WAR STRAIN ON BRITISH WOMEN WORKERS

Southland Times, Issue 25643, 10 April 1945, Page 6

WAR STRAIN ON BRITISH WOMEN WORKERS

Doctors have checked up on how 20,000 British women have stood up to four years’ factory work. This is what they found:— Older married women seem less nervy and more able to stand up to factory managers. Young married women without children are more liable to illness—due probably to their more frequent late nights at cinemas, theatres and dances. Psychological disorders are most frequent among married women with family responsibilities and among those only employed since the beginning of the war.

Sickness and absence from work are most common in the 30-50 age-group.

The physical and mental effort _ required to run a home arid work in a factory is undoubtedly severe. ■ The fear and insecurity caused by the wartime break-up of family life—absence of sons and husbands in the armed forces, and in some cases the evacuation of children—have often affected mental and bodily health more than prolonged work. The conclusions are taken from a report compiled for the Medical Research Council by a committee headed by Dr S. Wyatt.