The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1950-02-16
WOMEN IN
INDUSTRY

In new report on night work
for women in hotels and restaur-
ants, the Women's Bureau of the
U. S. Labor Department says that
employment of women at night has
long been a matter of concern
among those interested in social
welfare conditions. However, the
bureau points out, conditions under
which women work either by day
or by night have undergone trem-
endous changes since the concern
about night work first arose, and
this has altered some of the found
ations of the old concern.
Night work for women has been
objected to on physical as we'll as
moral grounds. For some years the
effect of night work upon health
has been a subject of much contro-
versy. "If there is no physical rea-
son." says the report, "why sleep
is not possible by day, nor why
women cannot work by night, there
may still be social reasons why
fatigue remains a problem. The
accumulated testimony of years of
investigation tends to substantiate
the conclusion drawn long ago that
women, more than men, suffer
from fatigue on night work because
adequate sleep by day is impossi-
BILE for the worker who leaves work
to assume a multitude of domestic
responsibilities"
Sound public policy with regard
to night employment of women, the
report indicates must rest upon
fuller understanding of basic en-
ployment problems under present
day conditions. A broad approach
to dealing with night work for
women must include a considera-
tion both of appropriate legisla-
tion and of the policies which lie
outside the realm of legislation
For many women who now need to
work at night, so that their days
can be open for family and house
hold responsibilities, the develop
ment of better community services
! for their convenience would pro-
vide greater freedom to accept
daytime employment.
The survey covered hotels and
restaurants in Atlanta, Indiana
polls and Hartford, Conn. Surpris-
ingly enough it was found, in the
hotels studied, that night work
was not very significant part of
women's total employment, even
though there was no legal limita-
tion on such work in the areas
studied. While women accounted
for more than half of all employ
ment in hotels, only very small pro-
portions were employed after 10 p.
| m.
In restaurants, the proportion of
women workers employed after 10
p. m. was greater, but most of the
night work for women as we'll as
men was limited to late evening
rather than graveyard" or all
night shift. Restaurants in the
areas studied tended to close by II
midnight or l a. m. Those remain
ing open all night were the fewer
/ in number and were usually the
small counter-type establishments
employing small numbers Of work
ers.
The Illinois State Federation of
Labor Weekly News Letter says
that Mrs. Ann Douglas Fook, 2S, a
member of BARRIERS Local Union
No. 939, Chicago, was recently ap-
pointed a member of the State
Beauty Culture Examining Com
mittee, the first Negro to serve on
this important committee which APP
proves licenses of beauty cultur-
lists, shops, schools and teachers
throughout Illinois. She is a grad
uate of Northwestern University
, with degree in science and ply
steal education.
J. !. i
Following adoption by the Sen
ate of the Equal Rights Amend
ments, the National Young Wo-
mems Christian Association re-
peated its opposition to the mea-
sure. Mrs. Alfred f. Nudge, chair
man of the national boards public
affairs committee, described the