Evening star., 1961-02-21
Wonnen's
Work Role
HeIdNitoI
BY ISABELLE SHELTON
Star Staff Writer

"~eA9~eA -
place is in the home will find
little sympathy from the new
head Of the Department Of
Labor's Women's Bureau,
Mrs. Esther Peterson.
Those who think they can
solye the Nations Ills by BAN
:. ishing women from the work
force and sending them back
to the kitchen-"and / do
know such people" says Mrs.
Peterson-are dealing with q
world that no longer exists,
sl1e- declares.
"The point Is, women ARE
working. in unprecedented
numbers" she told o lunch-
con at the Woman'S National
Democratic Club. I'VE can't
spend our time moralizing
about 1t. We must look and
see what can be done to pre-
serve all the qualities Of
american life that are dear
to U.S."
: Third Of Work Force
p; Women comprise q third Of
atoday's work force, and that
) figure will rise to about 20
:, per cent by 1870 "if the needs
tiof the expanded population
are to be met" Mrs. Peterson
said.
- Suppose working women did
:. stay home, the new bureau
head. herself q working
mother with four children,
suggested.
"Who would work in our
: schools, our hospitals, our
restaurants? Who would do
!. our clerical and stenographic
jobs In offices-97 per cent
of which now are held by
women?" she asked.
Men would not be willing
to do many Of the low paid,
often drudgery-laden. Jobs
which women do, Mrs. Peter
!, son believes.
:, Economic Necessity
The great majority Of
women are working out Of
economic necessity. she con.
tinued. Married women are
: turning Q hand to help q
,jehless husband, or bringing.
a badly needed second in
4, ceme into o family where the
husbands earning is made
.quate.
:. This Is particularly true Of
working mother with small
children, the great majority
Of whom are married to men
: making less than $4,000 o
year, she declared.
/. The average woman's SAL
ary for full-time employ
lnent is $3,205 q year, COM
pared to $5,242 for the av-
erage man, she reported.
' What women workers need
more than anything else Is
an. opportunity Ito get moved
put Of these low claSSifica-
ytions Of employment where
they make little money" she
said.
President Kennedy'S cur
, rent proposal to raise the
minimum wage to $1.25 an
hour viii mean more to
WOMEN workers than men,
since women are lower down
the economic ladder, Mrs.
Peterson said.
=, The greatest difficulty
: with the Presidents propo-
sal Is going to come in the
attempts to broaden the
areas Of covered employ
lnet1t. predicted Mrs. Peter
son, who says she knows
whereof she speaks because.
frankly, I used to be a lob
byist." "a former school
teacher, she has been WASH
ington Legislative represent
ative of the AFL-CIO In
dustrial Union Department
the last two yearsJ
. Study Ways to Help
Some Of the ways the
Women's Bureau might help
preserve q full life for the
family Of working women
include putting emphasis on
day nurseries for small chill
dren. and possibly urging an
increase in the tax exemp-
ton for working mothers,
Mrs. Peterson said. These
are being studied" she said.
Right now, even as it ex-
plores ways to help women
in long range ways. the
.Women's Bureau is immedi-
ately concerned about the 2
million women who are
among the SIS million cur
=: rently unemployed. the
speaker said.
Secretary Of Labor Arthur