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STANDARDS
for the Employment of

WOMEN IN
INDUSTRY

BULLETIN No. 3

Issued by

THE WOMEN'S BUREAU
U. S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
FIRST EDITION - - DECEMBER 12, 1918
SECOND EDITION - - - MARCH 1, 1919
THIRD EDITION - - - • OCTOBER 15, 1921
FOURTH EDITION - - DECEMBER 15, 1928


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U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 1929

yHE WOMEN'S BUREAU
I is charged with the responsibility of
developing policies and standards and
conducting investigations in the industries of the country which shall safeguard the interests of women workers
and thus make their service effectivefor
the national good. It represents and
advises the Secretary of Labor in all
matters concerning women in industry
and is charged with maintaining close
contact with other agencies which deal
with special phases of the problem, including other divisions of the Department of Labor. It works with and
through State departments of labor.


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STANDARDS FOR THE EMPLOYMENT
OF WOMEN IN INDUSTRY.
The words "women in industry" are becoming more and more a familiar phrase as the
number of women in industrial pursuits is
growing larger year by year and becoming a
more important factor in the development, in
the very life itself, of the American people.
When the spinning, the weaving, the making
of clothes and shoes, and all the other industrial pursuits once followed in the home were
taken away and developed into factory industries, women were called upon still to conduct
many of the operations, and thereby became
part of the army of those gainfully employed.
Naturally they have not been restricted to these
transplanted industries, but have entered other
avenues of employment as occasion offered.
The public is inclined to forget this gradual
development, and to think that women entered
industry in large numbers only during and
since the war. It is because women wage
earners have become so numerous, and are being relied upon more and more to supply the
working force of the factories, that we have
come to realize the importance of women in
industry.
The number of women gainfully employed
increased in the decade ending in 1910 from
26525°--29


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five million to eight million. Two and one-half

million of these women were in manufacturing, trade, transportation, and public service.
Since that time indications are that in number
and proportion women have become increasingly important in industry. The large number of women in industrial pursuits therefore
present a special problem of their own.
The greater necessity for control of the
standards of women's employment is due to
the fact that women have been in a weaker
position economically than have men. Therefore it is necessary to give an opportunity for
the upbuilding of safeguards to conserve alike
the industrial efficiency and the health of
women and to make it impossible for selfish
interests to exploit them as unwilling competitors in lowering those standards of wages,
hours, working conditions, and industrial relations which are for the best interests of the
workers, the industries, and society as a whole.
During the war, by vote of the War Labor
Policies Board, all contracts of the Federal
departments contained a clause requiring full
compliance with State labor laws, and in each
State an official of the State labor department
was deputized by the heads of the contracting
departments of the Federal Government to
cooperate with Federal agencies in enforcing
these provisions of the contracts. This afforded
a basis and a precedent for continued relations
between State and Federal agencies in the upbuilding of standards for women's labor.
After the war closed the Government contracts
became fewer and fewer and therefore the responsibility of the States increased. But
the

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recognition of the national and international
importance of the standards of labor conditions is still paramount, since the Nation depends for its prosperity upon the productive
efficiency of its workers. No other foundation for commercial success will be so sure as
the conservation of those practices in industry
which make for the free and effective cooperation of the workers. Protection of the health
of women workers is vital as an economic as
well as a social measure.
Therefore at this time, in recognition of the
national importance of women's work and its
conditions, the Federal Government calls upon
the industries of the country to cooperate with
State and Federal agencies in maintaining the
standards herein set forth as a vital part of the
industrial program of the Nation.

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STANDARDS RECOMMENDED.
I. HOURS OF LABOR.

1. Daily hours.—No woman should be employed or permitted to work more than eight
hours in any one day. The time when the
work of women employees shall begin and end
and the time allowed for meals should be
posted in a conspicuous place in each workroom.
2. Half holiday. on Saturday.—The half
holiday on Saturday should be the custom.
3. One day of rest in seven.—There should
be one day of rest in every seven days.
4. Time for meals.—At least 30 minutes
should be allowed for a meal.
5. Rest periods.—A rest period of 10 minutes should be allowed in the middle of each
working period without thereby increasing the
length of the working day.
6. Night work.—No woman should be employed between the hours of midnight and
6 a. m.
II. WAGES.

The basis of determination of wages.—
Wages should be established on the basis of
occupation and not on the basis of sex or race.
The minimum wage rate should cover the cost
of living for dependents and not merely for
the individual.

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HI. WORKING CONDITIONS.

1. Comfort and sanitation.—State labor
laws and industrial codes should be consulted
with reference to provisions for comfort and
sanitation.
Workroom floors should be kept clean.
Lighting should be without glare and so arranged that direct rays do not shine into the
workers' eyes. Ventilation should be adequate
and heat sufficient but not excessive. .
Drinking water should be cool and accessible, with individual drinking cups or sanitary bubble fountain provided. Washing facilities, with hot and cold water, soap, and individual towels, should be provided in sufficient
number and in accessible locations to make
washing before meals and at the close of the
workday convenient. Dressing rooms should
be provided adjacent to washing facilities,
making possible change of clothing outside the
workrooms. Rest rooms should be provided.
A room separate from the workroom should
lie provided wherein meals may be eaten and
whenever practicable hot and nourishing food
should be served. Toilets should be clean and
accessible and separate for men and women.
Their number should have a standard ratio of
one toilet to every 15 workers employed.
2. Posture at work.—Continuous standing
and continuous sitting are both injurious. A
chair should be provided for every woman and.
its use encouraged. It is possible and desirable to adjust the height of the chairs in relation to the height of machines or work tables,
so that the workers may with equal conveni(5)

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ence and efficiency stand or sit at their work.
The seats should have backs. If the chairs are
high, foot rests should be provided.
3. Safety.—Risks from machinery, danger
from fire, and exposure to dust, fumes, or other
occupational hazards should be scrupulously
guarded against. First-aid equipment should
be provided. Adequate fire protection should
be assured. Fire drills and other forms of
education of the workers in the observance of
safety regulations should be instituted.
4. Conditions needing correction.—Work is
more efficiently performed by either men or
women if healthful conditions are established.
It is usually possible to make changes which
will remove such hazards to health as the following:
(a) Constant standing or other posture
causing physical strain.
(b) Repeated lifting of heavy weights, or
other abnormally fatiguing motions.
(e) Operation of mechanical devices requiring undue strength.
(d) Exposure to excessive heat, humidity,
or cold.
(e) Exposure to dust, fumes, or other occupational poisons, without adeequate safeguards against disease.
5. Prohibited occupations.—Women should
not be prohibited from employment in any
occupation except those which have been
proved to be more injurious to women than to
men, such as certain processes in the lead
industries.

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IV. HOME WORK.

No work should be given out to be done in
rooms used for living or sleeping purposes or
in rooms directly connected with living or
sleeping rooms in any dwelling or tenement.
V. EMPLOYMENT MANAGEMENT.

1. Hiring, separations, and determination
of conditions.—In establishing satisfactory
relations between a company and its employees
a personnel department is important, charged
with responsibility for selection, assignment,
transfer, or withdrawal of workers and the
establishment of proper working conditions.
2. Women in supervisory positions.—
Where women are employed, a competent
woman should be appointed as employment
executive with responsibility for conditions
affecting women. Women should also be appointed in supervisory positions in the departments employing women.
3. Choice of occupation.—The opportunity
for a worker to choose an occupation for which
she is best adapted is important in insuring
success in the work to be done.
VI. COOPERATION OF WORKERS IN ESTABLISHING STANDARDS.

The responsibility should not rest upon the
management alone of determining wisely and
effectively the conditions which should be
established. The genuine cooperation essential
to production can be secured only if provision
is made for the workers as a group, acting


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through their chosen representatives, to share
in the control of the conditions of their employment. In proportion to their numbers
women should have full representation in the
organization necessary for collective bargaining.
VII. COOPERATION WITH OFFICIAL
AGENCIES.

The United States Government and State
and local communities have established
agencies to deal with conditions of labor7 including standards of working conditions,
wages, hours, employment, and training.
These should be called upon for assistance.
Inquiries regarding the employment of
women may be addressed to the Women's Bureau, U. S. Department of Labor, Washington, D. C., and these will be dealt with directly
or referred to the Federal or State agency best
equipped to give the assistance needed in each
instance.

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OP THIS PUBLICATION MAY BE PROCURED FROM
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U.S.GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
WASHINGTON, D. C.
AT

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