Full text of Facts on Women Workers : September 30, 1947

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oti 'Women Wo^i/ieAA

WOMEN'S BUREAU
U.S. DEPARTMENT
OF LABOR

SEPTEMBER 30,

1947

EMPLOYMENT OF WOMEN IN AUGUST 1947
The number of women in the civilian labor force increased by more than
100,000 between August 1946 and August 1947, while the number employed
showed practically no change* The median age of women in the civilian
labor force increased in this period from about 33J years to 34i years.
August 1947

Number of
women

,
Population (14 years
and over)
Civilian labor force
Baployed
Uhemployed
Armed forces
Nonworkers

54,612,000
17,310,000
16,680,000
630,000
18,000
37,284,000

Change since
Total persons
July, 1947_____ Number____ Pejcept wagen
+ 51,000
107,590,000
- 493,000
62,035,000
- 328,000
59,914.000
- 165,000
2,121,000
1,352,000
1,000
+ 545,000
44,203,000
(U. S. Bureau of the Census)

50.8
27.9
27.8
29.7
1.3
84.3

MINIMUM NAGS

The revision of Utah* s laundry, cleaning and dyeing order, effective
September 1, 1947, makes two changes in wage rates applicable to laundry
workers. No change, however, was made in rates for workers in the cleaning,
dyeing, and pressing industry. The new rate for women and minors working in
laundries is $22 for a 44-hour week. A daily minimum of 4 hours’ pay at
55 cents an hour is required for part-time workers.
An amendment to the New York mini mum wage law enacted at the 1947 legislative
session makes all wage orders mandatory as of the date they become effective,
i.e., 60 days from the date of making. Formerly, wage orders were issued as
directory, during which time enforcement could be obtained only through
publication of the names of violators in newspapers, not through court
procedure. Further action by the Commissioner was necessary to make the
orders mandatory. As a result of this amendment, the New York retail trade
order became mandatory May 19, 1947, and the six New York orders now in
process of revision will become effective as mandatory orders.
COST OF LIVING

Two States have had their cost of living figures for a self-supporting
employed woman brought up to date recently by application of BLS Coanodity
Price Indexes. Each of these States bases cost for housing and food on a
furnished room and meals eaten in restaurants. In Arizona the minimum
average annual cost was $1,853 as of March 1947* Commodities and services
items alone cost $1,563—a 57-percent increase since 1937-1938 when the
budget was priced. March 1947 estimate of the Colorado budget is $1,444
for commodities and services; $1,692 for the entire budget, including taxes,
insurance, and savings. There has been a 53-percent increase in the
commodities and services section of the Colorado budget since it was priced
in October 1937*




NIGHT WORK

Effective June 9, 1947> Connecticut repealed provisions of its hours law
that prohibited employmant of women between 10 pun. and 6 a.m. in
manufacturing, mechanical, and mercantile establishments, restaurants,
barber shops, beauty shops, and photograph galleries. Act directs
Commissioner of Labor to make regulations to protect the health and welfare
of females and to prescribe adequate transportation facilities if women
are employed between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. in the above industries. The
prohibition of women's employment after 10 p.m. in bowling alleys, shoeshining establishments, and billiard and pool rooms was not changed.

WCUEN WORKERS AT HIGH LEVEL AS POSTWAR JOB OPPORTUNITIES CONTINUE

Despite withdrawals of women from the labor market in the postwar period,
wooen workers are still more numerous than would have been expected on the
basis of past trends. The Bureau of Labor Statistics recently reported an
excess of 200,000 women workers over the 16.3 million anticipated as
“normal” for last spring. The excess occurred even though high marriage
and birth rates have resulted in subnormal numbers of women workers aged
20 to 34 years. The deficit in this group amounted to about 1 l/3 million
women. The excess over normal of girls 14 to 19 years was 630,000 and
that of women 35 years and over, 920,000.
WOMEN IN PART-TIME WORK

Of the 16 million women at work in September 1946, about 16 percent were
regular part-time workers, according to a special Census Bureau report on
part-time work. These women worked fewer than 35 hours during the census
survey week and were not seeking full-time employment. Another 4*4 percent
worked less than 35 hours in the census survey week because of illness, lay­
off, vacation, or other, temporary factors. Only 0.5 percent more were
“underemployed;” though they worked less than 35 hours in the census survey
week, they were seeking full-time employment which they had been unable to
find. ... Among men, 3.5 percent were regular part-time workers, 3.5 percent
' were engaged in part-time work due to temporary factors, and 0.4 percent
were involuntary part-time workers.

The survey showed that several industries (domestic and personal service,
agriculture, and trade) rely to a considerable extent upon part-time
workers. Women who cannot take full-time employment because of other
responsibilities make an important contribution to the labor supply in
these fields of work.
VETERANS IN FEDERAL EMPLOY
Figures released recently by the U. S. Civil Service Commission show that
in May 1947 there were 41,402 women veterans employed by the Federal
Government in the continental United States. They were 9 percent of all
women Federal employees. Among Federal agencies, the largest employer of
women veterans was the Veterans Administration, with 14,228. Next were
War Dept., with 7>392; Navy Dept., 5>040; Treasury, 3>531; and Post Office,
3,343. Of the 41,402 women veterans, 6,642 were working in the Washington,
D. C., area.




OCCUPATIONAL DISTRIBUTION OF EMPLOYED WOMEN, JULY 1947
Census figures just released give July 1947 statistics on occupational
distribution of employed women 14 years old and over* Earlier occupational
data appeared in the May Fact Sheet*

Major occupation group

Total employed, July 1947

Numbers of women
(in thousands)
17,008

Professional and semiprofessional workers
Farmers and farm managers
Proprietors, managers, and officials, exc. farm
Clerical and kindred workers
Salesmen and saleswomen
Craftsmen, foremen, and kindred workers
Operatives and kindred workers
Domestic service workers
Service workers, except domestic
Farm laborers and foremen
Laborers, except farm and mine

1,252
331
852
4,204
1,407
197
3,357
1,784
1,958
1,582
83

Percent
distribution
100*0
7.4
1.9
5.0
24.7
8.3
1.2
19.7
10.5
U.5
9.3
0.5

(U. S. Bureau of the Census)
EMPLOYMENT OUTLOOK IN MAJOR INDUSTRIES

Aircraft and Parts—-During April and May 1947 employment of women dropped as
a result of a general decline in aircraft employment as well as the continued
replacement of women by men* •«• About 14 percent of the labor needs to
October in the increasing segments of the industry (parts plants, engines,
and propellers) are for women, but declines in women’s employment in
assembly plants more than offset the favorable outlook elsewhere* ••• Little
difference is reported between male and female rates in the aircraft
industry. Average entry rate for men in June was 34*3 cents per hour, and
for women, 82.5 cents.
Banks and Trust Companies—The employment level in this industry continues
stable; most new hires among both men and women will be to replace
separations* • • • About 65 percent of the banks reporting to USES paid men
beginners between $1QQ and $140 monthly; 20 percent offered less than $100
and 15 percent paid over $140. Women beginners averaged about $10 per
month less than men* ... During the war years, female employment increased
significantly as banks hired women as tellers, checkers, and for other
occupations in which they were not formerly used* Since the end of the war,
this trend has teen reversed, but in June 1947, women were 54 percent of
total employment in the 281 banks reporting to USES.
Cotton. Silk* and Rayon Textiles—Employment of women in the 342 establish­
ments (approximately 2/3 of the industry) reporting to USES remains stable
at around 43 percent of total employment. Entry rates for male and female
unskilled production workers are practically identical* Almost half the
reporting firmr pay between 80 and 84 cents an hour; the others pay less*
Structural Clay Products—The only segment of this industry in which a
significant number of women are used in production work is floor and wall
tile. For some time women have been about 40 percent of total work force
here, but this proportion may rise since future needs are predominantly
for women*
(United States Employment Service)



JURY SERVICE FOR WOMEN - COLOMBIA, S. A
Though women in Colombia, South America, may not vote in popular elections
and are eligible only for appointive public offices, according to the
Pan-American Union, 80 women were listed among 1,000 citizens of Bogota,
in February 1947> as liable for jury duty this year. Any women chosen
from the list will be pioneers for their sex in service on Colombian
juries, but their eligibility under the Constitution has been assured by
a report from a special committee of Bogota judges. Colombian jurors
must be persons of good character and education, and must pursue an
occupation requiring intellectual ability. The 80-woman list for 1947
includes teachers, lawyers, newspaper women, social workers, a college
president, a museum director, and numbers of graduates from the National
University (though it has admitted women students for comparatively few
years).

MEN AROUND THE WORLD

United States—Two of the 10 members appointed by President Truman to
the recently established Board of Foreign Scholarships are women Dr. Helen C. White, professor of English, University of Wisconsin, and
Dr. Sarah Blanding, President of Vassar College. This Board has general
supervision over the educational exchange program set up by the Fulbright
Act, which authorizes the State Department to use foreign currencies and
credits acquired through the sale of surplus property abroad for programs
of educational interchange—study, research, and teaching.
England—New chairman of the General Council of the British Trades union
Congress is Miss Florence Hancock, an official of the Transport and
General Workers’ Union. Miss Hancock is the third woman to serve as
chairman of the Council; others were Margaret Bondfield and Dame Anne
Loughlin.

India—First Indian woman to become an Ambassador is Mrs. Vijalakshmi
Pandit, who is assigned to Moscow. Last December Mrs. Pandit served as
India* s chief delegate to the General Assembly of the UN, and she is also
serving in the same post at current meetings of the Assembly.
Panama—Among the delegates to the International Statistical Conference
held in Washington, D. C., recently, was Miss Carmen Miro, director
general of the statistical office of the Republic of Panama. She is also
Panama* s official delegate to the Committee on the 1950 Census of the Americas

HAVE

READ

Code of Women’s Labor Laws Adopted at Geneva: HO Conference Urges Follow-Up
Action on Principles, in LABOR INFORMATION BULLETIN, September 1947*
Women in Journalism, by Florence Wessels, in WOMEN LAWYERS JOURNAL,
Sumner Issue, 1947.
TYPICAL WOMEN’S JOBS IN THE TELEPHONE INDUSTRY. U. S. Department of Labor,
Women’s Bureau Bulletin 207-A. 52 pp.
WOMEN WORKERS IN POWER LAUNDRIES. U. S. Department of Labor, Women’s Bureau
Bulletin 215. 71 pp.
NURSING IS A GREAT PROFESSION. Nursing Information Bureau, 1790 Broadway,
New York 19, New York. 23 pp.