PHYSIQUE OF WOMEN.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20311, 20 January 1928, Page 10

PHYSIQUE OF WOMEN.

SOME INTERESTING TESTS. COLLEGE WOMEN’S FINE PHYSIQUE. (From Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, December 14. According to a report drawn up by the industrial Fatigue Board, the average woman weighs 1101 b, is 62in tall, has a pull of 1831 b, a grip of 581 b, and a crush of 601 b. These conclusions have been reached by a number of investigators, working under the board, whose report on “ Tile Pysique of Women in Industry ” is just published. The investigation, which has been conducted under the supervision of Professor E. P. Cathcart at the request of the Home Office, arose from the proposal in the Factories Bill of 1926 empowering the Home Secretary to prescribe the maximum load to be carried or moved by women or young persons. The anthropometric data of 4366 women were taken, these including weight, height, length of arm, distance of finger tips from ground (standing), and three physical tests. Forty girls employed in a Glasgow chemical factory did navvy work from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. with two hours off for meals. “ All the women and girls worked with ease and barefooted,” states the report. ‘ The movement involved seemed to be of a type which ensured muscular develop raent and poise, as without exception their carriage and physique was literally remarkable. We were told that tne mothers and grandmothers of many of the .vomen employed had done the same worn before them. No girls were taken m under 16, and, astonishing as it may seem, they were drawn from the district immediately surrounding the factory, one of the worst ,in Glasgow. HEAVY LOADS. “As evidence of what these workers were capable of we saw one woman who shovelled 20-25 tons of crude borite per day, lifting it to a height of about 2ft 6in; Five girls ivho shovelled crystals from evaporating pans into trucks, which, after filling, they wheeled for a considerable distance along very imperfect rails, had an average combined output per group of six tons per day.” Girls employed in a Midland brick works carried loads of bricks, 51b short of Icwt, for a distance of 70yds to 80yds. Some women wheeled barrows containing 4cwt to 4icwt of bricks. The good carriage of the girls in the factory was also noticeable. The strength of the girls in the chemical and brick works was very much .higher than in any of the other trades. A group qf 460 provincial college women, all training for the teaching profession, were selected as sedentary workers. “The striking thing which the data disclose,” states the report, “ is the really excellent physical condition of this group of young wonun when compared ith their sisters engaged in industry. They are taller, heavier, and stronger than the bulk of the other women examined. “To what is ,this superiority to oe ascribed? In the first place, a very large number of these girls, about 55 per cent., were born and brought up in country districts—they came from all parts of Scotland—being drawn from good, sound stock, but not from affluent families.” After discussing data regarding women engaged in heavy trades the report adds: “The result of our comparison is to show in actual figures that the average college woman is 3.75 cm., of about I.sin taller than the average factory woman, who in turn is just over scm, or about 2in taller than the average unemployed oman. “ As regards weight, the college woman is about three kilos, or 6.51 b heavier than the factory woman, who is, however, almost equalled in weight by her unem ployed sister. “ Finally, when pull is compared m terms of actual weight, there is a difference of 14.8 kilos, or 32.51 b in favour of the college woman as compared with the average factory woman, who in turn is some eight kilos, or 17.51 b, better than the average of the unemployed women.” “ There is no doubt then that, speaking generally, the physique of the town dweller is inferior to that of the country dweller,” comments the report. WHAT WOMEN SHOULD CARRY. Dr Sybil G. Overton, medical inspector of factories, conducted numerous inquiries regarding the optimum load a woman worker should carry. “ Dr Overton comes to the conclusion that in the case of loads for continuous carriage they should not exceed a weight represented by 40 per cent, of the body weight, and that for incidental or occasional lifts or carriage they should not exceed 50 per cent, of the body weight of the worker. “If these values be translated into terms of actual load based on the average body weight, thev should be about 451 b and 551 b respectively. The opinion is expressed, however, ‘ that in the case of female young persons, from 14 to 16 the load should not exceed 251 b to 301 b, and in the case of the It to 18 group (although our results show that growth has practically ceased by the age of IS, yet as the bodv between these years is still plastic, and should not accordingly be overstrained) a load of 401 b should not be exceeded.”