Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-10-11
Status of Women
Report Released

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should be the governing
principle in private employ
ment."
The order also should re-
quire compliance by all en-
ployers who have Govern
ment contracts, the commits
sion advised. This provision,
if enacted. would cover about
20 per cent of all women
workers, the commission esti-
mates.
Other Recommendations
The report covers a wide
range Of other recommended
tons, including the follow
ing:
l. Federal tax deductions
should be raised for child
care expenses of working
mothers and the present IL
year-old age limit for chill
dren should be raised. Fur
ther, the present family in
come ceiling for families
should be raised common
surate with the median in
come of couples :" CThe
$500 figure was set in 1854,
when the median income was
around 1886. 1t had risen
to $7,188 by 1861. Hence,
the majority of working cou-
Piles are ineligible for deduc-
tions," the report says.
2. All American commune
ties should provide modern
homemakers with contem-
porary adaptations of some
of the supportive services
availa Bile to their grand
mothers whose relatives lived
nearby, as well as other serv-
ices essential to alleviate ten
sions and complexities gener-
ated in crowded urban CEN
ters." These should include
child-care centers with fees
scaled to ability to pay, aft
er-school and vacation pro-
grams for children and ur-
ban programs similar to the
Department of Agriculture's
Home Demonstration Service
for rural areas.
8. Public and private
groups should mbine to
help families "avoid or over
come breakdown or depend
ency and establish a sound
ly based home llfe," and also
to provide comprehensive
provisions for health and re-
Mobilization services. Without
such special concern and
help, 1.-The unbroken cycle of
deprivation and retardation
repeats itself from genera
ton to generation" the re-
port comments.
4. The Federal Fair Labor
dardS Act should be
broadened to cover workers
in hotels, motels, restaurants,
laundries, additional retail
establishments. agriculture
and non-profit organizations.
5. State legislatures should
pass equal pay bills and pass
or extend m inimum wage
laws which include time
and-one-h alf for overtime.
They also should protect the
right of all workers to join
unions and bargain collec-
lively.
6. The Civil Service Com
mission and Budget Bureau
should work out ways to en-
courage women usually
mothers with children at
home) to do part-time work
for the Government.
Z. A widows Federal old
age benefit should be in
creased to the amount her
husband would have received
at the same age If he had
lived (She presently gets only
821a per cent?.
8. Federal and State gov
ernments both should extend
unemployment insurance
systems to those now not
covered, and should seek
ways to cover at least some
household workers and agri-
cultural workers.
Commission Through
The commission recon-
mended to the President that
1t go out of existence as of
today. It suggested he issue
an executive order designat-
ing a cabinet officer to carry
on as the responsible official
to see that the other recon-
mendations are carried out.
The order also should des-
ignate the heads of other
Governme nt agencies in
volved in the program to
serve as members of an in
terdepartment com mittee
with the cabinet officer.
Finally, the commission
recommended that the Presi-
dent establish a citizens COM
mittee, to meet periodically
and advise the Government
committee.
The report will be formally
presented to President Ken
nedy by Assistant Secretary
Peterson and DR.. Richard A.
Lester of Princeton Universe
ty, commission vice chair
man, who have been direct
Ing the project since the
death last November of Mrs.