Women at work on bomber, Douglas Aircraft Company, Long Beach, Calif. (1942)
Check out this 1943 guide to hiring women, designed for male supervisors on dealing with women working during World War II, published in Transportation Magazine.
My favorites are:
4. Retain a physician to give each woman you hire a special physical examination - one covering female conditions. This step not only protects the property against the possibilities of lawsuit but also reveals whether the employee-to-be has any female weaknesses which would make her mentally or physically unfit for the job. Transit companies that follow this practice report a surprising number of women turned down for nervous disorders.
Uh, I’d have a nervous disorder too if applying for an office job included a “special physical examination.� Yikes!
8. Give every girl an adequate number of rest periods during the day. Companies that are already using large numbers of women stress the fact that you have to make some allowances for feminine psychology. A girl has more confidence and consequently is more efficient if she can keep her hair tidied, apply fresh lipstick and wash her hands several times a day.
I do like rest periods, but damn, I use them for peeing and eating, not hair tidying. Especially since I work from home now. Unless sloppy ponytail is considered a style.
Again, thanks to sunshine for sending this to me. Excellent chuckles on this dreary day. Though, it did make me wonder what craziness some employers would come up with today.
(Image from the Library of Congress Flickr stream of photos of women workers during WWII.)
Full list after the jump.
Eleven Tips on Getting More Efficiency Out of Women Employees
There's no longer any question whether transit companies should hire women for jobs formerly held by men. The draft and manpower shortage has settled that point. The important things now are to select the most efficient women available and how to use them to the best advantage. Here are eleven helpful tips on the subject from western properties:
1. If you can get them, pick young married women. They have these advantages, according to the reports of western companies: they usually have more of a sense of responsibility than do their unmarried sisters; they're less likely to be flirtatious; as a rule, they need the work or they wouldn't be doing it – maybe a sick husband or one who's in the army; they still have the pep and interest to work hard and to deal with the public efficiently.
2. When you have to use older women, try to get ones who have worked outside the home at some time in their lives. Most transportation companies have found that older women who have never contacted the public, have a hard time adapting themselves, are inclined to be cantankerous and fussy. It's always well to impress upon older women the importance of friendliness and courtesy.
3. While there are exceptions, of course, to this rule, general experience indicates that "husky" girls – those who are just a little on the heavy side – are likely to be more even-tempered and efficient than their underweight sisters.
4. Retain a physician to give each woman you hire a special physical examination - one covering female conditions. This step not only protects the property against the possibilities of lawsuit but also reveals whether the employee-to-be has any female weaknesses which would make her mentally or physically unfit for the job. Transit companies that follow this practice report a surprising number of women turned down for nervous disorders.
5. In breaking in women who haven't previously done outside work, stress at the outset the importance of time – the fact that a minute or two lost here and there makes serious inroads on schedules. Until this point is gotten across, service is likely to be slowed up.
6. Give the female employee in garage or office a definite day-long schedule of duties so that she'll keep busy without bothering the management for instructions every few minutes. Numerous properties say that women make excellent workers when they have their jobs cut out for them but that they lack initiative in finding work themselves.
7. Whenever possible, let the inside employee change from one job to another at some time during the day. Women are inclined to be nervous and they're happier with change.
8. Give every girl an adequate number of rest periods during the day. Companies that are already using large numbers of women stress the fact that you have to make some allowances for feminine psychology. A girl has more confidence and consequently is more efficient if she can keep her hair tidied, apply fresh lipstick and wash her hands several times a day.
9. Be tactful in issuing instructions or in making criticisms. Women are often sensitive; they can't shrug off harsh words the way that men do. Never ridicule a woman – it breaks her spirit and cuts her efficiency.
10. Be reasonably considerate about using strong language around women. Even though a girl's husband or father may swear vociferously, she'll grow to dislike a place of business where she hears too much of this.
11. Get enough size variety in operator uniforms that each girl can have a proper fit. This point can't be stressed too strongly as a means of keeping women happy, according to western properties.
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A lot of these seem to be responses to dealing with the sorts of situations that would come up with any person who was unfamiliar with work or in a general kind of way--being unused to following strict schedules, dealing with people in a public forum, etc. Others are just dumb--you mean people work better if you don't insult them? No way! And golly gee isn't it strange that someone would want to wash their hands a few times a day!
But those others.... wow. I never knew my feminine psychology was so wrapped up in lipstick application and having fitted clothing. I'm starting to feel an attack of nerves just thinking about how terrible I must look sitting here in my pajamas with no make-up!
This is amazing and so unsurprising. I'm currently working on my undergraduate thesis about women in employment in the 1950's and this is very common based on my research.
I would love to use this in my paper but I need a proper citation. What's the link for this?
I didn't realize that, as a male, I should be able to shrug off harsh words. I thought harsh words were resons to start a fight, as I should be defending my "manhood". Arghhh!
Me thinks I'd be unhappy in an ill fitting uniform also.
I just recently found out my grandma held one of these war-time positions - it was very interesting talking to her about it. She got fired the minute the war was over. :P
Hey, neat-o, I sent this one in to Feministing just a week or two ago hoping it would make it onto the blog... Although I see that Jen credits "Sunshine" for sending it in, oh well, at least it got posted. :)
Snopes has a page on it:
http://www.snopes.com/language/document/hiringwomen.asp
The magazine is apparently actually "Mass Transportation Magazine" of July 1943.
I suspect a lot of the concern over lipstick and properly fitting clothing comes from the additional pressure on women to always be attractive to men. If the women felt that they were as likely to be judged by their appearance as their job performance (which certainly doesn't happen at all these days, right?) then they'd naturally be concerned about their appearance while at work.
Considering how little male chauvinist perception has changed over the years.....not surprising...
I'm surprised the properly fitting clothing isn't cited as a safety concern as well. Veronica Lake rather famously cut her hair as part of the war effort-- her hair-over-the-eyes style wouldn't have cut it in a factory-- and loose sleeves, long pants, etc. are just as much of a safety concern.
My grandmother did factory work in the war too, Special K! And she too got fired the minute it was over.
A girl has more confidence and consequently is more efficient if she can put lipstick on and keep her hair done? are you kidding me? haha, what a joke, how ignorant was this guide to hiring!
thank god they were able to apply lipstick otherwise we might not have been able to work on that bomber. sheesh!
It seems weird to me that they used the word "girl" to describe even married women. I mean, I call myself a girl even though I'm of adult age, but that's because I don't -feel- like an adult yet. Presumably anyone who feels they are mature enough to be getting married would like to be considered an adult. But that kind of infantilization is pretty standard for the '40s, I guess, and it does still pop up today.
This list made me giggle. Especially the bit about strong language, seeing as I had to be reminded to watch my mouth in front of the patrons at work last night.
This is why affirmative action was implemented so this disgraceful sexism against women would be removed.
Today the corporate world is still dominated by men despite the fact that 60 percent of all college graduates are women. I guess sexism is till very much alive in the corporate world and government.
Yet gender affirmative action seems to have just disappeared. How convenient
A friend sent this to me a couple of weeks ago. My reactions then (and now):
While the whole thing is obviously ridiculous, two evoke particular queries:
#11 - duh! don't you do this for men, too?
#4 - WTF?! how the hell is giving me a "special physical examination...covering female conditions" going to reveal "female weaknesses" that would make me "mentally...unfit for the job"?!?!
JenniferLynn42: The scanned image I have says it's from July 1943 Transportation Magazine; reprinted in Sept-Oct "Savvy and Sage" 2007. If you want, email me, feminist27@gmail.com and I'll send it to you.
This type of blatant sexism may be a thing of the past here (thankfully) but in much of the global south women are still subjected to discriminatory, humiliating and degrading practices and conditions in the workplace. That would include being forced to take pregnancy tests and being immediately fired if they are found to be pregnant. That's not to dismiss misogyny in the American workplace; it's just that i shudder when i think of the conditions that women, whose labor sustains much of this modern economy, have to endure to earn a barely survivable income most everywhere to this day. --Sorry for the rant.
Interesting, #10 still holds on strong in factories. But only if the female is "white collar" (e.g. a mechanical engineer like me), the guys are happy to act like complete assholes around their direct co-workers.
Wasn't "nervous disorders" an old-time phrase meaning something along the lines of "desperately needs sexual stimulation"?
"While there are exceptions, of course, to this rule, general experience indicates that "husky" girls – those who are just a little on the heavy side – are likely to be more even-tempered and efficient than their underweight sisters."
Actually, I'm a raging bitch. But thanks for the job offer. ^_^
I've been passing this around the office, and everyone is cracking up and shaking their heads at the same time.
We particularly like #10 because the language used by the younger women in the office, including me, regularly makes the older men blush.
I love these pictures! I made an art collage for an art class using these types of images, and I still have it.
Am I the only person who totally identifies with #10? I like being able to freshen up my makeup throughout the day...
Then again, a lot of guys I know could use more grooming, so I guess #10 applies to them too...
Wasn't "nervous disorders" an old-time phrase meaning something along the lines of "desperately needs sexual stimulation"?
Uhh no. This was used as a catch all term to describe mostly psychiatric issues such as "menstrual hysteria" that would today fall under the PMS umbrella. It also refers to vague musculoskeletal complaints such as fibromyalgia or vague GI complaints like IBS.
You may be familiar with the book The Politically Incorrect Guide to Women, Sex & Feminism, but I definitely wasn't until I read an article bashing the brand of feminism written about in CosmoGirl!s feb. issue (which stressed getting a job and making a life for *ourselves* not prince charming & a bunch of kids we have to clean up for.) anyway, long story short, the author of The Politically Incorrect Guide... explains away the wage gap between women and men. Key points according to the article I read:
"Sorry, ladies, but your numbers don't add up. In her 2006 book, The Politically Incorrect Guide to Women, Sex and Feminism,Carrie Lukas of the Independent Women's Forum busts the wage-gap discrimination myth by pointing out numerous non-discriminatory influences on women's salaries, including:
• Putting families first. Women on average, spend 10 years outside of the workforce caring for their families.
• Educational attainment. Older women in the workforce tend to have less education that their male peers.
• Different priorities. Women are more likely to want flexible schedules or more time off than higher pay. "
What's interesting to me is that with a couple exceptions and a bit of pronoun change, most of those could be put into a hiring guide and be used today.
For instance, #2 - If someone has never worked outside the home or with the public, they are going to have a hard time adjusting. I remember my first job with the public when I was in college, it was a real eye-opener.
#5 - Again, if someone has never had to work according to someone else's timeframe, it takes a bit of getting used to.
#6 and #7 are terribly condescending and hateful, but they do have a kernal of truth. I prefer having a list of jobs/chores to complete rather than constantly having to find a 'boss' to tell me what to do next. (I've had bosses who get pissy if you 'find something' to do.) I also get really bored if I have to do the same thing for 8 hours a day and prefer a bit of variety.
#8 - Again with the condescencion, but I can't think of anything much worse (work related, natch) than knowing I will only get two 5 min bathroom breaks in a 8.5 hour day. Much better to have the flexibility to have the chance to duck out ever couple hours and take a deep breath/pee/wash hands/face, etc.
#9 - be tactful, I can't really see anything wrong with that, just make sure it works for both men and women. No one enjoys being called a numbskulled idiot who is bringing about the fall of the civilized world. (actual rant from a pea brained manager.)
#10 - I don't like certain language. I've been known to use it in extreme circumstances, but as casual conversation I think it's a sign of a small mind. My opinion, natch.
#11 - Who wants to wear a uniform that doesn't fit properly?
*snicker* When you stop and think about it, what started as a condescending 'accomodation' of women in the work place has actually led to certain practices (break periods, for instance) being the norm.
Beats the shit out of raping them and leaving them for dead, which seems to be the MODERN practices of HALLIBURTON/KBR.
http://www.jamiesfoundation.com/
and more recently THIS disgusting POS:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/02/06/sex-assault-suit-against-_n_85314.html
Which is very, very disturbing, because the right to file criminal charges cannot be legally waived under an arbitration agreement, nor can the right to file EEOC civil claims. The judge has it wrong, and WHEN this is PROPERLY properly pursued, a brighter bulb WILL overrule it. This woman has to get a better lawyer. Sheesh. The EEOC's policy on this comes up first thing in a bleeding Google search on the words "EEOC" and "Arbitration." DUH.
Her lawyer's probably a right-wing Texan asshole who's just going to put her in the most vulnerable spot possible so HE can get into her pants, TOO.
Anyway, why is feministing covering shit that went down in the 1940's OMG they were CONDESCENDING to us, when TODAY they're OMG they're RAPING US AND LEAVING US FOR DEAD as part of our "Conditions of Employment." Nice.
Get some PRIORITIES.
What is puzzling is that itis stressed several times that these guidelines are for "Western companies" or "Western properties". Makes one wonder what was the set of tips, say, for a factory or plantation in India or South America.
I also like the advise to humor the feminine propensity to wash hands several times per day.
I reminded of the employee handbook I was given when I got a job waitressing at Howard Johnson's. I can't get the image of the ideal "Howard Johnson's Girl" out of my head - nipped in waist; knee-length uniform; etc. Hysterically funny. Also, one of the "girls" I worked with was at least 60 years old.
I actually agree with the last one. I can't count the number of jobs or situations I have been in where they assumed the worker would be male and therefore have uniforms made for a man that are huge on me. Maybe not other women, but I'm pretty petite.
I like the one about "husky girls" being more even-tempered. LOLz!