NUMBER OF WOMEN ENGAGED ON GOVERNMENT
ORDERS IN PRIVATE CONCERNS,
APRIL, 1917, AND APRIL, 1918[52]
| Occupation | April, 1917 | April, 1918 |
|---|---|---|
| Building | 13,000 | 16,000 |
| Mines and Quarries | 4,000 | 6,000 |
| Metals | 388,000 | 502,000 |
| Chemicals | 58,000 | 67,000 |
| Textiles | 238,000 | 338,000 |
| Clothing | 83,000 | 130,000 |
| Food, Drink, Tobacco | 32,000 | 53,000 |
| Paper and Printing | 30,000 | 41,000 |
| Wood | 28,000 | 39,000 |
| Other | 55,000 | 73,000 |
| Total | 929,000 | 1,265,000 |
In nonindustrial employments, including commerce, banking, work for the central and local government, transportation, hotels and theaters, agriculture and the professions, the increase over the prewar level of July, 1914, was 871,000 in July, 1918, a rise from 1,098,000 to 1,969,000 women workers. The increase in these occupations for the fourth year of war alone was much greater than the increase in factory workers during the same period, being 209,000 in contrast to 68,000.
The latest figures available for commerce are for April instead of July, 1918, and show that 850,000 women were then employed in wholesale and retail trade, about a 70 per cent increase since the beginning of the war. The new workers were employed principally by wholesale establishments and by grocery, fish, provision and hardware stores. In the latter months of the war a number of women were promoted to managerial and other positions of responsibility in stores. But in spite of all the extension of their employment, a considerable number of establishments reported a shortage of workers in April, 1918.
INCREASE IN EMPLOYMENT OF FEMALES IN
COMMERCE, JULY, 1914-APRIL, 1918, AND
PERCENTAGE OF FIRMS REPORTING A
SHORTAGE OF FEMALE LABOR
IN APRIL, 1918.[53]
| Occupation | (A) | (B) | (C) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wholesale and Retail Drapers, | |||
| Haberdashers, Clothiers, etc. | 132,000 | 167,000 | 20 |
| Wholesale and Retail Grocers, | |||
| Bakers, Confectioners | 80,000 | 182,000 | 5 |
| Wholesale and Retail Butchers, | |||
| Fishmongers, Dairymen | 42,000 | 69,000 | 8 |
| Wholesale and Retail Stationers | |||
| and Booksellers | 34,000 | 47,000 | 12 |
| Retail Boot and Shoe Dealers | 13,500 | 22,500 | 14 |
| Retail Chemists | 10,000 | 24,000 | 10 |
| All (including some not | |||
| specified above) | 496,000 | 850,000 | 8 |
- (A) = Estimated No. Employed July, 1914
- (B) = Estimated No. Employed April, 1918
- (C) = Percentage of Firms Reportinga Shortage of Female Lsbor April, 1918
The term “transportation” in the statistics applies chiefly to steam railroads, as the employes of the many municipally owned tramways are classed under “local government.” The number of women in the transportation group was four times as great in April, 1918, as in July, 1914, or 68,000 instead of 17,000. A list covering the principal lines of work in July, 1918, shows that the largest number of women were employed as telegraph and telephone operators, porters and carriage cleaners.[54]
NUMBER OF FEMALES EMPLOYED
BY STEAM RAILWAYS.
| July, 1914 | July, 1918 | |
|---|---|---|
| Booking Clerks | 152 | 3,612 |
| Telegraph and telephone operators | ||
| and other clerks | 2,800 | 20,995 |
| Ticket collectors | .... | 1,972 |
| Carriage cleaners | 214 | 4,603 |
| Engine cleaners | .... | 3,065 |
| Porters and checkers | 3 | 9,980 |
| Workshop laborers | 43 | 2,547 |
| Other laborers | 420 | 580 |
| Cooks, waitresses, attendants | 1,239 | 3,641 |
| Signalwomen, gatekeepers, guards | 437 | 1,292 |
| Machinists, mechanics | 44 | 1,082 |
| Painters and cleaners | ||
| (including charwomen) | 698 | 1,177 |
| Total (including unspecified) | 12,423 | 65,887 |