Guide to Hiring Women (ca. 1943)

[Lyle]

This came across the Snopes.com RSS feed this morning and I wanted to share it: A "Guide to Hiring Women", circa 1943. Contains advice such as:

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'm not sure that men today understand women much better than did the author of this article sixty years ago.

 

[Sdashiki]

So basically men in the workplace arent expected to:

keep their hair neatly shaped
apply chapstick
or be sanitary when it comes to their hands.

Just plain ol' fashioned WOW!

 

[miloblithe]

I think #3 is my favorite:

"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."

 

[Lyle]

So basically men in the workplace arent expected to:

keep their hair neatly shaped
apply chapstick
or be sanitary when it comes to their hands.

Well, I think the premise was that men aren't so concerned with their appearance that having less-than-tidy hair would break their confidence. It sure hasn't ever slowed me down.

 

[IJ Reilly]

I think #3 is my favorite:

"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."

Yeah, that's the one that made me LOL.

Actually, I think these views might have been a tad old fashioned even in 1943, remembering that by that time women were proving themselves in the workplace by the millions, in jobs most previously thought could only be done by men.

 

[efoto]

The end of #2 made me smile:
"It's always well to impress upon older women the importance of friendliness and courtesy."

Are we talking about hiring them or older women in general?

Com'on grandma, be more friendly you old hag you! *duck*

 

[Lord Blackadder]

I think that generations of cultural conditioning produced a total ignorance of how women should be treated in the workplace, and it was only their appearance there due to necessity that opened people's eyes towards the possibilities expanded upon since WWII.

The huge numbers of women who filled the manpower ( ) gaps in U.S. industrial machine during WWII changed the perception of many (though not all) men towards a woman's ability to be a productive citizen in many different fields. It also produced a generation of women who began to see a career as something to aspire towards rather than just being a wife and mother (c.f. "republican motherhood" in the US in the early 19th century - essentially a woman's sole purpose was to produce a new generation of good "republicans", meaning democratically inclined patriots.)

 

[katie ta achoo]

Mmmm, old-school.

Give the female employe 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.

Actually, this one is a little true for me. I finish any work I get within about 30 minutes to 45, depending on what it is (a lot of the time, shorter).
I'm always bugging my teachers: What do I next? Is there any more work I can do now so I can sufficiently slack off later?

I think #3 is my favorite:

"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."

Hehe, this one made me laugh, too.

/I HATE YOU!
//I love you!
///WHERE'S MY PAYCHECK?
////please?
/////not underweight.. *pats belly*

 

[Mr. Anderson]

Women are inclined to be nervous and they're happier with change.

wow - you have to wonder what sort of relationship(s) the guy writing this article actually had....

Scary, scary, scary.

D

 

[revisionA]

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.


This one is actually on point.

$

 

[vniow]

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.


This one is actually on point.

$

**** that ****, I'll be damned if I can't work in a place where I can't yell **** YOU!! at my computer, tell my boss to piss off and point out the ******** that someone else is doing.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

**** that ****, I'll be damned if I can't work in a place where I can't yell **** YOU!! at my computer, tell my boss to piss off and point out the ******** that someone else is doing.

Excactly. One of my female co-workers has a very foul mouth so I found this one a bit funny.

 

[miloblithe]

Depends on the job. Most jobs I've had are relatively swear word free.

I was also disturbed by the notion that women lack initiative in finding work for themselves. Tell that with a straight face to any woman in 1943 who'd spent her life running a household and raising children, while their husbands sat around, read the newspaper, and drank beer.