Full text of Facts on Women Workers : May 31, 1951

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FACTS

on Women Workers
U. S. Department of Labor

Maurice J. Tobin,

Secretary

Women's Bureau

Frieda S. Miller,

Director

WASHINGTON 25, D. C.

May

31, 1951

EMPLOYMENT OF WOMEN IN APRIL 1251
There were nearly 300,000 more women in nonagricultural employment in April
1951 than in April 1950. Employment of women on farms fell somewhat, due to
unfavorable weather conditions. Unemployment fell substantially.
Between March and April 1951 women in the civilian labor force decreased by more
than 1/3 million. This was chiefly due to withdrawal from the labor force of
women who had worked during the Easter season. Unemployment of women was
considerably less in April than in March. Increases in farm employment were
slight, and nonagricultural employment fell.

___ __________
April 1951
_________________
Number of Percent women Change since Change since
women
of all persons March 1951
April 1950

Civilian population
(14 years and over)
Civilian labor force
Employed
In agriculture
In nonagricultural
industries
Unemployed
Nonworkers

56,899,000
18,607,000
17,890,000
840,000

52.3
30.1
29.3
12.6

♦ 43,000
— 339,000
— 187,000
♦ 86,000

♦
♦
♦
-

663,000
544,000
714,000
83,000

17,051,000
716,000
38,293,000

31.9
41.1
31.3

— 271,000
- 154,000
♦ 334,000

♦
♦

798,000
171,000
120,000

(U. 3. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census)

LIBRARY
A. A M. COLLEGE OF TEXAS
Washington State has now completed the revision of its minimum-wage orders, the
final one being the order for women and minors in the telephone and telegraph
industry. Effective May 1, 1951, this order establishes 65 cents as the basic
hourly minimum for experienced workers, 50 cents for inexperienced (160 hours),
but excepts (1) persons employed as learners, apprentices, messengers or
handicapped workers under certificates Issued by Federal Wage and Hour
Administrator, (2) workers employed for a certain period during specified hours
of the night to whom suitable sleeping facilities are furnished. For the latter
group, the order establishes a minimum wage of (2 per 10-hour shift and allows
pro-rating.

MINIMUM WAGE

33/.

4~




SPECIALIZED EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM FOR OLDER WORKERS
A new program providing specialised counseling and Job finding assistance to
older workers seeking employment through local public employment offices was
♦
announced recently by the U. S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Employment
Security. The purpose is to promote maziiium use of older workers in the defense
program and to assist older men and women to find jobs for which they are
fitted. The U. S. Employment Service plans to send to local employment offices
a program guide outlining policies and procedures for use in providing
specialised counseling and placement assistance to men and women whose age pre­
sents special Job problems. This guide is based on the findings of a 5-State
survey of the job problems of 342,000 older workers.
AIR LINE HOSTESSES PLAN UNION CONVENTION

The first convention of the Air Line Stewards and Stewardesses Assoelation,AFL,
will be held in June, in Chicago. Formed in 1946, the Association has, in the
past 5 years, won representation rights for flight attendants from practically
all the large U. S. scheduled air lines. The Association now bargains for the
employment agreements of more than 3,500 stewardesses, hostesses, flight agents,
flight stewards, and flight pursers. Since 1946, working conditions have greatly
Improved, according to the AFL Weekly News Service; monthly flying hours have
been reduced, so that it is rare to find cabin personnel flying more than 85
hours in a month. In 1946 starting wages for flight attendants were about $125
per month) now beginning pay is closer to $200 a month.
MARITAL STATUS OF WOMEN WORKERS, 1950

In March 1950, about two-thirds of all the women in the Halted States were
married, one-fifth were single, and a little less than one-seventh were
widowed or divorced, according to a report just released by the U. S. Census
Bureau. About 25 percent of all married women were in the labor foroe,
compared with 17 percent in 1940.
Numbers of married women in the labor force have steadily increased since
the 1940 census period) by 1949, there were more married women workers than
single women workers. In 1950 the trend toward increasing employment of
married women was even more strikingly apparent) of nearly 18 million women in
the labor foroe in March 1950, 32 percent were single, 52 percent were married,
and 16 •percent widowed or divorced.
rs s iSSf-S
ocicnsr-aeens?as cai
jus

Women 14 lears Old and Over in the Labor Foroe

Percent of

Number
(in thousands)
March
1950

Tbtal
Single
Married
Widowed or
divorced




Peroent

woman population

March
1940

Maroh
1950

March
1940

Maroh
1950

March
1940

17,793,000

13,840,000

31.4

27.4

100.0

100.0

5,621,000
9,273,000

6,710,000
$,040,000

50.5
24.8

48.1
16.7

31.6
52.1

48.$
36.4

2,901,000

2,090,000

36.0

32.0

16.3

15.1

(v.

a.

Oapwtwnt

i

Commeroe, Bureau of the Census)

MAJOR OCCTPATIOMS 07 WOMB, ITKIL 1951

The greatest increases in women's employment between April 1950 and April 1951
were among operatives (chiefly in faotories) and women office workers. These
gains probably result from the defense program which requires both production
and clerical workers. The greatest decline was among saleswomen. Because
Easter was two weeks earlier in 1951 than in 1950, women who had taken temporary
jobs for the season had left the labor market or taken other work. The increase
among women household workers is somewhat counter to recent trends.

Member

All occupations
Clerical and kindred
workers
Operatives and kindred
workers
Service workers, except
private household
Private household workers
Professional, technical,
and kindred workers
Sales workers
Managers, officials, and
proprietors, except farm
farm laborers and foremen
Craftsmen, foremen, and
kindred workers
Farmers and farm managers
Laborers, except farm and
mine

Employed women, April 1951
Changes since
Percent
Percent of
April 1950
distribution
all workers

17.890.COO

100,0

29.8

♦ 714.000

4,931,000

27.6

65.1

♦ 392,000

3,737,000

20.9

29.7

♦ 522,000

2,143,000
1,872,COO

12.0
10.5

47.4
97.4

- 25,000
♦ 101,000

1,784,000
1,264,000

10.0
7.1

$7.4
34.9

- 78,000
- 252,000

1,039,000
608,000

5.®
3.4

16.6
26.0

♦
-

98,000
55,000

211,000
205,000

1.2
1.1

2.5
4.9

♦
-

30,000
48,000

97,000

.5

2.5

♦

29,000

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

HAcraarca or

oot^^qk toqsw im bdsimess amp

XMPQsng

Secretarial jobs led all others among placements of inexperienced college women
in business and industry in 1950, according to an annual survey of placements
of college graduates made at northwestern Qhiversity. Asports were received
from 150 business and industrial concerns, 60 of which reported on employment of
women. Mext to secretarial jobs, placements in merchandising, chemistry,
accounting, market research, engineering, advertising, personnel, and physios
were most numerous, in that order.
PULITZER PRIZE
Two women were among the 1950 Pulitser prise winners I Marguerite Higgins for
international reporting, and Margaret Louise Colt for a biography of
John C. Calhoun.




UN COMMISSION ON STATUS OF WOMEN MEETS

The Fifth Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Woman met
at Lake Success from April 30 through May 14* The 15 nations currently
represented on the Commission are Australia, China, Cuba, Dominican Republic,
France, Greece, Haiti, India, Lebanon, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Russia,
the United Kingdom, and the United States. Mae. LeFaucheux of France vas re­
elected chairman, and the Uhited States was represented for the second year by
Mrs. Olive Remington Goldman of Illinois. The only resolution passed unanimously
vas one urging greater participation of women in the work of the Uhited Nations.
An equal pay resolution, noting the valuable work done by the International Labor
Organization and requesting a resolution by the Economic and Social Council which
would urge nonmembers of the ILO to take comparable action, was enacted 12 to 2.
The status of nurses was discussed by the Commission and a resolution adopted
asking wider recognition for, and legal protection of, the professional status
of nurses. On the political status of women, the Commission urged ECOSOC and
the General Assembly to enact a Convention that would promote the political
rights of women throughout the world entitling them to vote in all public
elections, and to qualify for membership in publicly elected bodies established
by national law, and for all public offices and public functions. In addition,
a resolution was passed calling on the Secretary General to issue a brochure
designed to aid women in the exercise of their political rights.
WOMEN IN THE DIPLOMATIC SERVICE

President Truman this month appointed Frances E. Willis, legation councilor at
Helsinki, Finland, for promotion to Glass I in the diplomatic service. She is
the first American woman to reach that rank as a professional diplomat. Only the
permanent rank of career minister is higher.
Mss Willis has served with the
State Department for over 20 years and has held posts in Europe and Latin
America.

♦

WOMEN IN DENMARK

Helga Pedersen, for some years a judge in the Danish court, is now the head of
the Danish Ministry of Justice. According to newspaper reports, she is the
only woman in the Danish Cabinet and the first and only woman in Europe to
hold such a position.

H
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CAREERS IN CHEMISTRI AND CHEMICAL ENGINEERING. A collection of articles
reprinted from Chemical and Engineering News, July 3, 1950 through
December 25, 1950 . 94 PP* |1.00. American Chemical Society,
1155 - 16th St., N.W., Washington 6, D.C,(Includes reprint of article,
The Woman Chemist.)
FILIPINO WOMEN, THEIR ROLE IN THE PROGRESS OF THEIR NATION. 9 pp. 1951.
U. S. Department of Labor, Women's Bureau.
EMPLOYMENT OF WOMEN IN AN EMERGENCY PERIOD. 14 pp. 1951. U. S. Department
of Labor, Women's Bureau.
SUMMARY REPORT BY THE UNITED STATES DELEGATES TO THE FIRST REGIONAL SMNAR
OF THE INTER-AMERICAN COMMISSION OF WOMEN. 11 pp. 1951. U. S. Department
of labor, Woman's Bureau.
"What Mining Officials Think About Women Workers,® In ENGINEERING AND
MINING JOURNAL, January 1951.




(The printing of this publication has been approved by the
Director of the Bureau of the Budget, March 9, 1950. )