The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1941-02-20
WOMEN AT WORK
No. III
Mary Anderson, Director, Women's
Bureau, L. S. Department of Labor
"After Hours"

Haven't you often wondered what
the girl in garment factory or a
textile mill does when her work is
finished? Does she rush to get ready
for a party or a dance, or does she
pick up her school books and start
out for classes? Or is she too tired
to do anything but go to bed?
1t is more than idle curiosity that
has prompted these questions. Recent
ly there's been a great deal Of talk
about nationwide benefits from the
shortened workweek; and you have
often thought that the most important
benefit of all was that for the first
time the working girl had chance to
do and see the things she really en-
joyed.
Now some light is shed on the ques-
ton by Women's Bureau Bulletin No.
l81. This tells how last summer in
the Hudson Shore Labor School in
New York City AZ students were
queried as to what they had done the
year before with their non-working
time. These were not ordinary stu
dents, but working girls who were
taking the summer off to go to school.
They represented variety of national
and cultural backgrounds-for in
stance, came from Canada, and 7
were Negroes. The majority lived on
the Atlantic seaboard, but there were
also students from Chicago, Denver,
Pittsburgh, Richmond, and Washing
ton. Some were dressmakers, shirt
makers, miliners; others were domes-
tic workers, spinners, wravers, bakery
cooks, hatglass workers, electrical
workers. There was also laundry
inspector, waitress, a beautyparlor
operator, cork worker, glove
maker, a pocketbook worker, and sew
eral others.
The questions these students were
asked were not out Of the way, for
it has been an established practice Of
this school formerly known as the
Bryn Mawr Summer School for
Women Workers in Industry to an
alyze the students industrial expert
ences. Thus the girls on return to
their jobs are better able to view their
recent learning against the back
ground of a familiar environment, and
to carry on their new pursuits after
leaving the school.
A committeeof students drafted the
schedules, and all of them took part
enthusiastically in the interviews in
which the forms were filled out. These
included a calendar made out for an
average week" that might have oc-
Cured during the preceding fall or
winter.
Four-fifths of the workers had an
average workweek of under as hours.
But for some of them, travelling to
and from the place of employment
took great deal of time. Many Of
the girls also had house work to be
done at home. When time for job,
transportation, house work was added
up it made a heavy burden for some
of the workers-for s of them, a
workweek of 55 to G5 hours.
AS might be readily guessed recre-
alton took the largest share of the
non working time. BY recreation"
the girls meant the movies, dates"
visiting-all kinds of sports and
amusements. The movies were the
greatest attraction, with dates" not
far behind. Only 2S workers of the
AZ considered reading important
enough to enter on the weekly sched-
ule at least once. And often reading
was combined with conversation and
listening to the radio.
Almost three-fourths of the girls
had attended classes during the pre-
ceding winter. While some of the
workers had enrolled for scul pture or
photography or psychology or culinary
hints, the most popular subject was
current events. One worker attended a
forum on topics of current interest
3 hours a week. Another girl went
to class in economics sponsored by
her union and was chosen union repre-
sentative to attend the weekly classes
in economics and union problems held
by the Affiliated Schools in New
York.
1t was difficult to compute the
hours spent in union activity because
they varied so greatly from time to
time. For example, one individual
listed 7 hours of union activity a week,
which included an executive board
meeting and shop meeting, but in
addition, every so often she attended
a membership or shop stewards meet
ing. Another worker who listed only
2 hours of union work week was a
member Of the grievance committee
in her factory, and a third worker who
also gave only 2 hours a week, reg
ularly, pointed out that during labor
disputes she had given whole weeks
Of her time to house-to- house visiting.
The girls, themselves, weren't con-
tent with bare statistical summaries
but added graphic and sometimes
eloquent description of how they
spent their leisure hours. For example,
a worker in ladies' blouse factory in
Connecticut frankly says that her
work doesn't fill her life, that the
7 hours day at her machine leaves