a great modern SYM
phony.
In the late eighteenth and early nine
teenth centuries machines made their
appearance and took away the wom-
ans traditional home job. The ne
cessity to spin. weave, cook, sew and
do the thousands of hand tasks from
early morning until late at night dis
appeared.
Machines and factory production
changed this. Women followed the
machines. Four walls no longer held
women. Horizons broadened. The
feminist movement began its forward
march for equal rights. Educational
and occupational opportunities opened
up.
In 1870 less than IS per cent of
all women over 16 worked Now one
in every four works. And still there
is an oversupply for every available
job. At least 100000 women, con-
servatively estimated, are looking for
jobs today.
Factory employment Of women has
always been high. Though today
there are three and one-half times as
many men as women in factories, still
million and a half women work
there. 1t is estimated that there are
few factories where no women work.
The employment of clerical work.
ers has been increased from 1920 to
1880 by over half million. Wom-
ems particular fitness has been in
creasingly demonstrated for this type
of work.
Considerable increases have also
been noted in certain occupations
calling for business initiative. This
group includes the hotel and restau.
rant owners and managers, officials OF
factories, bankers and advertisers.
Others of an allied nature include the
many women who own or manage laun-
dries, cleaning establishments, ga
RACES, wholesale stores, etc.
THE domestic and personal group
swelled to siZable proportions be-
tween 1920 and 1880. The depression
forced many a trained worker to turn
to housework for pay. Whereas wom-
an farm laborers occupied first place
in women's occupations numerically
in 1910, this place is now taken by
the domestic and personal service
group, which embraces a large pro-
portion of colored women.
A specially constructive scope for
women's mental powers has opened
in the professional field. Today we
have more than 100000 women in
the professions. Four-fifths Of this
number are school teachers and train
ed nurses. Large gains are registered,
however, in the class Of professors,
college presidents, lawyers, judges, ed.
itors, reporters, librarians and authors.
Facts and figures are the breath Of
life to Miss Mary Anderson, director
Of the Women's Bureau in the De-
partment of Labor.
When I asked Miss Anderson what
proportion of women work that are
not forced to by necessity, she quickly
answered, LESS than / per cent"
How many married women would
get out of work If their husbands
earned enough, asked? Nearly all
Of them in mills and factories, she
answered, for why should a woman
want to work if she has the double
task Of taking care Of her home also?
Do men and women conflict much
in industry. asked. mo-" replied
Miss Anderson. there is . demarka-