Evening star., 1943-09-02
Women Should STAY
In War Jobs, VINO
Aides Agree in Forum

Al0eS agree IN f0rum
Even though war jobs offer few
glamorous moments to women
those so employed should stay or
the job despite drudgery, monotony
and home-making difficulties, fol-
the sake of their country, it was
agreed last night by War Manpower
Commission officials speaking over
the National Radio Forum, ar
ranged by The Star and broadcast
sover WMAL and the Blue Network.
Those taking part in the dis
cussion were Miss Margaret Hickey,
chairman of the VINO Womens S
Advisory Committee; r. Randall Ir-
win, executive assistant to the man.
agement members of the Manage
ment Labor Policy Committee, and
Miss Elisabeth Christman, alternate
member of the Women's Advisory
Committee.
Miss Hickey urged women in sur
plus labor areas to stay right
where they are unless the local
United States Employment Office
asks them to move"
Turnover Cited.
Labor needs in already jammed
production centers, she said, must be
filled by unemployed women already
living in those communities. That
means" she explained, women of
all ages, from all walks of life, of
all creeds and color, must step in
and take their rightful places in
the battle line"
Mr.. Irwin, who is assistant to the
vice president of the Lockheed Air
craft Corp, said one Southern Cali
fornia plane factory lis losing
woman employees faster than it can
hire them"
Miss Christman, who is secretary
treasurer of the National Womens
Trade Union League of America,
said that in production centers she
had visited men and women had not
complained, but had said they
needed reasonable leeway to look
after the necessary things without
being branded abSentees.
Inequities Corrected.
In many cases." she added, I'VE
find the cause to be rooted not in
the worker but in plant conditions.
BY correcting those and other in
equities we not only pave the way
for the employment of additional
women, but contribute in a major
fashion to keeping women in war
industry from quitting"
Asked to describe some of the
steps management has taken to
bring about the greater use of wom-
en- in the war effort, Mr.. Irwin said:
Il don't believe that management
as such has any particular attitude
toward the employment of women,
The primary purpose of war in
dustries is to produce, and produc-
ton must continue whether it be
with men or women employees. Pro-
gressive management recognizes this
fact and, as need develops for addi-
tional manpower, the employers S
only concern is to obtain the best
available workers. More and more
of that labor supply is composed of
women.
I'm some industrial areas women
constitute almost the only available
labor source"
1900, 900 Now Work.
Mr. Irwin pointed out that more
than 100000 women now are en-
ployed A few years ago, he said, the
Pacific Coast aircraft industry did
not employ any woman in factory
work, but today it depends on
womanpower for nearly half the
production work.
While 1t has been demonstrated
repeatedly, Miss Christman said,
that many jobs can be handled
more efficiently by women than by
men, it also is recognized that the
millions of new women workers in
industry present a number of special
problems. Studies by the United
States Women's Bureau, she said,
reveal that many women have two
jobs, the regular job at home and
a job in war plant.
The simple mechanics of living
have grown more complicated" Miss
Christman added. Not only are the
work days and the work weeks
longer, we must stand in line al
ways for groceries, gasoline, ration
books or to catch a bus. To shop
on the one evening the stores are
open-and in many cities there are
no evening store hours-is hectic but
necessary"
Child Care Stressed.
Miss Hickey said: The question
of child care is probably one of the
most serious in the general category
of home responsibilities. Here again
the community could take the lead
in establishing adequate nurseries"
She said the policy of the VINO
Womens Advisory Committee was
to defer employment of women with
young children until all other sources
of local labor supply had been
exhausted.
Underlying this policy" Miss
Hickey explained, "is recognition of
the necessity for protecting family
life and seeing to it that the home
Is not unnecessarily disrupted. Such
policy, however, is not meant to
exclude from the labor market
mothers who need training or en-
ployment"
Weiss Named to Direct