The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1941-02-07
NATIONAL DEFENSE
CALLS FOR A FAIR
WAGE FOR WOMEN
Mary Anderson, Director of Women's
Bureau, Says Standards Essential.

Bureau, Says Standards Essential.
Camden, N. J. (ILNS).-Condemn-
ing low wages for women as a menace
to the nation, Mary Anderson, director
of the Women's Bureau, U. S. Depart
ment of Labor, declared here that fair
wage standards for women workers
are an essential measure in the defense
program. She spoke at the regional
meeting of the Catholic Conference on
Industrial Problems.
Miss Anderson denounced the double
wage standard-one set of rates for
men and lower set for women-as a
"two-edged sword" making an injus-
tice to women and tending to lower
mems wages in occuptions where the
two sexes compete for jobs.
Good Pay Urged
Miss Anderson's discussion of wages
of women workers included the fol-
lowing recommendations in connec-
tion with defense:
1. Good wage standards must be
maintained to promote the health, mo-
rale, and efficiency of women as
workers.
2. All minimum rates, those set up
by the Federal Public Contracts and
Fair Labor Standards Act, and also
those established by state legislation
must be complied with. Where an in
dustry is covered by both federal and
state measures, the higher minimum
must be maintained.
3. Rates should be based on occupa-
tion and not on sex or race of the
worker. The standard of wages pre-
vailing for men should not be lowered
where women are employed.
4. Wage rates should be revised Pc
riodically and adjusted to marked rise
in cost of living.
The responsibility for carrying out
such program devolves not only on
government and industry, but on the
workers and general public as well,
Miss Anderson pointed out, stressing
the important and increasing stake
which organized labor has in the
march of progress for all workers
The law sets the bottom level for
wages, but the workers through their
unions can and do render valuable
services in developing fair rates of
pay for employees receiving wages
above the minimum.
Old Theory Held False
The old pin-money theory that
women work just to secure feminine
fripperies she declared to be false.
"Women work for the same reasons
as men-to earn a livelihood and to
support dependents, wholly, or par
TALLY. This is true of both married
women and single women. Thus dis
elimination against married women
causing them to be kept out of or dis
missed from jobs works hardships on
families, in need of their earnings,
and oftentimes throws an extra bur-
den on taxpayers.
"The unfortunate tendency to un-
dervalue women's services, dating
back to their original role as unpaid
producers by their own fresides of
most articles for family use, is partly
responsible for the low wages still
prevailing for large numbers of women
today.
Low Pay Evils Cited
1--WE know that insufficient pay is
the cause of a vicious cycle of troubles.
Low wages mean undernourished
bodies, depleted energies, inability to
do job well. Low wages predispose
to illness and accidents on the job, and
possible loss of job. Low wages mean
smaller benefits when workers are in
jured, unemployed, or retired because
of old age. Low wages are at the root
of our relief problems in this country
and mean that taxpayers in the final
analysis must subsidize firms that fail
to pay their workers enough to live
on"