Letter of Transmittal UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, WOMEN'S BUREAU, SIR: I have the honor of transmitting a report on the employment of This bulletin brings together facts relevant to the place of women in In 33.b 11. no.241. EMPLOYMENT OF WOMEN IN AN EMERGENCY PERIOD I. Women's Place in the Economy Today Women today are an integral and significant part of the labor force of the country. During the past half century the increase in the number of women who work has been tremendous; since 1900, the number has more than tripled. The 1834 million women workers in April 1952 formed 30 percent of all workers. The long-term trend toward increased participation of women in the labor force was accelerated by two world wars. Immediately following the close of World War II, there was a marked withdrawal of women from the labor force. Nevertheless, their rate of participation in April 1947 remained higher than it had been in 1940, prior to the war. Since 1947, this rate has risen again. If the present emergency is prolonged and the full impact of defense production makes itself felt, the rate will undoubtedly continue to be accelerated because women today constitute the largest labor reserve in the Nation. In April 1952, one-third of all women of working age were in the labor force: 1 Employable women in the 383⁄44 million not now in the labor force constitute the Nation's largest single labor reserve. An effective manpower program must concern itself not only with drawing new workers into the labor force but also with the most effective utilization of women already employed. Thus, it is necessary to have information both on women in the labor force and on those who form the womanpower potential. Women Workers Certain facts about today's women workers are important in planning a manpower program: First, according to a census report for 1951, there are more married than single women workers. Almost half of all women in the labor All statistics are from reports for April 1952, U. S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, unless otherwise noted. Persons under 14 years of age and those in institutions are usually excluded in considering that portion of the population from which the labor force is drawn. Under present social conditions, 16 years of age might yield a more realistic picture. However, in order to conform to current statistical practice, all figures on labor force and on manpower potential include persons 14 years of age and over. 210624-52 1 force are married and less than one-third are single. The others are widowed, separated or divorced. An almost complete reversal in proportion of women workers who are married and those who are single has taken place within the last 11 years. Second, many of the women who work are mothers with children under 18 years of age. Over one-fourth of the women in the civilian labor force in 1950, or more than 42 million women workers, had children under 18 and over 112 million of these working mothers had children younger than school age. Third, the woman worker today is older, on the average, than ever before. Older women came into the labor force in great numbers during World War II as did women of all ages but, unlike the younger women, did not leave after the war was over. Women 45 years of age and over formed 32 percent of the 1834 million women in the labor force in April 1952. Occupationally, women congregate chiefly in a few major types of activity. Clerical and kindred workers predominate; over onefourth of the employed women (29 percent) are in clerical occupations. Next in importance are the semiskilled factory workers or operatives; one-fifth (19 percent) of women workers are in this group. Next in number of women employed are three broad groups, each with approximately one-tenth of the working women: Professional and technical workers, service workers, and private household workers. No other occupational group employs as much as 10 percent of the women who work. An even greater concentration of women workers is found in certain industries, according to the most recent (1951) estimates of the Bureau of the Census. The majority of women workers (80 percent) are found in four major industry groups: Manufacturing industries (25 percent), wholesale and retail trade (22 percent), personal services (17 percent), and professional and related services (16 percent). Other service industries account for 7 percent, and agriculture, public utilities, and government each account for about 4 percent of the women employed in 1951. Very few women are employed in either mining or construction industries. This information on industry and occupation serves as a rough guide to the pattern of employment for women. It shows where 2 Service workers include persons in service occupations other than private household workers, such as waitresses. Other service industries include finance, insurance, and real estate; business and repair services; and entertainment and recreation services. |