Women’s Contribution To U.S. Labour Force

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28491, 22 January 1958, Page 2

Women’s Contribution To U.S. Labour Force

Women working outside the home have contributed to improved living standards, made for a richer life for American children, advanced more families to middle income levels, and expanded freedom and choice for women, writes Marilyn Hoffman in the “Christian Science Monitor.”

These were defined as some of the desirable social and economic consequences of the revolution in womanpower at a recent New York conference on “Work in the Lives of Married Women,” called by the National Manpower Council. The 90 participants—a crosssection from 23 states from busiin the Lives of Married Women,” and other groups, also agreed that married women would continue to flow into the labour force—not only for personal satisfactions and monetary gain, but because the economy of the United States is geared to their contributions, and must beckon increasing numbers as population grows and living standards uptrend. Employed women are expected to increase by 7,000,000 from 1955 to 1965. Most Free Agents

Although statistics show that, regardless of future dips in the economy, there will be a continuing need for women workers, and an even-widening range of jobs as the professions and industry understand the manpower problem, most women will remain free agents to decide whether they work or not. The. council made it clear that although its studies brought out factual data on employment opportunities to women, the council does not imply that mothers have a responsibility to rush out and take advantage of them.

There was, in fact, a strong undercurrent throughout the six days ox conference discussions that nothing yielded higher satisfactions to a woman than her traditional jobs of homemaki|&, child-care, and giving

her family and community moral and spiritual support. It she is to work outside the home, those essential functions must be safeguarded, it was agreed. It was such concern that turned the group to the study of care facilities for the children of working mothers, to the effect of outside work on the family itself, and the education for and guidance of women in their thirties, forties, and fifties, back into the labour force. They also sought utilisation of older women workers who in the years ahead will be the largest potential addition to the labour force available for continuous employment. Statistics

Impressive statistics presented included the following:— Women comprise about onethird of the civilian labour force in the United States.

Half of these women are today over 40.

Six of every 10 are married; two-fifths are mothers of schoolage children. Nine out of 10 women are likely to work outside the home in the course of their lives.

Since 1950, the largest single source of workers for expanding the labour force has been women in their middle and later years. Some positive aspects presented were: Although industry still suffers from inertia (as do women employees!) and cling to traditional ways of thinking about “women’s jobs”—many employers already are accommodating their work to employed mothers. Some provide special salary adjustments to women engineers and natural scientists so that they can employ competent child care. Some have developed part-time schedules so that women clerical workers can select their own four to six working hours a day.