Ottawa survey shows women
form quarter of working force

By MONA MORGAN

Should married women work? If all married women workers suddenly decided to
stay home, this argument would be solved. quickly. Today almost one-quarter of Canada’s
working force is women and over 40 percent of them are married (excluding widows, divorced
and separated). So the industries, shops and offices in which these women work would be

ns ees ge Pi.

SESEs see

During the Second World War thousands of Canadian wo-
mer rallied to the call for more workers on the production
lines (upper left). After the war women from coast to
coast organized to fight the soaring cost of living (upper
right) and conducted a magnificent “Roll Back Prices” cam-

paign which culminated in a mass lobby on Ottawa. Today

women are still battling on the prices front, and photo at
lower left shows Effie Jones and Mona Morgan leading a
protest demonstration last December” in front of the B.C?
Electric building in Vancouver, opposing boosting of bus
fares. In campaigns for peace women have also played an
outstanding role. Women’s auxiliaries in trade unions have
given staunch support to strikers, and more and. more
women unionists are coming to the fore in the labor move-
ment.

dislocated if their services were
During the Second World
War women rallied to the call

-for more workers on the pro-

duction lines and thousands of
them stayed in their jobs or
found new ones when the war
ended.

Many women work because
they prefer it to housework
and about 30 percent of mar-
ried women workers have
some vocational training. But
the vast majority work because
one wage will not meet the
steadily rising living costs.
And in these days of unemploy-
ment, more and more women
are taking jobs because they
are the sole support of the
family.

Recently the federal govern-
ment undertook a survey of
married women workers and
found that “for girls who have
grown to adulthood since the
war, marriage does not almost
automatically mean leaving
paid employment as it did be-
fore the Second World War.
Today’s young woman com-
menly exvects to play a double
role as homemaker and job
holder, at least for a few years,
and perhaps. off and on
throughout her life.

“Women on farms are likely
to be fully occupied with both
household and other duties be-
fore and after marriage. They
do not, however, usually re-
ceive any wage or salary for
their work around the farm.”

In the debate about married
women working, particular
concern is felt about the pro-
visions made for children.when

withdrawn.

mother takes on the dual role

of homemaker and worker out- ,

side the house.

Who are the married work-
ing women? They are divided
into two groups: the first is
younger. than the whole popu-
lation of married women and
the second is women over 49
years of age who have no de-
pendent chi‘dren.

The survey also indicates
that women who work Have
more schooling on an average
than those who do not work.
(It is interesting to note that
only 16 percent of married wo-
men with teacher’s training
are practising their profession.)

The largest group — 37 per-
cent — are in clerical occu-
pations; 23 percent are factory
workers and 17 percent are in
service jobs. Scme 12 percent
have jobs in commerce and
finance (sales clerks, etc.) Only
nine percent are engaged in

managerial
work.

About 80 percent of married
women workers have to work
full time because so many of
them are working to raise the
family standard of living.
Home — responsibilities keep
many from full time jobs al-
though they could get better
yobs at full time work.

Another survey conducted
some time ago showed that one-
half of all Canadian families
with two children have incomes
below “a modest but adequate
amcunt.”

If the results of the two
surveys are taken ‘together. it

and_ professional

is clear that most married wo-

men work to augment the fam-
ily income to provide “a:mod-
est but adequate amount”;; and
to provide educational-and rec-
reational and cultural -activi-
ties which are not included in
“a -modest but adequate
amount.”

Women's brief demands
han on nuclear tests

OTTAWA — The Canadian
government was called on last
week to go on record for the
renunciation. of all nuclear
tests, by a delegation repre-
senting the national executive
and Toronto chapter of the Con-
gress of Canadian Women, the
Association of United Ukrain-
ian Canadians and the Finnish
Organization of Canada.

The brief, supported by 2,446
signatures collected in every

province, expressed “the un-
easiness of many Canadian wo-'—
men who are becoming moré
and more fearful of the nuclear
danger that is building up as a
consequence of the tests.”

The secretary for the mini-
ster of external affairs told
the delegation that it was good
to hear public opinion, so that
the government knew what the
Canadian people are thinking.

March 6, 1959 — PACIFIC TRIBUNE—PAGE 3