NEWLY TRAINED OPERATOR
—TOOL TRAINING SHOP—
GIRL LATHE OPERATOR
—CUTTING TOOL SHOP—
BROWN & SHARPE MANUFACTURING COMPANY
Providence, R. I.
In our own experience, without doubt, much more attention has been given by foremen and fellow-workmen to the supervision of women’s work than has been given to the average male employee in the past, the assumption being that a woman, having less mechanical background and intuition than a man, required more training and more specific instructions. This has been the reason advanced by some foremen in explaining why women were doing better work and had “broken in” more quickly than men, and they have added, “If we had given the same kind of attention to each new man employed, he would have done just as well as the girl”; this is, after all, an admission on the part of the foreman that he had not in the past helped all he could, and an indirect compliment to the girl having much significance. It may be noted, however, that at the time when such comparisons were made the average man who could be secured was of an unsatisfactory and irresponsible class, as so few trained or competent men were available for positions in the industries, while, on the other hand, in hiring girls a selection from a large number of applicants could be made, so that it was possible to obtain a much better average having the qualities to make successful workers.
Experience has shown that there are advantages in having both men and women in the same department, as it tends to hold the same standard of workmanship and speed for women as for men, while it is believed that having a separate department for women may establish a separate and lower standard, the tendency being to make more allowance for women because of sex. The results seem to show that it is not at all necessary that separate standards should be established and that in some lines of work even more can be expected of women than of men because of their nimble fingers and quickness of motion. As to questions of discipline, where the two sexes are employed in the same work-room, little or no difficulty is experienced under capable foremanship.
Actual results have proved that the fears in the minds of some that there would be opposition on the part of foremen and workmen to the employment of women in the shop were ungrounded. A foreman remarked to a visitor: “See that girl working beside the man assembling speed indicators? She is working with him so as to learn all the requirements, and he knows that she is to have his job as soon as she has become sufficiently proficient, but he is helping her in every way possible. Of course, we shall find other work for the man; and often, with the present shortage of help, such a change of work can be in the line of promotion.” This illustrates the spirit which is practically universal throughout the shop, and which has been an important factor in bringing about the success of the plan.