Full text of Facts on Women Workers : February 28, 1953

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FACTS

on Women Workers
U. S. Department of Labor

Women's Bureau

Marti* P. Durkia, Secretary

Frieda 8. Miller, Director

WASHINGTON 25, D. C.

The printing of this publication has been approved by the Director of the Bureau of the Budget, March 9, 1950.
February 28, 1953

NOTICE
We announce -with regret that this is the last issue
of *Facts on Women Workers.* In line with the economy
program in government the Bureau of the Budget has
’ not renewed approval for the publication of this
monthly newsletter.
The Women’s Bureau is sorry that
it can no longer provide you with this service.

EMPLOYMENT OF WOMEN IN JANUARY 1953

>». *
The civilian woman labor force, which includes both the employed and the
unemployed, was estimated at 19.1 million in January 1953*
Largely as a
result of the withdrawal from the labor force of women who had held holiday
jobs in trade, the January figure was some 600,000 below the December level,

but slightly higher than the January 1952 figure.

Employment status

Civilian noninstitutional
population

January 1953
Women
Change
Percent
Number
of all
since
December
persons
1952 .

Change
since
January
1952

Total, 14 years
and over.•••••••••• 110,648,000

58.U6.OOO

52.6

♦ 96.000

♦738.000

In labor force..........
Employed..............
In agricnTtnre......
In nonagricultural
Industries........
Unemployed. . ....................

62,416,000
60,524,000
5,452,000

19,082,000
18,550,000
644,000

30.6
30.6
11.8

-599,000
-684,000

♦166,000

-151,000

♦304,000
-194,000

55,072,000
1,892,000

17,906,000
532,000

32.5
28.1

-533,000
♦ 85,000

♦498,000
-138,000

Not in labor force......

48,232,000

39,064,000

81.0

♦695,000

♦572,000

Source:

U. S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census.

35A



nev; minimum-wage orders
Effective February 10, 1953, Oregon has issued a minimum-wage order setting
75 cents an hour as the basic minimum wage for women and minors employed in
preparing poultry, rabbits, fish, or eggs for distribution.
This is the first
time Oregon has established a minimum wage for employees in these industries.
Women employed in an administrative, executive, or professional capacity are
expressly exempted from the order*s provisions, as are women and minors
employed in canning fresh fruits, vegetables, fish, shellfish, or Crustacea,
or barreling or preserving fresh fruit and berries (which occupations are
covered by another minimum-wage order).
Also exempted are operations on the
farm, incident to production or preparation for market in their raw, live, or
natural state, of the products of that farm.

Except in emergencies, and then only after an emergency overtime permit has
been obtained by the employer, maximum hours are 8 a day, 44 a week.
Time
and a half employee’s regular rate must be paid for hours worked in excess
of 40 a week. More than 8-44 hours may be worked only if special permit is
granted by the Wage and Hour Commission and time and a half paid for hours
over 40 a week.
The order establishes various standards for working

conditions in these industries.
New York in addition to revising its wage orders in five occupations, has
issued an order bringing janitors and other building service workers in the
State under minimum-wage protection for the first time, effective February 15,
1953*
The Building Service Occupations order, applicable to men as well as
to women and minors, establishes 75 cents an hour as the minimum wage for
employees other than janitors in residential buildings.
For the latter,
minimum-pay scales are set at 75 cents per unit per week in centrally heated
buildings and 60 cents per unit per week in buildings not centrally heated.
The term *unit® is defined to mean each apartment, business, or commercial
establishment located in a residential building.
An overtime rate of |1.12j
an hour after 48 hours in residential, and after 40 hours in nonresidential,
buildings is also established.

EQUAL-PAY LEGISLATION
Widespread and continuing interest in equal-pay legislation is evidenced by
introduction of bills both in State legislatures and in the Federal Congress.
New bills are now pending in six States - Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota,
Nebraska, Utah.
In addition, in six States that now have equal-pay laws on
the statute books - California, Connecticut, Michigan, Montana, New York, and
Pennsylvania - amendments have been proposed to extend coverage or otherwise
strengthen existing standards.
Seven bills which would require employers

engaged in interstate commerce to provide equal pay for comparable work have
been introduced in the 83d session of Congress, six in the House and one in
the Senate.

The Equal Remuneration Convention (No. 100), which was adopted by the
International Labor Conference at Its 34th session, June 1951, has now been
ratified by three countries:
Yugoslavia, Belgium, and Mexico. The Convention
will come into force for the first two countries on May 23, 1953, and for
Mexico on August 23, 1953, 12 months after the date of ratification.



♦

OCCUPATIONS OF EMPLOYED VOMEN, JANUARY 1953

There was little change in the occupational distribution of employed women
between January 1952 and 1953*
Service workers (except private household)
are the third largest occupational group and professional, technical, and
kindred workers the fourth, while in January 1952 this ranking was reversed.
As in the past, about two-thirds of the employed women are doing clerical
work, but their actual number increased only slightly over the 1952 figure.
There was an increase in the number of operatives and of service workers and
a decrease among women farm workers.
Also there was a decrease of 8 percent
in the professional group.
Major Occupation Group of Employed Persons:
January 1953
Employed women
Total
Percent
Percent
Occupation
Number
employed
distri­
of
bution
total

•

.

Total employed........ 60,524,000 18,550,000

Clerical and kindred workers.
Operatives and kindred
workers

Service workers, except
private household..........
Professional, technical, and
kindred workers............

Private household workers...•
fla 1 ps workers................
Managers, officials and
proprietors, except farm...
Farm laborers and foremen....
Craftsmen, foremen, and
Tri ndred workers............
Farmers and farm managers....
Laborers, except farm
and mine.................. •••.•••••*

Source:

30.6

100.0

Change
since
January
1952

♦304,000

3,136,000

5,294,000

65.1

28.5

♦

12,764,000

3,726,000

29.2

20.1

♦200,000

5,032,000

2,288,000

45.5

12.3

♦254,000

5,174,000 1,962,000
1,300,000 'l'760'000
3,862,000 1,454,000

37.9
97.8
37.6

10.6

-178,000
♦ 36'000

6,664,000

9.5
7.8

6,000

♦ 86,000

1,720,000

1,042,000
462,000

15.6
26.9

2.5

8,^08,000
3,594,000

296,000
162,000

3.6

1.6

4.5

.9

♦ 38,000
- 28,000

3,470,000

104,000

3.0

.6

♦ 20,000

5.6

♦ 44,000
-174,000

U. S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census.

EMPLOYMENT OF VOMEN IN MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES:

SEPTEMBER 1952

In September 1952 there were 4*4 million women engaged in full-or part-time
employment of any nature in manufacturing industries in the United States. They
constituted 27 percent of all persons employed in manufacturing.
Over 100,000
women were working in each of the 12 industries, with the greatest numbers in
the manufacture of apparel, textiles, food, and electrical machinery.

W

More than a third of the 700,000 workers added to the manufacturing work force
between September 1950 and September 1952 were women. An increase in the number
of women workers in defense-related industries accompanied the general expansion
of the past 2 years.
Most of the quarter million women added to factory pay­
rolls during this period were employed in plants producing military goods—
pw.rt.icu1 arly ordnance, aircraft, and electronic equipment.
Other defense
related industries, such as instruments and chemicals, accounted for most

of the ramaining increase in the employment of women in manufacturing.


ILO TEXTILES COMMITTEE
One of the two U. S. Government delegates to the fourth session of the Textiles
Committee, which met in Geneva in February, was Mrs. Mary N. Hilton, Chief of
the Research Division of the Women’s Bureau.
This committee Is one of eight
industrial committees of the International Labor Organization, and is made up
of government, employer, and worker delegates from 22 countries.
The
representatives approved a series of resolutions relating to the employment
of women in the textile industry.

WOMEN’S BUREAU BULLETINS NOW IN PRESS

Woaanpower Committees During World War II; United States and British Experience.
WB Bull. 2U.
73 pp.
A Short-Term Training Program in an Aircraft Engine Plant. WB Bull. 245. 11 pp.

Employed Mothers and Child Care

u.

s.

DEPARTMENT

OF

LABOR

WOMEN'S BUREAU
WASHINGTON
OFFICIAL
III M I T

IS.

0.

PENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE TO AVOID
PAYMENT OF POSTAGE. *300

C.

IU I I Hl |J

NO.

1014

e
Library
Agricultural A Kechanical

College of Texas
College Station Texas
143-A

LETTER

MAIL

H
A
V
E

PROCEEDINGS OF THE SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF STATE MINIMUM-WAGE
AIMINISTRATORS, held by the Women’s Bureau, Washington, D. C.,
September IS and 19, 1952. Multilithed.
D-62.
U. S. Department of Labor,
Women’s Bureau, Washington 25, D. C.
1953.

I
0
U

NEGROES IN THE UNITED STATES:
Their Employment and Economic Status.
Bureau of Labor Statistics Bull. 1119.
December 1952.
5S pp. Multilithed.
For sale by Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office,
Washington 25, D. C., price 30 cents.

R
E
A
D

EMPLOIMENT, HOURS AND EARNINGS - STATE AND AREA DATA, 1947-51. U. S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Washington 25, D. C. 90 pp.
1952. Multilithed.