Women Losing Big Business Battle

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30895, 30 October 1965, Page 2

Women Losing Big Business Battle

—Still it rages—the battle of the sexes in British big business—are women in or out? asks the London correspondent of the Sydney “Sun-Herald.”

Ninety per cent of company directors officially questioned on what they think of women executives have replied: “Women executives? Wonderful. We can’t get enough of them.”

But an open discussion on prejudice and discrimination against women in business has revealed that “Mr Bowler Hat” is still afraid of girls. Women bosses, say businessmen, are too bossy. Mrs Charlotte Heyman, who has just retired from the board of a big transport firm after 45 years' service in which she rose from a 5s a week wheelbarrow oiler to being an £BOOO-a-year chief commercial manager, has this to say: Ostracised “When I was promoted chief oiler, none of the men would talk to me. Up to about 10 years ago when I was reaching executive level I found men had quaint ideas about my abilities. One was that as the chairman’s daughter I could not have any real brains; the other was that I could be easily fooled into mistakes because I was a mere gullible woman.” A highly-qualified woman with a science degree working for a large industrial firm discovered that the deputy’s post above hers was advertised with fewer qualifications, less experience and more money—but she was not allowed to apply for the job. She was told: “This industry is a man’s world and this is a very conservative company.” So she left. Over Her Head Another woman scientist complained that she saw all her male colleagues with B.Sc. degrees promoted over her head —though she was M.Sc. Special Flight (N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright) NUKUALOFA (Tonga), October 29. Queen Salote of Tonga will fly to New Zealand next month on a special flight offered by Queen Elizabeth. The Queen made the special offer to Queen Salote in a recent message. Queen Salote is expected to arrive in Auckland on November 4.

Although one-third of Britain’s working population is female the top executive is almost exclusively male—with one woman company director for every 100 men. Said one woman executive: "Women have got to be better than men to succeed.” A company chairman simply summed it up: “Women are not like men. They are so difficult to get on with across an office table.”