Full text of Women Workers in Peru : Women's Bureau Bulletin, No. 213

The full text on this page is automatically extracted from the file linked above and may contain errors and inconsistencies.

O'

WOMEN WORKERS




f-^eru

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Women's Bureau

Bulletin 213

LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL
United States Department oe Labor,
Women’s Bureau,

Washington, April 15, 1947.
I have the honor to transmit a report on women workers in
Peru. This bulletin is the result of a project undertaken in Peru by
the Women’s Bureau with funds made available through the Depart­
ment of State, as part of this Government’s program of scientific and
cultural cooperation with the other American Republics.
The survey was made in 1943 and the report written by Mary M.
Cannon, Chief of the Women’s Bureau International Division, who
visited Peru as Inter-American specialist of the Bureau.
Respectfully submitted.
Frieda S. Miller, *
Director.
Hon. L. B. SCHWELLENBACH,
Secretary oj Labor.
Sir:

u




CONTENTS

Letter of transmittal
Foreword_______________________________________________________________
Introduction
Number of employed women
Women’s Bureau survey, 1943____ ..
Women in manufacturing plants______________________________
Industrial home work and independent handicraft trades____________
Women office and store employees_____________________
Telephone operators_____________________________ __________________
Women in the professionsi
21
WagesWomen in workers’ organizations____
Labor and social legislation
Labor legislation affecting women
Hours legislation__________________________________ _ . __________
Wage legislation
Other legislation_______________________________________________
The Department of Labor
34
Social insurance .
Housing and restaurants for workers______________________________ Vocational and trade schools
36
Women’s organizations______________________

Pageii
iv
1
2
9
10
16
21
21
24
29
32
32
32
32
33
34
35
38

TABLES
I. Gainfully employed persons, by industry and sex, Peru, 1940_______
II. Total employment and number and percent of women in service indus­
tries, Peru, 1940
III. Age of gainfully employed persons, by industry and sex, Peru, 1940__
IV. Women in the population, employed women, and women in specific
industries, by areas visited, Peru, 1940_____________________________
V. Products or service and number of employees in establishments
visited, Peru, 1943

4
5
6
8
9

ILLUSTRATIONS
Women sorting potatoes for size__________________
3
Woman glove worker__________________________ _____________________
13
Weaving straw, Lambayeque, Northern Peru __________________________
19
Articles woven of straw
19
Teacher in rural schools
~22
Members of the Society of Women Commercial Employees______________
30




iii

FOREWORD
Peru is often referred to as one of the most conservative countries
in relation to the position of women and to their participation in the
economic and political life of the country. However, women are an
important factor in the economic development of Peru, and although
they do not have national suffrage they are increasingly interested in
national elections and in their government. Municipal suffrage was
granted to women in 1933. For years women have carried heavy
responsibilities in education and in social welfare institutions.
The material in this bulletin is based on a survey made in Peru in
1943, on the 1940 population census of Peru, and on supplementary
source material. It will serve as a basis for noting changes and
progress wdrich will inevitably occur.
iv




Women Workers In Peru
INTRODUCTION
Geographically, Peru is divided into three well-defined and distinct
regions: the coastal region with its expanse of arid land cut transversely
by small, narrow, green valleys—the agricultural and petroleum zone;
the “sierra” or mountainous region, with its plateaus and fertile valleys,
extending the length of the country—the zone of mines, cattle, and
agriculture; and the selva (or “montana,” as the Peruvians call it),
with its largo rivers, virgin forests which form an immense green sea,
tropical and unhealthy—the rubber and forestal zone. Peru is larger
in area than Texas, California, and Michigan combined, and ranks
third in size among the nations of South America.
The total population in 1940 was 7,023,111, according to the census
taken at that time. This number includes an estimated 350,000
living in the tropical jungle or selva who could not be reached by the
census takers. The estimate was based on reports from military and
police officers, teachers, missionaries, and explorers whose reports
were examined and verified by special agents and inspectors of the
Census Department. Approximately 7% percent of the 6,207,967
actually counted are included in the total to make up for omissions.
The racial characteristics of the popidation make-up are significant
in an interpretation of the employment statistics: 53 percent arc white
and mestizo (mixed white and Indian), 46 percent are Indian (descend­
ants of the Incas and the Aymar&s).
Indians and mestizos make up the majority of those employed in
agriculture, in which more than half of the total population gainfully
employed are working. They are peons on the large estancias; they
tend the flocks; often they own small pieces of land which they culti­
vate for food for themselves and their animals, while they do other
work for cash wages.
Indians comprise the large body of workers in the metal mines
which, with petroleum, provide the most important exports of Peru.
Indians and mestizos make up a large percentage of those employed
in textiles, the manufacturing industry having the largest employment,
for included by the 1940 Census in those gainfully employed in textiles
are the hundreds who work at their traditional skill of weaving in their
homes.
The economic-social history of Peru is important in understanding
Peru today. In the Inca period, the economic-social organization was




/

K/oinen 'l^orheri in P-

2

communal in character, with the work and goods divided proportion­
ally among the inhabitants. In the Spanish colonial period (which
lasted three and a half centuries) a new society diametrically opposed
to the former was established, this one based on private property, with
a feudal system for agriculture, and introducing a religion, a language,
and social customs wholly different from those which the inhabitants
had known before. Then the Republic was established in 1821, with
its new political organization, bringing years of restlessness and change.
The public buildings of Peru, the houses, the industries, the culture
of the people reflect these three strains in the nation’s history: that is,
the Inca, the Spanish colonial, and the modern.
NUMBER OF EMPLOYED WOMEN
Until the last 10 or 15 years, work outside the home was not generally
accepted for women of families in the middle and higher economic
brackets and for those with higher education. However, women were
teachers long before 1930, and more than 35 years ago a few young
women started to work in offices.
.
The increasing number of girls and young women in schools, particu­
larly in special and vocational courses, in colleges and in the universi­
ties, indicates a change in attitude toward women’s paid employment.
The number of female students increased from 218,000 in 1940 to
285,941 in 1942. This increase gains importance upon analysis:
in 1941, 4.3 percent of the total number of women students were in
schools and classes above the primary grades; in 1942 the percentage
of the total increased to 5.1 percent. Of this number who were in
schools above the primary grades, 5.3 were in special or advanced
courses or in the university in 1941; this percentage increased to 6.7
in 1942. These percentages, although not large, show a growing
tendency of young women in Peru to prepare themselves for employ­
ment, for special, advanced, and university courses are taken as
preparation for jobs.
Women belonging to the lower income classes have had no choice
but to earn what they could for themselves and their families. These
women, many of them the sole support of their children, still form the
largest part of all gainfully employed women today.
Females comprise approximately 51 percent of the total population
of Peru, and 35 percent of the total number gainfully employed. Of
the total female population, 28 percent are gainfully employed, while
of the total male population, 52 percent are gainfully employed.




'llJomun 'lAJorheri in P-

3

Agriculture, Cattle Raising

Peru is chiefly an agricultural country, and more than half of all
women and girls gainfully employed are in agriculture and cattle
raising; in agriculture they make up 28 percent of the total number.
The census report shows women working in the cultivation of cotton,
rice, garden products, potatoes, and other crops. In cattle raising
more women than men are employed; they comprise 52 percent of
the total and 13 percent of the managers or owners. This does not
mean that women are working in a modern large-scale cattle-raising
industry; on the contrary, the great majority of them watch the cattle
and sheep in the open pastures and do the milking and other work
which is part of the industry. The women who arc wage earners on
the farms, in cattle raising, are very largely Indian and mestizo.

l43l£C&

# , *.«.« < *

rta*®* sbjT^Sw'
-Jp

'VKv.r^s.V
:#5* "'*V>J
WOMEN SORTING POTATOES FOR SIZE

Manufacturing

Manufacturing lias become increasingly important in the domestic
economy of Peru in the last 12 years. The manufacture of consumers’
goods for the domestic market was given new impetus when importa­
tions from other parts of the world became almost impossible because
of the Second World War. The most important of the manufacturing
industries are textiles, foodstuffs, beverages, wearing apparel, leather
goods, shoes, cement, and lumber.




l/women l/l/ornerS in. / eru
Table I.—Gainfully Employed Persons, by Industry and Sex, Peru, 1940 1
Women
Industry

Total
Number

Total population_________________________________________
Gainfully employed

6, 207, 967
2, 475, 339

Agriculture..................... ........................................................................
Manufacturing (including home industries)
Textiles,—___________ _____ __________________________
Clothing, shoes, and accessories
Food processing_______________________________ _______
Ceramics and nonmetal minerals
Beverages and distilleries_____________________________
Chemical products
Woodworking...................... ...........................................................
Leather products, hides, furs
Printing, bookbinding, photography
Metals..___________ __________________________________
Manufacturing industries not elsewhere classified
Instruments, watches, jewelry
Tobacco.____________________
Paper production and paper products
Electric power: Production and distribution of electric
power.......................... ................................ ......................... .
Cattle, forestry, fishing, and hunting
Cattle raising................................................... ...............................
Forestry____________ ____
Poultry raising
Fishing____ _________ _
Gardening____________ ____ _____ _____________________
Hunting___ ____
Professional,2 domestic service, and other personal services___
Domestic service____________ _________________________
Other personal services (hotels, restaurants, bars, laun­
dries, etc.)--.-.......... ................................... ..............................
Professional service 2_______
Clubs, radio, theaters
Commerce, credit, and insurance
Commerce____________________
Various agencies (customs, representatives of foreign
firms)_________________ _________ ___________ _______
Finance, banks, and insurance
Public administration and other services of general interest...
Public administration____
Cultural activities and private educational institutions - - _
Other services of general interest
Religion___________
Diplomatic and consular offices in Peru
Transportation and communication
Communications
Highway transportation
Railroad transportation
Water transportation
Air transportation___________________ ______ __________
Mining and similar extractive industries
Building, construction, and repairs______ _
Other, not classified___

1,293, 214
380, 281
ISO, 910
90, 039
22,158
11,712
5, 830
3,108
24,182
4, 941
4, 962
14, 788
1,447
2, 649
419
643

3,140, 099
877, 018

Percent
of total
employees
51
35

361,746'
214,765
158, 541
43, 085
4, 636
3, 038
1,895
674
550
514
458
404
330
170
168
161

28
57
83
48
21
26
33
22
2
10
9
3
23
6
40
25

2, 493
252,975
233, 529
6,905
1, 429
8,301
2,138
673
165,099
118,038

141
123,967
121, 508
862
808
465
294
30
111.220
85, 286

6
49
52
13
57
6
14
5
67
72

41,013
3, 324
2. 724
112,126
104, 704

24,991
561
382
36,101
35,100

61
17
14
32
34

4,141
3,281
89, 021
56, 378
13,663
15,899
2,853
228
51,079
4,048
30, 286
7. 463
8, 586
696
44, 694
45,659
41,191

520
481
16, 507
7, 586
4, 566
3,161
1,149
45
2, 423
1,192
883
192
109
47
1,231
877
8,181

13
15
19
14
33
20
40
20
5
30
3
3
1
7
3
2
20

1 Source: Peru Census of Population and Occupation, 1940, pp. CLXXX, 272 ff.
2 These are persons with professional degrees who are practicing their professions independently. The
census does not reveal the number of persons practicing in professions who are employed by commercial
and manufacturing firms and by the Government.

Manufacturing is second to agriculture in importance in the em­
ployment of women. About one-fourth of all employed women are
in manufacturing. The largest numbers of women arc employed in
textiles, where they make up 83 percent of the total number of work­
ers.1 Not all of the women employed in the manufacture of textiles1
1 In cotton mills visited in Lima, women made up a small percentage of the total number employed.
Plant managers said they were replacing women with men as fast as possible.




ll^oinen *\AJorleri in

A

5

are found in factories, however, for classified as part of the textile
industry are those women who weave materials, ponchos, blankets
on their hand looms in their homes, and who spin their own yarn.2
Self-employed home industry workers appear in other industries,
such as ceramics and jewelry, as well as in textiles.
Offices and Stores

The number of young women working in offices and stores has
steadily increased, particularly in recent years. The membership of
women in two organizations of commercial employees is a good illus­
tration. The Society of Women Commercial Employees, organized
in 1917 with 10 members, after 6 years had only 35. The next year
the membership increased to 100; recently 500 members were reported.
Another organization called the Society of Clerical Employees of Peru
had a membership of 7,000 men and women; more than 1,000 of the
members were women.
According to the census, women comprised almost a third of the
total employment in 1940 in commercial, financial, and insurance
companies. An analysis of employment by occupation shows that
1,001 women were employed in banks, insurance companies, and other
offices; of the remaining 35,100 the largest numbers were employed in
Table II.—Total Employment and Number and Percent of Women in Service
Industries, Peru, 1940 1
Women
Service

Total
Number

Personal services other than domestic _____________________
Bars, canteens, billiards, and tearooms _
___ ___ ____
Swimming pools, barber shops, beauty parlors, shoe-shinHotels, restaurants, boarding houses, inns __________
Amusement and eating places, lodging houses, taverns___
Laundries and dry cleaning establishments, and laun­
dresses
Other personal services not elsewhere classified
Professional services 2
Pharmacy.___________ ______________________________
Notary.
Midwifery_________
____ ______ _ _.
.
Veterinary................................................. ................. ..................
Medicine
Dentistry
Engineering

Percent of
total em­
ployees

41,013
3, 228

24,991
921

61
29

4, 237
8, 467
9, 026

390
2,402
8, 258

9
28
92

8,941
7,114
3,324
59
229
315
53
1,307
610
404
244
103

8, 053
4, 967
561
6
11
304
3
111
49
36
15
26

90
70
17
10
5
97
6
9
8
9
6
25

1 Source: Peru Census of Population and Occupation, 1940, pp. 272 ff.
2 These are persons with professional degrees who are practicing their professions independently.
The
census does not reveal the number of persons practicing in professions who are employed by commercial
and manufacturing firms and by the Government.
2 Women in interior towns and in the rural areas twist yarn on bobbins as they watch the flocks, sit in the
market places, or walk along the streets and roads.




lAJomen UJoi lerJ in P-

Table III.—Age of Gainfully Employed Persons, by Industry and Sex, Peru, 19401

All employees

Employees whose
ages were
reported

Industry

Employees
whose ages
were—
6 and under 15

Total

Fe­
males

Total

Fe­
males

Total

Total____ _________ ___ ________
2, 475, 339 877, 018 2, 474,316 876. 637 161,832
Agriculture_____
1. 293. 214 361,746 1, 292, 693 361, 576 54, 445
Cattle, forestry, fishing, and hunting
252, 975 123, 967
252, 897 123, 931 63, 404
Mining and similar extractive industries
44. 694
44, 677
1, 231
1,230
526
Manufacturing (including home industries)... 380, 281 214, 765
380,141 214, 672
9, 516
Building, construction, and repairs
45, 659
877
45, 651
877
454
Transportation and communication
51, 079
51, 060
2, 423
2, 422
484
Commerce, credit and insurance.
112, 091 36, 090
112, 126 36,101
1,495
Public administration and other services of
general interest___________________________
89, 021 16, 507
88, 931 16, 493
283
Professional,2 domestic service, and other personal services.
_____ _____
165, 099 111, 220
165,019 111, 168 28, 665
Other, not classified
41,191
8,181
41,156
8,178
2, 560

Fe­
males
74, 517
15, 887
34, 567
48
7, 219
24
56
443
77
15, 372
824

1 Source: Peru Census of Population and Occupation, 1940, pp. 368-369.
2 These are persons with professional degrees who are practicing their professions independently. The
census does not reveal the number of persons practicing in professions who are employed by commercial
and manufacturing firms and by the Government.

grocery stores, meat markets, in the general markets, in selling fruits
and flowers.
Few women or men are employed in selling wearing apparel. Cloth­
ing is custom-made, and large numbers of women are working at
dressmaking. (They are classified as manufacturing employees in the
census report.) The statistics for Lima, where a larger number coidd
normally be expected to be employed in retail stores, show that 285
women and 871 men arc employed in department and dry-goods stores
and 158 women and 268 men in shops selling cashmere and other
materials, ready-made clothing, and hats. The dressmaking shops
combine selling, making, and fitting the garments; in these shops in
Lima there are 2,264 women and 125 men employed.
Public Administration and Other Public Services

in the census classification “public administration and other public
services” the largest number of women, 5,503 out of a total employ­
ment of 9,608, are found in the Ministry of Public Education, which
includes the public schools. In private educational institutions there
are 2,683 women and 2,185 men.
Professional, Domestic, and Personal Services

This group ranks fourth in importance in women’s employment.
Extensive employment of women is found in domestic and other




lAAomen lA^orLeri in P,

7

Table III.—Age of Gainfully Employed Persons, by Industry and Sex, Peru 1940 1
Employees whose ages were—

15 and under 20 20 and under 30
Total

Fe­
males

292, 615 111,396
142, 103 35, 743
36, 906 21, 398
5, 846
245
41, 679 25, 596
5, 763
118
4, 041
216
9, 890
3, 120

Total

Fe­
males

676, 223 226, 486
339, 663 89, 718
49, 841 24, 309
19,156
481
109, 788 62, 046
318
15. 121
16, 842
957
9, 802
31, 689

30 and under 45
Total

Fe­
males

721, 653 240,080
389, 798 108, 291
52,124 22, 614
13, 943
317
116, 798 63, 263
14, 945
249
19, 582
802
40, 821
12,619

45 and under 65
Fe­
males

65 and over

Not reported

Total

Fe­
males

Total

474,512 168, 905 147, 481
275, 356 83, 275 91, 328
37, 368 15, 544 13, 254
4, 671
125
535
77,436 42, 777 24,924
8,014
132
1,354
8,904
332
1,207
23,409
8,118
4, 787

55, 253
28, 602
5, 499
14
13, 771
36
59
1,988

1,023
521
78
17
140
8
19
35

Total

Fe­
males
381
170
36
1
93
1
11

5,832

1,255

38, 375

6, 039

28, 676

5, 774

12, 766

2,624

2,999

724

90

14

33, 495
7,060

22,494
1, 211

42, 211
13, 537

30, 297
2,519

34, 613
10, 353

24, 302
1,849

20, 701
5,887

14, 758
1,220

5,334
1,759

3.945
555

80
35

52
3

personal services, as is shown in table II.
In the professions practiced independently, there are 561 women out
of a total employment of 3,324. As shown in table II, the largest
numbers are found in midwifery and in law.
Number of Employed Women According to Age

According to the census the largest number of employed women are
in the age group 30 and under 45, the next largest number in the age
group 20 and under 30. The gainfully employed were counted from
age 6, the first age group being 6 and under 15. Cattle raising
employs the largest number of girls in this classification; agriculture,
domestic service, and manufacturing follow in the order mentioned.
The children who watch the sheep and cattle in the pastures, for
their food and shelter and sometimes a small wage, account for the
number in cattle raising. Undoubtedly the majority of those
between the ages 6 and 15 employed in agriculture are working as
helpers; the number in domestic service would be for the most part
those who do light work in homes and who watch younger children.
Since work in factories is regulated for children under 14, the majority
of the 7,219 girls included in manufacturing would be working in
home industries.




tiJomen lAJorkeri in Pm

8

Table IV.—Women in the Population, Employed Women, and Women in Specific
Industries, by Area Visited, Peru, 1940 1
Area visited
Lima
Number in population—Total-------------------Women______________________________
Number gainfully employed—Total________
Women______________________________
Percent women are of all gainfully employed.
Industry
Agriculture............... ............................. .................................................
Manufacturing (including home industries)--------------------------Textiles______________ ____
Clothing, shoes, and accessories_____ ____ _______________
Food processing-----------------------------------------------------------Ceramics and nonmetal minerals
Beverages and distilleries____ ____ ______ _______ ________
Chemical products_________ ____ _______________ ____ _
Woodworking______ _________________ _________________
Leather products, hides, furs____________________ _______
Printing, bookbinding, photography
Metals...---------------- ----------------------------------------- ------ Manufacturing industries not elsewhere classified...........—
Instruments, watches, jewelry______________ _________ _
Tobacco----- ------------------------------------ -----------------------Paper production and paper products...............................
Electric power: Production and distribution of electric
power..........................................................................................
Cattle, forestry, fishing, and hunting__________ _____________
C attle raising____ _____ _____________________________ _
Forestry......................................... ................................. ...........
Poultry raising
Fishing.............................................................. ................................
Gardening____ ___ ____
Hunting
Professional,*2 domestic service, and other personal services____
Domestic service
Other personal services (hotels, restaurants, bars, laundries,
etc.)------------ -----------------------------------------------------------Professional service 2.................................... ............... .................
Clubs, radio, theaters
Commerce, credit, and insurance
Commerce............ ..................................................................... .
Various agencies (customs, representatives of foreign firms).
Finance, banks, and insurance____ ____ _________________
Public administration and other services of general interest
Public administration--------------------------------------------------Cultural activities and private educational institutions
Other services of general interest
Religion______ _____________________ ___________ _______
Diplomatic and consular offices in Peru
Transportation and communication..______________________
Communications__________ ______ _________ ______ _____
Highway transportation____ ____ _
Railroad transportation____________ _____ ______________
Water transportation...................... ......................... ...................
Air transportation
Mining and similar extractive industries------ -----------------------Building, construction, and repairs____ _____ _______________
Other, not classified-------------------------------------------------- ---------

828, 298
403, 642
321, 749
97, 030
30.2

Callao
82, 287
38, 250
27, 326
4, 761
17.4

Junin
428. 855
219, 512
163, 311
56, 244
34.4

Arequipa
263,077
130,971
106, 716
36, 394
34.1

Number of women gainfully employed
27,935
14, 590
2, 745
8, 394
894
351
163
438
300
195
286
236
141
74
147
145

124
856
39
636
39
6
8
43
7
2
22
16
20
4
2
7

28,966
7,133
4, 372
1,887
403
262
13
36
39
41
7
22
24
16
1
4

81
3, 974
3,601
3
98
137
132
3
29, 560
24, 658

5
50
5
5
38
2

6
8, 563
8, 481
17
27
14
24

1,976
1,572

6,361
4,988

4, 281
387
234
8, 967
8, 245
365
367
7, 793
3,227
2.174
1,841
509
42
1,024
413
416
118
37
40
146
529
2, 512

366
21
17
564
502
41
21
660
177
123
342
17
1
86
29
10
12
33
2
6
23
416

1,332
18
23
3,401
3, 385
7
9
769
356
293
79
41

13, 053
4, 705
2,116
1, 758
399
48
132
27
22
96
26
17
53
8
3
4, 525
4,443
22
20
27
8
5
8,669
6,669

191
93
85
12
1

1,867
17
6
3, 702
3, 655
34
13
912
367
232
118
193
2
159
78
60
10
11

211
56
593

66
33
580

» Source: Peru Census of Population and Occupation, 1940, pp. 55, 58, 61, 287, 316.
2 These are persons with professional degrees who are practicing their professions independently. The
census does not reveal the number of persons practicing in professions who are employed by commercial
and manufacturing firms and by the Government.




WOMEN’S BUREAU SURVEY, 1943
Three different sections of Peru were visited by the Women’s Bureau
representative in 1943: Lima, the capital of the Republic, and Callao,
the nearby port city, on the Pacific coast; Huancayo, a city in the
mountainous Department (State) of Junm east of Lima; and Arequipa, a city in the Department of Arequipa in the southern part of
Peru, which is also high and mountainous. The extent of women’s
employment in these areas is shown in table IV.
Factories and other work estalishments employing women, educa­
tional and social-welfare institutions, labor unions and other employee
organizations, government agencies, and women’s organizations, were
visited, and individuals were interviewed. The program was planned
and carried out in each place with the cooperation of the Peruvian
Department of Labor.
Of the 28 factories and small work establishments visited, 11 were
textile and knitting mills, 6 were making wearing apparel and acces­
sories, 3 were making food products. There was one each of phar­
maceutical, paper products, perfume, metal products, and laundry
and cleaning establishments. Two telephone exchanges and the
office of an export-import company were also visited.
Table V shows employment of women in those establishments.
Table V.—Products or Service and Number of Employees in Establishments
Visited, Peru, 1943
Women
Products or service

Total

Percent of
total em­
ployees

Number

Candy..__________ __________________
Candy and cookies______________ ____
Candy and ice cream__________________
Cotton cloth (Establishment 1)________
Cotton cloth (Establishment 2)___ ____
Cotton cloth (Establishment 3)________
Cotton goods (Establishment 1) .......... .
Cotton goods (Establishment 2)________
Cotton goods and blankets___ _________
Importing and exporting company offices
Emit goods (Establishment 1)__________
Knit goods (Establishment 2)__________
Knit goods (Establishment 3)__________
Knit goods and rayon cloth____________
Laundry and dry cleaning_____________
Leather goods___ ___ ____ ____________
Men’s clothing____ ____ ______________
Men’s shirts and pajamas______________
Metal products__________________ _____
Overalls______________________________
Overalls, uniforms, sweaters___________
Paper products_______________________
Pharmaceuticals______________________
Shoes................................................. .............. .
Soap and perfumes________________
.
Telephone exchange (Establishment 1)...
Telephone exchange (Establishment 2)...
W'oolen goods_________________________

59

12

500
280
560
400
450
720
370
117
262
24
4
330
50
870
8
110

40
150
45
150
202
620
4
1,030

56
8
300
150
80
28
22
15
37
28
200
24
4
80
50
270
5
100
38
140
30
42
124
200
40
57
4
300

95
67
60
54
14
7
5
2
10
24
76
100
100
24
100
31
63
91
95
93
67
28
61
32
100
100
29

1 Not reported.




9

wueri in P‘
Wc
omen

10

Of special interest were the several workplaces where a woman
manager or owner was found. In a small plant making knitted
materials and articles of clothing, a young woman was in complete
charge. In another knitting shop, the woman who was the manager
did her own designing. In a shoe factory, the wife of the owner had
carried responsibility for the plant since her husband’s death. Small
businesses are frequently owned and managed by women, particularly
by women in the lower economic brackets.
WOMEN IN MANUFACTURING PLANTS
Jobs on Which Women Are Employed

Women in Peru were employed at the same jobs in consumer-goods
industries as in other countries. The women learned on the job with
experienced workers as their instructors. There were only a few
women supervisors.
In textile mills women work at all the machines at which women
are customarily employed. However, in one woolen mill (in the
interior part of the country) women were not working at the weaving
machines; most of them were at the spinning and winding machines.
In this plant a few were filling the hoppers of the carding machines,
and others were sorting the raw wool according to quality and length
of fiber.
In shops making men’s clothing, they were working at the sewing
machines and doing all the finishing.
In one establishment making knit goods, women were working at
the knitting and sewing machines, at designing, cutting, packaging,
and in the stockroom.
In the pharmaceutical plant, women shaped, filled, and sealed
the glass ampoules, stamped the labels on the ampoules, inspected
and packed them.
In the metal-products plant they worked at the punch-press and
cutting machines.
Women were engaged largely in hand work in the paper-products
and in the candy factories, although they worked at a few of the
machines.
Working Conditions

The plants on the whole were clean and had good natural ventila­
tion and light, owing to large windows. Artificial lighting was
deficient in some instances where overhead lights were too high
and where individual lights for close work were not provided.
Two of the cotton mills had air-carrier systems, and in two cotton
and lint were removed from the machinery by a vacuum-cleaning




l Uoinen 1/Uorleri in

A

//

system. In a few plants cotton was on the floor and machinery,
and dust and lint filled the air.
Most of the plants did not provide seats for the workers except
where they were necessary for the work. Where seats were provided,
they were usually of the folding, metal type. In several instances
good posture chairs were furnished; in some plants boxes and stools
with no backs were used.
Although in a few plants the toilet and washing facilities were
deficient and in poor condition, generally they were clean. One
new plant provided shower baths. Four of the plants had dressing
rooms and private lockers for the women.
Lunch rooms were not seen in any of the plants.3 Two hours for
lunch were generally allowed.
First-aid and medical facilities varied from first-aid cabinets for
taking care of minor injuries in small workplaces to well-equipped
clinics in large factories. A number of the plants provided medical
services; a few included members of the family in the service.
Four companies required preemployment examinations.
Six of the establishments visited had nurseries or had installed
cribs for young babies in dressing rooms.
The women workers in the majority of the plants made a very
nice appearance; in some establishments they wore uniforms, dark
blue or white, furnished by the companies.
Some managers complained of absenteeism, but the women in
one plant, at least, said they were not absent when there was work
for them. The manager of a woolen mill, in an interior city, which
employed Indians and mestizos, said a number of the workers (men
and women) left periodically to work on their small farms for several
weeks and then returned to their jobs. There was a fairly high rate
of turn-over among the women, but on the other hand there were
women with employment records of from 8 to 35 years with the same
company.
Individual Plant Descriptions

Large and small work establishments, employing from 300 to 4
women, were visited.
One of the plants employing the largest number of women—300—•
was a woolen mill in an interior city. Here the women were sorting
wool in an outside shed and were tending the winding and spinning
machines, but they were not working at the weaving looms. The
men and women worked in their traditional Indian dress: the women
wore long full skirts, blouses, bright-colored shawls, and straw or
3 Five low-cost restaurants had teen established—three in Lima, one in Callao, and one in Oroya—for the
purpose of providing nutritious foed for workers at low cost. See p. 35.




V2

WJomen %iJorherS in

A

felt hats below which their hair hung in two braids; the men wore
homespun suits, ponchos, and hats.
In this plant there was a well-equipped first-aid room, and two
physicians (one for the men, and one for the women and their babies)
came to the factory at regular hours. Members of the workers’
families were attended also. Medicines were free. A day nursery
with an attendant was provided; on the day of the visit, it had the
care of eight babies, who were carried in bright-colored shawls to
and from the factory on their mothers’ backs. The company furnished
a football field and a building for social affairs, and gifts were provided
at Christmas time.
A candy and ice-cream factory in Lima also employed 300 women.
There were a few women supervisors in the plant, but the majority
were wrapping and packaging candy by hand. The owner of the
establishment started his business years ago by selling candy from
a small cart on the street; plans had been made to replace the present
building with a new modern factory.
A smaller candy factory was visited in Arequipa where 56 women
and 3 men were employed. Some of the women had been with the
company for 10 years, one ever since the plant was established.
Chocolate bonbons and other candies and cooking chocolate which
were made here were sold also in Lima and other parts of Peru.
The women wore blue uniforms and the factory was clean. Large
windows and an open patio made possible good ventilation. Medi­
cal examinations were required of all applicants for employment, and
periodic examinations were given thereafter. The owner had a sav­
ings plan for each employee into which he paid a yearly bonus based
on production, attendance, and so forth. Two of the women had
bought houses with their money. The individual could borrow
money from her account. Two weeks’ annual vacation with pay
were allowed. The manager reported very little absenteeism.
A leather-goods factory in Arequipa employed 270 women. Fash­
ionable gloves, purses, luggage, leather coats, and other articles were
made here. (The factory supplied the demand in the southern part
of Peru for leather goods not imported during the war; goods were also
shipped to Lima and other cities.) Women were cutting, sewing by
machine and by hand, and were tooling picture frames and pieces of
luggage. The workrooms were clean and well-lighted, and the
workers wore uniforms. Sanitary facilities were good; drinking
fountains were in the workrooms. Minor injuries were taken care of
in the plant; all the employees were insured and any serious accidents
were sent to the clinic. Two baby cribs were in the locker room
which was well-ventilated and clean and had an attendant in charge.




MUeri in P.
omen

'

i

_

IIBISi

iH'lMRI

j|■ :. . :

:. .

Is

WOMAN GLOVE WORKER
740872—47-----3




-isti. ■

14

lA^omen 'lAJorkerS in

A

In a shoe factory 200 women were employed, 15 of them in the
office. The wife of the owner had carried responsibility for the plant
since her husband’s death. The women, most of them young,
worked at the various stitching machines, finished the shoes, and
worked in the stockrooms. The workrooms were clean and not
crowded. Although there was sufficient natural light, the lighting
for close work seemed deficient, as ceiling lights were high, and there
were few individual lights on the work tables and machines. There
was a well-equipped first-aid room with a full-time nurse in charge.
A doctor came each day and also made home visits. Preemployment
and annual medical examinations were given. The legally required
number of cribs for babies was in the first-aid room. The company
had plans for building houses for its employees on a cooperative
basis.
A factory making knitted rayon materials and garments (sweaters
and lingerie) employed 200 women, 16 of them on clerical jobs, and
also employed 60 women as sales clerks in several outlet shops. Most
of the women in the plant were working at sewing machines; some
were designing and cutting. A few were employed at the knitting
machines; one of these young women handled a difficult machine very
efficiently and was teaching a young man who was to work on the
night shift. A young woman was in charge of the stock room.
Women in all the cotton mills visited were working at the customary
jobs. A cotton mill in the southern part of Peru, unlike those of
Lima, employed more women than men—150 of a total of 280 workers.
Women in this textile mill, which makes a cheap grade of cotton cloth,
worked at the usual jobs, including the weaving looms, and were paid
the same rate as men. Although the plant was old, it was equipped
with a ventilation system to remove lint from the air. A doctor
came 1 day a week to the plant, was on call at all times, and at­
tended the workers’ families also. The workers had a mutual bene­
fit society of about 40 members which gave assistance in case of
illness and death. The plant and the workers’ small houses (owned
by the company) had been built by the side of a narrow river which
made a long, green valley in the surrounding desert, although there
were no trees or grass around the houses. The factory was built on
the side of a hill, and the workrooms were on different levels. Power
was taken from the river which flows through a deep gorge below the
plant.
Of the other cotton mills visited, two had attractive nurseries with
attendants to take care of young babies. In several mills there were
sports clubs, managed by the workers—football fields for the men,
basketball courts for men and women, volleyball courts for women.




omen 1/1/orherS in f-^eru

/5

One club bad a small building with a room for meetings and parties
and with dressing rooms for men and women.
Women formed a high proportion of the workers in the garment
factories visited. In an overall factory 140 of the 150 employees were
women. In another factory making men’s shirts and pajamas,
practically all the work was done by the'100 women employed.
Several had been with this company for 35 years. They worked at
the sewing machines, pressed the finished articles, inspected, marked,
and packed them. The workrooms were clean, and the ventilation
good except in the basement where some of the work was done. The
sewing machines did not have individual lights, necessary on cloudy
days. The outlet, or retail store, for this factory was in an adjoining
section of the building.
Two of the small shops visited w'ere particularly interesting. One
was a knitting shop which belonged to a company owning a large
spinning and knitting mill. Cotton jersey material, men’s and chil­
dren’s underwear, and sport shirts were made; and very attractive
clothes for little children, designed by the young woman wdio was also
the manager, were made out of remnants. The 24 women employees
worked at the weaving machines, at cutting, and at making the gar­
ments. The shop was spotlessly clean and had good light and air and
individual lights where necessary. The women wore aprons in the
warmer months and smocks in the winter; aprons and smocks were
furnished by the company. Average earnings were fairly high.
In a small retail shop visited, the sweaters sold were made in a
workroom on the second floor of the house adjoining the sales shop.
The woman who owned this small business took turns with young
women employees on the three Swiss, hand-propelled knitting ma­
chines. The finishing was done by hand. The owner’s daughter
managed the sales shop. Both places were clean and the workroom
comfortable.
The pharmaceutical plant visited employed 124 women and 78 men.
The women filled and sealed the glass ampoules, and labeled, stamped,
and packed them. The plant was spotlessly clean and modern in
every respect. The women wore white uniforms and caps, furnished
and laundered by the company. Attractive dressing rooms were at
the entrance to the plant, and purses could be kept in special lockers.
The company made loans to the employees without interest, in cases
of need. This plant also had a football field and basketball courts
for the workers.
The plant making metal caps for bottles, tin containers for oil and
medicines, and decorative tin plate had curtailed production at the




16

Wc
wueri in P.
omen

time of the visit and had reduced the number of employees, because
sheet tin could not be imported from the United States due to war
priorities. There were only 40 employed, compared to the normal
140, and most of these were women. They worked at the foot punch
and press machines, at the automatic machines that shaped and cut
the caps, and at a machine that inserted the cork fillings. The
manager said the women were very efficient, learned quickly, and paid
attention to what they were doing. One woman who had been work­
ing in the plant for 20 years earned what was considered there a very
good wage.
.
The laundry and cleaning establishment visited was an old, estab­
lished plant; a few of the 50 women employees had worked with this
firm for 20 years. The plant had several washing machines and one
mangle, but most of the washing and ironing was done by hand.
Flatirons were used which were heated in a room adjoining the honing
and pressing room, and the women went constantly back and forth.
When asked about the working schedule, the manager said the women
came when they could, according to their convenience and the exi­
gencies of their home duties. Some brought their lunches, and those
who arrived late did not take the 2-hour lunch period. The plant
was clean, the light and air good; a ventilation system was used
during the summer months.
INDUSTRIAL HOME WORK AND INDEPENDENT HANDICRAFT
TRADES

The numbers of women employed in different manufacturing
industries as reported in the Census of 1940 indicate that many women
work in small shops, are self-employed, or are industrial home workers.
More than 43,000 women are employed in the making of clothing,
shoes, and accessories (making up 48 percent of the total number in
these industries), and since there are few clothing factories in Peru, the
majority of these women are either in industrial home work, are selfemployed, or in small shops, such as those of dressmakers. Of the
3,000 women employed in the ceramics industry, more than 2,000 are
in pottery making, which in Peru is largely a home handicraft industry.
Of the 170 women employed in making instruments, watches, and
jewelry, 111 are classified in the making of jewelry, artistic articles,
and silver adornments—again a handicraft industry, carried on in the
home or in small shops.
Those who work independently in their homes, spinning yarn and
weaving materials, ponchos, and blankets, are classified in the census
report as employed in the manufacture of textiles. Another item of
significance in the employment statistics for textiles is that of the over




liJoinen lAJorlerS In

A

17

11,000 women reported in straw-weaving (liats, pocketbooks, belts,
table mats, luncheon sets), comparatively few are in factories or shops;
the great majority work independently or in cooperative projects
sponsored by the Government.
.
Industrial Home Work
Uniforms for the police, army, navy, and air force are made by
home workers. It is a State industry carried on through a system of
workshops called the “Talleres de Costura del Estado” (State garment­
making shops). The officer who was the director of the Police
Department shops stated at the time of the interview that 1,500 women
were registered there for home work. Women were notified by rota­
tion when work was available. Records were kept in the central
office of work taken out, wages paid, and so forth. Each worker was
.given a handbook for her individual record. Wages were fixed for
each article; 8 soles,4 for instance, was paid for making an overcoat
which required 2 days’ work.
A visit was also made to the workshop of the air force, then under
the War Department. The same system was followed in this shop;
that is, the materials for the garments were cut, given to the women in
bundles, the finished articles checked, and the women paid according
to established rates. Records wore kept in the shop of all the home
workers, and the entries were made in the handbooks of the individual
workers.
Comprehensive provisions covering industrial home work are in­
cluded in the labor law, but the Inspection Division of the Department
of Labor stated that enforcement had not been possible. The labor
law provides for registration of home workers by the employers and
for the issuance of workers’ handbooks. It requires that the wages of
home workers shall not be less than those received by a worker who is
under the immediate supervision of an employer in a factory or shop.
That wages shall not be less if the worker is a woman is also stipulated
in the law. It is further provided that wages shall be paid when the
finished articles are delivered, or by the week, according to the agree­
ment between the employer and worker; that no discounts shall be
made from wages for unused materials nor for merchandise purchased
from the employer; that if the worker waits more than an hour when
returning finished work, he must be paid for the corresponding time;
that not more than one-fourth of the wages due the worker can be
discounted for defective work or damaged material.
4 The sol (100 centavos) had an exchange value of 15,3 cents TJ. S. A. in April-May 1943, the time of the
visit. Wages should be evaluated according to purchasing power, the standard of living, and according to
other wages paid in the country under discussion.




18

'tiJomen l UorkerS in P.t

Unemployed home workers on the registers of the State garment­
making shops are given financial assistance from a public fund estab­
lished in 1931 for assisting the unemployed. Small relief payments
are made through the Committee for the Unemployed which admin­
isters this fund. Cases of need were investigated by a social worker.
In 1937 the Government redeemed all sewing machines which during
the depression and a corresponding period of unemployment had been
pawned by women workers or had been recalled by the seller because
of default of payments. Sewing machines are considered indispen­
sable instruments for home work and are therefore not subject to
attachment. It was estimated that at least 170,000 soles were spent
in redeeming the sewing machines.
Home Industries

Small home industries have been promoted by the Government in
order to provide a means of livelihood to families and individuals.
The fund for the unemployed was used for the necessary expenses.
A Council of Home Industries was established in 1940 to study the
economic and employment possibilities of projects and then to super­
vise their development. In Lima, six projects had been established:
character dolls, bisque dolls, toy animals, fine embroidered handker­
chiefs, small brooms, and powder puffs and other miscellaneous arti­
cles. Each shop was in a different house or building under the
supervision of a skilled worker; for example, the young woman in
charge of the shop where the character dolls were made was a sculptor
and an artist. The Council planned to have all the workshops in one
central building. The products were sold to shops and department
stores; no special sales outlet was necessary. During the learning
period the girls and women were paid 1 sol a day; then 2.40-2.50 soles
a day. Some were paid a basic wage of 1.50 soles and, on top of that,
piece rates. The young woman employed by the Commission to
supervise these projects was a graduate of the School of Social Work;
she interviewed all who applied for work and visited the shops regu­
larly. A few workers had been examined for tuberculosis, and it was
hoped to give complete medical examinations to all who were
employed.
Since the survey was made, these projects have been expanded and
workshops and a salesroom established in the center of the city. In
the workshops materials are prepared for taking out, new workers
are given instructions, some finishing is done, and completed articles
are priced for selling. The salesroom is open to the public.
In Arequipa a “small industries project” under the Council of Home
Industries had been under way for 2 years at the time of the visit.
In the display and salesroom there were pieces of pottery, hand-made




omen

Worteri in P‘
WSSm

§

i

mmm

WEAVING STRAW, LAMBAYEQUE, NORTHERN PERU




i

W0m

ARTICLES WOVEN OF STRAW

20

lAJomen li/oi-k er.i in ye,u

dolls, toys, and other articles. Some of the articles were made by
the assembly-line method; that is, members of several families were
taught to perform one particular process in the making of an article.
A pottery bowl, for instance, was shaped and baked in one home or
shop, glazed in another, and painted in a third. Altogether 100
persons were employed on this project.
Projects for the development of national handicrafts were also
undertaken for the specific purposes of keeping these forms of national
art alive and to assist the craftsmen to earn more for their work.
Three projects based on local resources and skills have been estab­
lished: weaving, pottery, and weaving with straw. The plan has
been to assist the workers with color, design, and variety of styles, in
order that their products would have a higher market value, and to
assist in marketing the finished articles.
A salesroom for articles woven of fine straw was visited. On display
were fine “Panama” hats, sports hats of all colors, beautiful bags,
table mats, baskets, belts, lapel pieces. These articles were made
chiefly in the northern part of Peru where this kind of work has been
characteristic over a very long period. Two Peruvian women artists
who had studied and worked in Paris, and who had returned to Peru
at the beginning of the Second World War, were commissioned to
teach the women of Chiclayo and nearby places new designs and new
color combinations, using existing materials and skills. A recent re­
port states that more than 1,000 persons are enrolled in six instruction
centers. Eleven teachers, who have been given special training, are
in charge of the centers. Women who before earned 4 soles, 50
centavos a week, now average 25 soles a week.
In a weaving shop in Lima, young women were learning to weave
woolen materials, luncheon sets, neckties, bags. They were given a
daily wage during the learning period and were paid on a production
basis after they had acquired some skill. Weaving projects were also
under way in other localities.
The Industria Femenil, which is similar to a Women’s Exchange,
was still another kind of home industry. This organization was
started 25 years ago by a woman from the United States living in
Peru, and soon thereafter a group of Peruvian women assumed the
administrative and financial responsibility. The Industria Femenil
has an attractive store on the main shopping street. Articles made
at home were brought to the store to be sold, and the store also took
orders for work such as trousseaus, lingerie, and layettes. Fifteen
percent of the amount of the sales price was paid to the shop. At
the time of the visit, there were 40 women who worked on the special
orders and between 200 and 300 who brought work in to be sold.




1/tJomen, 'JAJorherS in

A

21

Class instruction was not given, but the manager taught the women
informally. The names of the women who did the sewing were not
used; they were known to the customers only by numbers. Many of
the women were providing support for themselves and other members
of their families through this work. The committee of women who
have supported this undertaking at one time took over the distribu­
tion of home work for the army, thus eliminating the middle men, and
during those 4 years the women’s wages increased considerably.
WOMEN OFFICE AND STORE EMPLOYEES

The manager of one of the large banks said that 10 or 15 years ago
girls started working in offices in increasing numbers. He spoke highly
of their efficiency. In the main office of an import-export firm visited
there were 28 young women among a total of 117 employees. No
special preparation was required for employment by this company,
but training was given on the job. The company paid for lessons for
anyone who wished to study English.
Young women were working in Government offices as secretaries,
clerks, and stenographers. Those who were bilingual stenographers
held good positions with foreign companies.
TELEPHONE OPERATORS

Telephone exchanges in two interior cities were visited. In one,
55 young women were working at the local switchboard, one at the
long-distance switchboard, and another as long-distance charge clerk.
The workrooms were clean and had good light and ventilation. The
employees made a nice aj>pearance in uniforms furnished by the
company. There was a small dressing room, and each girl had a
private locker. The company had a physician on call. A life insurance
policy wras given each employee.
The second exchange visited was even smaller, employing' only three
switchboard operators under the supervision of a woman who had
been with the company for 12 years.
WOMEN IN THE PROFESSIONS

For a number of years women have graduated from such professional
colleges of the universities as law, pharmacy, and medicine. However,
the number wrho have practiced in the professional field has been
small, except in teaching, for wrhen women married they gave up their
professions. As in all countries, the largest number of women in the
professions is in teaching.




omen

Worteri in P.

ill®
.#

.........

mpsi

ill

3

ligi*

.

Si

fS |||

|
.118832

-

>

9mm&iiismmmkMxSm=0a^

giggji




■

TEACHER IN RURAL SCHOOLS

*:

'lAJomen %\JorLeri in P-

23

Teaching
Women numbered 5,503 of a total of 9,608 employees in the Ministry
of Public Education, according to the 1940 Census. Almost all of
these women are public school teachers, and the majority are in pri­
mary schools. In private educational institutions women comprise
2,683 of a total of 4,868 persons so employed. It was reported in
Arequipa in 1943 that women began to teach in the secondary schools
there only within the last few years. Completion of the course in the
School of Pedagogy is a requirement for secondary school teachers,
and this school had been established as part of the University of
Arequipa for only a few years. In Lima, women have been teaching
in the secondary schools for girls for a number of years, after graduat­
ing from the Institute of Pedagogy and from the University of San
Marcos. Here there are women who occupy important positions in
the field of education. For example, the woman who is at present
director of the School of Social Work had previously been director of
a secondary school for girls; later, as an inspector of secondary schools,
she was a member of the administrative staff of the Ministry of
Education.
Women teachers in Peru, as well as in other countries, are not only
pioneers in their employment outside the home, but often are pioneers
in extending education. A kindergarten for underprivileged children,
started in 1918 in Iquitos by two young women, was the model for
kindergartens which they later established in other cities in all parts
of Peru and for one far up the Amazon River. Two teachers of
Arequipa started a night school for women which in 1942 had an
attendance of 450 young and older women. Some of its students
learned to read and write, others to sew, while office employees studied
commercial subjects.
A woman who was an experienced normal school teacher accepted
the position of director of a newly established normal school in Huancayo. Many of its pupils were from Indian communities where
teachers and schools are much needed. In addition to arranging and
supervising the classes, the director was in charge of the 80 students
who lived at the school, and she also found time to organize money­
raising projects to buy needed equipment for the school.
These examples could be increased many times.
Nursing
Women employed in clinics, hospitals, and private medical offices
comprised 891 of a total of 1,716 persons so employed, according to
the 1940 Census. Nurses as well as those doing other kinds of work
are included among these women.




24

lAJomen lAJorleri in

A

Efforts have been made within the last few years to improve the
standards for nursing and to put it on a professional basis. Entrance
requirements for the schools of nursing have been raised, and appli­
cants must now bo secondary school graduates. (Secondary school
corresponds to high school in the United States but also includes some
work of junior college level.) Formerly, only primary school was
required, and nursing attracted principally girls from families of
meager economic and educational background.
Attached to hospitals in Lima are five schools of nursing for women.
Each school has approximately 100 students; the courses are 3- or
4-year courses. Each institution employs its own graduates. It has
been estimated that the current need for nurses reaches 3,000, owing
to the extension of the health benefits of the Social Security Funds
for Industrial Workers to clerical workers and owing also to the
expansion of the health services of Government agencies.
Social Work

Young women graduates of the School of Social Work are employed
in Lima as social workers in the workers’ hospital, the maternity
hospital, the child welfare institute, a few industrial plants, low-cost
housing projects, and the juvenile court. The school was established
by a Government decree of April 30, 1937, and is maintained by the
Government. In 1943 there were 55 students enrolled in the 3-year
course.
Other Professions

Information on women in other professions comes from the 1940
Census. Of a total of 3,324 persons who are practicing professions
independently, 561 are women. The largest number of these, 304,
are midwives; 111 are in the legal profession; the next largest number,
49, are in medicine; 36 are in dentistry; 15 are in engineering; 11 are
notaries; and 6 are pharmacists.6
Listed in another classification are 51 women who work in radio
broadcasting studios. Some of these women plan and produce daily
and weekly programs; a few are commentators. A number of the
women working on radio programs are writers, poets, monologists. .
WAGES

Information available concerning wages of women workers in Peru
is limited. Time did not permit any extensive data to be collected
8 It should be noted that there are many more than six women pharmacists in Peru; women are working
in pharmacies, in import-export companies where a pharmacist is required by law for analyzing imported
medicines and so forth, and in Government agencies. That is, they are employed as pharmacists, but
are not working independently. More women practice in other licensed professions also than is shown
by the census because the census reports only those working independently.




lAJomen lAAorberi in P«

25

by the Women’s Bureau representative, and the information about
women’s wages which managers of factories and other work estab­
lishments gave in conversation or in answer to questions forms the
basis for the following discussion.
Wages were paid on either a time- or piece-rate basis, sometimes a
combination of both.
According to the information received, the average wage of women
working in textile mills was highest in Lima, next highest in Arequipa,
third highest in Huancayo. The average wage paid by other indus­
tries followed the same order, with one exception: The candy factory
in Arequipa paid higher wages than the one visited in Lima.
The average salaries of teachers in primary schools were approxi­
mately the same as those of office workers, if bilingual, experienced
stenographers, whose salaries were higher, are excepted.
The wages of telephone operators were comparable to wages paid
by other industries in the same cities. Exceptions were the higher
wages of operators handling the long-distance switchboards.
Lowest of all were the cash wages offered to domestic workers,
judging by the advertisements of the Lima newspapers; however, food
and lodging would increase the total wage.
Textile and Knitting Mill Wages

One cotton mill in Lima reported an entrance daily wage of 1 sol
and an average weekly wage of 26 to 27 soles for experienced workers.6
A few women who were paid on the piece-rate basis could earn 6 soles
a day.
Other cotton mills reported an average of 24 to 25 soles a week,
while one plant, employing only a relatively small number of experi­
enced women workers, reported an average of 35 soles a week. The
supervisor of one section in this plant earned 50 to 60 soles a week.
The wages paid by the textile mills in Arequipa and Huancayo
were, as already stated, lower than those paid in Lima. In the cotton
mill visited in Arequipa the women’s wages averaged 12 to 15 soles a
week. In the woolen mill in Huancayo, 80 centavos a day was the
beginning wage; increases after more skill was acquired brought the
wages from 1 to 1.20 soles per day; 50 to 60 soles a month was the
maximum for women. Wages reported for a plant manufacturing
rayon cloth and knitted garments were from 1.10 to 1.50 soles a day.
In the plant making cotton jersey material and garments, women
earned 24 soles a week. In another, making silk, rayon, knitted
8 The sol (100 centavos) had an exchange value of 15.3 cents U. S. A. in April-May 1943, the time of the
visit. Wages should be evaluated according to purchasing power, the standard of living, and according to
other wages paid in the country under discussion. All wages have increased considerably since 1943,
following the rise in cost of living.




26

I t/omen 'lAJorleri in P«

material, and garments, the majority earned from 2 to 6 soles a
day; one or two women who were heads of sections earned 8 soles
a day.
Clothing Industry Wages

In one of the shops in Lima making men’s overalls and shirts,
women’s earnings averaged 36 soles a week; learners started at 1.50
soles a day. In a second Lima shop women started at 10 soles a week,
and experienced workers earned up to 25.
In a small garment shop in Huancayo, 80 centavos a day was the
beginning rate, and 1 sol 20 centavos the average. One woman said
that by working hard, she could earn 1.50 soles a day. Wages for
cutters were 2.50 soles a day.
Leather Goods and Shoe Industry Wages

In the factory in Arequipa making leather goods, average earnings
were 1.50 to 2 soles a day.
Wages in the shoe factory in Lima averaged 4 soles a day, varying
from 2.50 to 6 soles a day.
Wages in Various Manufacturing Industries

In the candy factory in Arequipa the wages averaged 1.50 soles a
day, while in the candy factory visited in Lima, beginners received 80
centavos and later 1 to 3 soles a day.
In the pharmaceutical plant the average wage for women was 2
soles a day.
In the paper products factory women earned 2 to 4 soles a day;
in the metal products plant, 1.80 to 2.20 soles a day. One experienced
woman worker in this plant earned 6 soles a day.
Wages in Service Industries

The manager of the laundry said that the women earned what they
could, that the average was 2 soles a day; a few earned 4 and 6 soles a
day.
Advertised wages for domestic help in the capital, in January 1942,
were 20 to 30 soles a month for a servant, 30 to 40 soles for a cook, and
20 to 25 for boys and general helpers. (A number of families reported
paying wages much higher than these in April 1943.)
Wages in Offices and Stores

According to reports, wages for office workers vary considerably.
In Lima, girls who are stenographers in Spanish only were paid a
beginning wage of 80 soles or less a month. Those who had both
Spanish and English and were well-trained started at 150 soles and
advanced to 500 and 600 a month.




'lAJomen I tJorlerA in Pm

27

In an import-export company in Arequipa the entrance wage for
women was 80 soles a month and for men, 100. The average wage for
women after they were experienced was 232 soles a month; a few
earned 320, and one young woman who knew both English and
Spanish well earned 500 soles a month. Annual earnings were in­
creased by bonuses which were given at the end of each year. Young
women employees of other firms said they received 40 and 60 soles a
month.
Salesgirls in small shops in Lima were paid as low a wage as 30 soles
a month. In the larger stores basic wages were higher, and com­
missions were also paid.
Telephone Exchange Wages

In the larger telephone exchange the switchboard operators earned
from 40 to 120 soles a month; in the smaller exchange they averaged
30 soles a month. The woman in charge who had worked in the same
office for 12 years earned 75 soles a month. The telephone exchange
in Lima was not visited.
Teachers’ Wages

The information secured concerning teachers’ salaries makes
possible a basis of comparison with wages received for other work, but
in no way gives a complete picture of teachers’ salaries. They vary
by locality, length of service, training, and grade taught. According
to a report dated January 1942, primary school teachers in the public
schools in some localities were paid a beginning wage of 75 soles a
month; 220 soles was the top salary for these teachers. The director
of the normal school in Huancayo stated that primary school teachers
with some experience received 200 soles a month in that area.
A 1944 report gives salaries for primary teachers in public schools.
In 3 categories (depending on training and education), their basic
salaries were 260, 160, and 105 soles per month. Added to these was
a cost-of-living bonus which increased the monthly salaries to 273, 200,
and 168 soles, respectively.
All teachers’ salaries have been increased since 1943, and a new
salary system providing substantial increases was instituted in 1946.
Discrimination in salaries on the basis of the teacher’s sex was elimi­
nated some years ago.
Government Wage Orders

A considerable rise in the cost of living made an increase in wages
imperative. According to the National Statistical Office, a worker
whose wages had not increased since 1935 had greatly decreased pur­
chasing power in 1940; a wage of 3 soles a day in 1935 was actually
worth 2 soles 32 centavos in June 1941.




28

‘'H/omen lAAorheri in P.

The Technical Division of the Department of Labor began a study of
wages in 1940, starting with textile factories and bakeries in the cities
of Lima and Callao. Wage data were secured from 17 textile factories
employing from 50 to 600 workers, from 53 small textile plants employ­
ing less than 50 workers, and from 119 bakeries. After the results
were studied, a commission for the two industries made up of repre­
sentatives of Government, management, and workers recommended
increases. For the textile industry, a sliding scale of wage increases
ranging from 4 percent to 40 percent was made effective by Govern­
ment decrees. The highest rate of increase was fixed for the lowest
wages. For example, in cotton mills, wages under 2 soles a day were
increased 40 percent; wages of 2 to 2.99 soles—30 percent; of 3 to
3.99 soles—20 percent; of 4 to 5.99 soles—12 percent; of 6 to 9.99
soles—6 percent; piece-rate wages were increased by 12 percent. A
similar scale was followed for wool, silk, and knitting mills, the per­
centage of increase in wages varying from 4 to 40 percent and iti piece
rates up to 10 percent. It was estimated that these increases in
wages benefited 2,000 workers in cotton textiles, 300 in wool, 350 in
silk, and 1,400 in knitting mills. Reports from Peru indicate that
since the time of the survey wages have increased in virtually all
occupations.
Wages of Men and Women Compared

Reports for various occupations show lower earnings of women
than of men. However, in factories visited, men and women working
side by side were paid the same piece rate, and women’s earnings on
these jobs frequently equaled and sometimes surpassed those of men.
According to a report of June 1942 women’s daily wages in textile
mills in Lima were 1.10, 1.40, 2.50, and 3.50 soles, while men’s wages in
the same mills were 2.50, 3.50, 3.85, 4, and 5 soles.
A differential in minimum wages for women and men appears in
Government decrees which established, for different regions of Peru
in 1944, minimum wages for store and clerical employees working in
private concerns. In July 1944 minimum wages for clerical employees
in private concerns in the Lima and Callao area were set at 100 soles
a month for men and 75 soles a month for women. Minimum wages
established in the same year for other sections of Peru showed similar
differentials; for example, the minimum set for Arequipa was 90 soles
a month for men and 70 for women; for Huancayo, 80 for men and 55
for women.
The National Statistical Bureau of Peru showed earnings for men
and women working in several branches of agriculture—sugarcane,
cotton, and wheat—for the years 1939, 1941, and 1943.




%Uotncn 'KJoi’lter.l in P,

29
Wages

Year

Men

Women

Hours
Men

Women

Sugarcane fields
(Soles)

1939
1941
1943

19,357
18, 425
15,073

495
503
614

8
8

(Soles)

1.59
1.95
2.53

.91
.80
1.28

1.23
2. 39
2. 78

.79
1.38
1.49

.66
.81
1.16

.38
.49
.68

Cotton fields
1939______________________________________ ______
1941
1943

102,626
87, 541
68, 205

15,100
11,958
9, 845

8
Wheat fields

1939
1941
1943

81,003
68, 799
51,312

106, 360
96, 296
66, 545

o
o
o

1 Not reported.

WOMEN IN WORKERS’ ORGANIZATIONS

There are three kinds of workers’ organizations which make up the
labor movement in Peru:
(1) Mutual benefit societies which provide their members certain
benefits in case of illness or of unemployment, and provide their
survivors benefits in case of death.
(2) Trade or labor unions called “sindicatos” (syndicates), organ­
ized for the economic defense of the members, that is, for collective
bargaining.
(3) Associations that have both functions—collective bargaining
and mutual aid.
The Confederation of Workers of Peru is a national organization
composed of locals and of federations of trade unions organized by
cities, by provinces, or by industries. The Federation of Trade
Unions of Lima (“La Union Sindical de Trabajadores de Lima”) and
the Federation of Textile Workers are examples.
Each organization, in addition to a general secretary, generally
has officers for the following: minutes and files, handling grievances,
organization, education and sports, and finance.
When negotiation with management fails, disagreements are re­
ferred to the Conciliation Service of the Labor Department for settle­
ment. If a strike is declared, there must be a waiting period of 3 days
for workers in public services, 24 hours for all others. Excepted from
the right to strike are those employed by national, state, and munici­
pal governments, banks and other finance companies, public welfare
agencies, and nonprofit institutions.
740872—47-----3




30

1/iJomen 'lAJorleri in

A

Seamstresses who were making clothing for the Army during the
presidency of Augusto V. Lcguia (1919 to 1930) organized a mutual
aid society for cooperative insurance called the “Socicdad Mutua
Santa Rosa de Lima.” It had approximately 100 members in 1943.
The Society has never included improvement of wages or working
conditions in its program, and its meetings are largely social.
Teachers’ Organizations

Primary and secondary school teachers in the public school system
have mutual benefit “associations.” (School teachers are prohibited
indirectly by law from affiliating with a “trade union.”) The law
states that teachers may join organizations for cultural, professional,
or mutual aid purposes.
Membership in the mutual-benefit associations for public school
teachers is obligatory: they provide life insurance, medical service in
clinics and hospitals, financial assistance for prolonged illnesses, and
pensions when completely disabled. Teachers can retire on complete
salary after 30 years of service.

MEMBERS OF THE SOCIETY OF >VOMEN COMMERCIAL EMPLOYEES

White-Collar Workers’ Organization

The organization known as “Sociedad Empleadas de Comercio”
(Society of Women Commercial Employees), comprising women
employed in offices, banks, insurance companies, and stores, was
started with 10 members in December 1916 to establish mutual bene­
fits and also to build cooperation between employed women. Indiffer­
ence and opposition presented serious difficulties in the beginning,
for during the first 6 years the membership increased only to 35. In
1941 the Society celebrated its 25th anniversary, with a membership
of 200; in 1945 it had 500 members.




'I t^omen 'HJorherS in

A

31

The benefits provided include financial assistance during illness,
death benefits, and a gift payment at marriage. The organization
in addition has offered to its members, and to nonmembers also, classes
in shorthand, typing, commercial subjects, English, and home eco­
nomics. Free legal advisory service is made available. Series of lec­
tures, social affairs, excursions, and the use of the library and club
rooms are provided. The club has worked for the improvement of
labor legislation for white-collar employees. For women they have
requested a seating law for places of work and a minimum and an
annual wage.




LABOR AND SOCIAL LEGISLATION
LABOR LEGISLATION AFFECTING WOMEN

The labor laws of Peru relating to women are in general an expression
of the traditional attitude toward women, that of safeguarding their
welfare, and in particular the welfare of mothers. The hours law was
undoubtedly an effort to make the lot of wage-earning women easier
by shortening their workweek and at the same time protecting their
wages. The law has not always proved advantageous, for some em­
ployers have found ways of getting around it. Some laws on the
statute books are difficult to enforce, for example, those regulating
industrial home work (which are difficult to enforce in all countries).
As in other countries visited in South America, there was only partial
compliance to the law requiring creches in work establishments em­
ploying a certain number of women and to the law requiring seats
when the work permitted. However, the principal problem voiced
by women workers whenever asked was “wages.”
Hours Legislation

An 8-hour day and a 45-hour week are established by law for women.
Women may not work on Sundays or civic holidays except with
authorization by the Labor Department; then the workday must not
exceed 8 hours and there must always be a weekly rest day.
On Saturdays, women may not work more than 5 hours, and the
work must end by 3 o’clock; they must be paid for a full day’s work
—that is, for 8 hours instead of 5. If the nature of the work
demands that women work a full day on Saturday, they shall have
Monday off until '2' p. m. for rest; and the work time on Monday
shall not exceed 5 hours. In this instance also they must be paid for
a full day’s work.
In case of necessity, when exceptions to the length of the workday
are granted by the Labor Department, the workday shall never be
more than 10 hours, and permission can be secured for not more than
60 days of 10 hours’ work, including day and night work, during
the year.
Night work from 8 p. m. to 7 a. m. is prohibited for women.
A 2 hours’ rest period at midday is required.
Wage Legislation

As already indicated, women cannot work more than 45 hours a week
but must be paid for 48. The Constitution of 1933 of Peru provides
for a law to fix a minimum wage for workers. Studies have been made
preparatory to establishing a minimum wage and included an investi32




1'lJomen XiJorlerd in P-

33

gation by a committee named by the House of Representatives. The
law, however, has not yet been passed. Article 1572 of the Civil Code
states: “A wage adequate for the necessities of life is due the laborer
for his work.”
Minimum wages for certain employments have been fixed by Gov­
ernment decree. As already stated (see page 27), after careful studies
were made of the textile and baking industries, wage increases were
ordered for these two industries in 1940 and 1941. The investigations
have been continued in these industries, and others, and further in­
creases have been ordered. Minimum wages were also established
in 1944 by Government decree for clerical employees in private
concerns.
Industrial home workers must be paid the same wages as those who
work in shops or factories, and their daily earnings from piece rates
must equal the daily wage of workers in shops or factories on cor­
responding work.
As in many of the other American Nations, provision is made for a
dismissal wage instead of for unemployment compensation. The law
includes the following provisions: Companies with a capital of less
than 500,000 soles are required to give manual workers upon dismissal
6 days’ pay for each year after 3 months’ trial employment if they
have not worked on Sundays, and 7 days’ pay if they worked on
Sundays; clerical and commercial employees shall be paid one-half
of a month’s wages. Companies with a capital of more than 500,000
soles are required to give laborers 15 days’ pay for each year after 3
months’ trial employment; clerical employees must be paid one
month’s wages for each year or fraction of a year exceeding 3 months.
Women who are dismissed without just cause must receive 2 months’
salary or wages. If a woman who is pregnant is dismissed within the
3 months before or after confinement, she is entitled to 90 days’ wages,
without losing her right to compensation provided in her work contract.
Salaries and wages cannot be attached, except for debts for food,
and then only up to one-third of the wages.
Other Legislation

Vacations.—Workers who work Sundays are entitled to paid vaca­
tions of 15 workdays; those who do not work Sundays to 13. Clerical
and commercial employees arc entitled to 1 month.
Maternity Leave and Benefits.—Under the Social Security System of
Peru women workers are entitled to 50 percent of their wages during
36 days before and 36 days after childbirth. This takes the place of
the provisions of the labor law requiring employers to pay women
60 percent of their wages during the 20 days before and 40 days after




34

Women Work erd in J-eru

confinement they are not permitted to work. Women receiving 50
percent of their wages from social security cannot claim maternity
leave wages from the employer. Women cannot work for wages at
any employment and receive maternity leave pay at the same time.
The Social Security System of Peru provides general or special
medical care and hospital services for maternity as well as sickness.
For 8 months after the birth of the child, women are further entitled
to a “nursing” subsidy, equal to 25 percent of their salary, in cash or
in milk coupons.
Nurseries in Factories.—Every work establishment that employs
over 25 women, 18 years of age and older, must provide a room suit­
ably equipped where mothers can receive and attend their babies up
to the time the babies are one year of age. Several employers
may establish a joint nursery.
Mothers are allowed a total of 1 hour a day for nursing their babies.
This time is not deductible from wages.
Seats.-—If the work permits, chairs must be provided for women
workers.
Accident Compensation.—Compensation for accidents is increased
by 25 percent if the victim is a woman.
THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

The Labor Department in Peru is in the Ministry of Justice and
Labor. The functions of the Department concerned with the adminis­
tration of labor law and the welfare of workers are carried out by the
following divisions: Conciliation Division and Labor Tribunals; an
Inspection Division which includes safety inspection among its re­
sponsibilities; and a Technical Division which is responsible for special
studies, statistics, labor legislation and labor standards, compilation
of trade union data, and publications. In 1945 a Division for Woman
and Child Workers was established. Regional offices in different
sections of Peru have-responsibility for inspection, conciliation, and
compiling statistics.
Workers come to the Department in Lima and to the regional offices
for help and advice.
SOCIAL INSURANCE

The most outstanding achievement in improving social conditions
is the social insurance system of Peru. The law of 1936 and 1937
includes all except clerical workers but has not yet been made obliga­
tory for those employed in domestic work.7 Coverage includes sick7 However, domestic employees may voluntarily enter the social insurance system and receive the same
benefits as other workers, in which case the employer and the government must pay their corresponding
percentages.




l/iJotnen 'lAJorleri in

A

35

ness, maternity, disability, old age, and death. The worker may
insure his family by making a small additional payment.
The plan is financed by the Government, from taxes paid by the
employer on pay rolls and by the worker on wages, from additional
taxes levied on tobacco and alcoholic drinks, from fines for certain
law infractions, and from legacies, donations, etc.
Hospitals and clinics are being erected under the plan in centers of
population throughout the country, and medical assistance posts
are being established even more rapidly. These posts are in rural
communities and small towns where the population is not large enough
for a hospital or clinic. Some hospitals are already functioning. The
Workers’ Hospital in Lima is a modern, well-run institution, providing
both hospital and clinical services.
HOUSING AND RESTAURANTS FOR WORKERS
Low-Cost Housing

Low-cost housing projests have been built by the Government, and
an official housing-inspection service has secured improvements in
hundreds of privately owned buildings. Up to 1941 there were three
projects for industiial workers in Lima; these contained a total of 366
family units. The houses of one project, called “La Victoria,” are
built around a large recreation field which has a swimming pool at
one end. A social worker and a physical education director are
employed for this project. Other cities, like Callao (the port city),
Trujillo, and Arequipa, have low-cost houses for workers also.
Low-Cost Restaurants

The first low-cost restaurant was opened in Lima in 1934. In 1941
there were three in Lima, one in Callao, and one in Oroya, the mining
center. In 1940 and the first 5 months of 1941, more than 2% million
meals at 20 and 30 centavos were served. Over 5 million breakfasts
and lunches were given free of charge to school children, and meals
were also furnished in some welfare and other institutions. Plans
are under way for establishing additional restaurants for commercial
employees and students.8
Scarcities caused by the war and by transportation difficulties
have increased the cost of food and other supplies. This, added to an
already low standard of living, created serious difficulties for working
people. The Government set up price controls, bought foodstuffs and
retailed them directly, and required a certain percentage of the arable
land to be used for rice and other foodstuffs instead of crops like
cotton which produce higher profits.
» Restaurants for commercial employees and students have been established since June 1943 In Lima and
Callao. Meals are served for 1 sol to clerical workers, for 60 centavos to students. These restaurants are
extremely popular.




VOCATIONAL AND TRADE SCHOOLS
Public Schools

Courses for girls were established fairly recently in Lima industrial
or trade schools, called Industrial Centers (Centros Industrials) .9
The courses, which cover 2 years, include toy-making, rug-making,
leather work, other handicrafts, and machine embroidery. Together
with the trades taught, workshop management and industrial
hygiene courses and academic subjects are given. Students receive
certificates upon completion of the 2-year course; many of the girls
set up their own workshops or open small schools in their houses.
Some economics and other courses that would give girls added skills
for earning a living were to be included in the school curriculum.
A commercial high school is part of the public school system in Lima.
Commercial subjects are also taught in the regular school courses.
In 1943, a young woman graduate of the University of San Marcos
was named director of this first public commercial school.
Private Schools

A trade school and workshop for girls in the Merccdarias Convent
was one of the projects under the general direction of a Social Work
Council. The young women who attended were from low-income
families and needed to be wage earners. They weie taught to make
sweaters on hand-propelled knitting machines, to make rugs on handlooms, and to sew and embroider. Wages were not paid during the
3-month learning period, but as soon as articles were made for sale, as
much as 20 soles a week was earned. The girls were given their
uniforms, lunch, and tea, and the use of the bath facilities.
Religious and moral instruction was part of the program. Seventyfive young women were in attendance at the workshops at the time of
the visit. The workrooms were light, airy, and clean and opened on
the garden of the convent.
The Sisters of Mary, San An dr6s, also had classes for girls and
young women. Their school for domestic workers had 75 enrolled—for the most part girls who, without any skill whatever, came to the
city to work. They were prepared for household employment and were
taught to read and write. The majority lived in the convent. The
attendance of young women at the night classes, which included
* This report cites only vocational and trade schools visited, by way of examples of schools of this type and
the courses offered by them, and is not, of course, a complete report. Since the time of the survey, plans for
improving and extending vocational and trade education have been instituted.

36




'lAJomen \AJorheri in Pm

37

*
sewing, dressmaking, knitting,
and typing, reached 800 during the
school year.
The Instituto de Ciencias Domesticas y Artes Utiles (Institute of
Domestic Science) was established and administered by a committee
of prominent women. Classes in cooking, dressmaking, arts and
crafts, and toy-making were given. Tuition was free for some classes,
but a fee was charged for the regular courses. Those who completed
these courses were qualified as teachers in these trades.
A private academy for girls in Arequipa had 170 students at the
time of the visit. The 2-year course included sewing, dressmaking,
manual arts, and cooking. The director of the school was a university
graduate who had a diploma for nursing and another in manual arts.




WOMEN’S ORGANIZATIONS
Women’s organizations are playing an increasingly important part
in the life of Peru. In them are represented women of all ages, from
all walks of life, and both employed women and housewives.
Union Cultural Femenina

This club of 60 women, in Arequipa, whose membership includes
both employed women and housewives, has carried on an educational
program among women from the time it was organized in 1940. Its
activities have included classes in sewing, cooking, and first-aid, and
lectures on a variety of subjects. Musical programs are produced
over local radio stations. The club sponsored the first exhibition of a
government home-industry project. Using as a motto “It is never
too late to learn; when you are learning all you can, you are doing your
duty to yourself and your country,” the club urges women to continue
their education through reading and classes. To further education
and preparation for employment, the club requested the Government
to establish a vocational school for women and girls in Arequipa.
Accion Catolica

Women’s Divisions of Catholic Action both in Arequipa and Lima
were visited.
In Arequipa, the most important project has been that of the older
women’s division, which serves breakfasts to undernourished school
children who are recommended by the school doctor and by teachers.
The project was undertaken in 1934 at the request of the school
physician. In its first years of existence the members of Catholic
Action raised the necessary funds as well as organized and managed
the lunchrooms; later the Government provided the funds. Mem­
bers of Catholic Action give their time for the administration and for
supervisory work in the lunchroom. In 1942 breakfasts were pro­
vided daily for 1,800 school children in four lunchrooms located in
different sections of the city.
Young employed women and young home women in Arequipa had
each their own division within ‘‘Accion Catblica.” Their combined
membership totaled 200. Their programs have been chiefly ones of
religious instruction.
In Lima, centers of two women’s divisions of Catholic Action were
visited. In one center, 200 women of workers’ families were enrolled,
in another, 1,200; the weekly attendance averaged 150 and 700, re­
spectively. Classes in catechism followed by other religious and moral
38




omen lA/ornerd in rent

39

instruction were given. One center also had classes in reading,
writing, and knitting.
The presidents of both Union Cultural Femenina and of Acci6n
Catdlica spoke of the difficulty of interesting women in the club
because “they are afraid of being criticized for doing something
different.”
Accion Femenina Peruana

This organization used as its basis of action the Lima Declaration
of Women’s Rights adopted by the International Conference of
American States which met in Lima in 1938. They stated their
purpose briefly in three words, “Justice for Women.” The organiza­
tion was formed in Lima in 1937 in preparation for the Lima Confer­
ence. After the Conference it ceased to be active but was revived in
1940 when, as members said, the republics of the Western Hemisphere
were threatened with Nazi-Fascism. In 1943 the organization in
Lima had approximately 175 members in the group that met at head­
quarters, 60 members in one industrial community, and 40 in another.
Members are largely employed women: teachers, office employees,
industrial workers, a few social workers, writers, radio artists, lawyers,
and some home women. A cooperative for seamstresses was started
to enable them to increase their earnings; classes and lectures were
held, and members of Accion Femenina Peruana assisted in the
literacy program by going two evenings a week to teach adults to
read and write.
With the help of Accion Femenina Peruana, another group called
“Alas Blancas” was formed in Lima to sew and knit for needy children
of the allied nations. Employed women assisted in this work.
Groups of Accion Femenina Peruana have been organized in other
cities. The one visited in Arequipa had been newly organized and
after 4 months of existence had 40 members. The majority were
younger women—teachers, office employees, some university students,
and home women. The only woman lawyer in Arequipa, who had
recently graduated from law school, was the legal adviser for all who
needed such assistance. Educational program meetings were held
regularly, and series of talks were given to the Women’s Section of
the Trade Union Federation. Plans were also being made for a voca­
tional-trades school for women and girls.
Consejo Nacional De Mujeres

This organization, the National Council of Women in Lima, affili­
ated with the International Council of Women, was founded almost
25 years ago. It is made up of representatives of women’s organize-




40

lAJomen *}AJorlerS in

A

tions and of individual members. The Consejo has assisted wage­
earning -women in collecting back wages owed them and in securing
vacations. Before an official committee for motion-picture censor­
ship was established by the Government, the Consejo formed a
volunteer censorship committee.
Entre Nous

Art exhibits, concerts, and lectures by national authorities and
important visitors are held in the rooms of the beautiful colonial
house which is the headquarters of Entre Nous in Lima. Started in
1912 in order to provide a lending library of important European
authors for the women of Lima, it has grown to be a leading cultural
center in the capital. Short courses in Spanish history, literature,
and related subjects are given occasionally.
The president of Entre Nous was decorated by her Government with
the “Orden del Sol” in recognition of her 25 years’ service to the
cultural life of Lima.
Red Cross

A course for volunteer nurses’ aides was organized under the Red
Cross in Lima. At the time of the visit, 35 young women were enrolled
in the 72-hour course. Those who had finished previous courses were
working as volunteers in the Red Cross centers, in hospitals, and
clinics.
Other Social Welfare Work

Women of Peru have given their time and money to social welfare
organizations since the 16th century, when a woman gave her fortune
to establish the first hospital for women. Since then their social
welfare projects have included hospitals for children, homes for children
and the aged, schools for the blind and deaf, maternal and child health
clinics, lunchrooms for mothers of young babies, seaside colonies for
undernourished children, schools and classes for girls, and a home and
medical care for unmarried mothers and mothers in low-income
groups.
The “Hogar de la Madre” (Home for Mothers), which furnishes
medical care and a rest home for unmarried mothers and mothers in lowincome groups, before and after childbirth, is one of the social welfare
projects which was visited. The organization was first started in 1927
by women who had no children of their own. In 1944 attractive new
buildings for the “Hogar” were completed. One-story in height, they
enclose an open patio so that there is much air and sunshine. The
gaily decorated interiors include the rooms for the patients, classrooms
and workrooms, dormitories for young children, and separate dining




Wc
omen

Wort,erd in p

.;

41

rooms for the mothers and children. In the center of the patio there
is a small chapel. Lessons in health, child care, and nutrition, are
given. The patients in the “Hogar” and members of the board of
directors make toys at Christmas time which are sold very inexpen­
sively and used as gifts for children of poor families. The “Hogar”
also has a school for nursemaids. The board of directors has had some
help from the Government but has financed its work largely by its
own efforts.
The years of the Second World War, the reaching toward democracy
by the peoples of many countries, the promise of the Four Freedoms
touched the lives of women of Peru. The women directly affected may
be small in number, but they are important because of their influence.
More women employed in expanding industrial and commercial
enterprises, more girls and young women in secondary schools and
universities, more women in the professions, an awakened concern for
the women and children of the “liberated” countries, an increasing
interest in national and international affairs are indications of the part
that women of Peru will play in the life of their country.

U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1947

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office
Washington 25, D. C. - Price 15 cents