Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 36, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 February 1917 — WOMEN REPLACING MEN IN ENGLAND [ARTICLE]

WOMEN REPLACING MEN IN ENGLAND

War Changes Social and Economic Conditions.. English Trade Unions Face Problems —— f ——— —■ -s—r— ————————v Almost a million women have entered all kinds of positions in Great Britain held by men before the European war. Of this number exactly 933,000 were substituted for men called to 4 he front or diverted tc other war activities. This replacement of men by women is introducing a new social and economic condition in Great Britain which will have to be worked out after the war. The women are said to be doing the men’s work quite as well as the men did, so that a new element of competition is developed between the sexes. Many commercial houses have promised to take back the soldiers when peace comes. They may retain both. Trades unions, which have representatives in parliament, are facing a crisis, for in many cases the women, who are members, outnumber the men. The Labor department of Great Britain estimates that 3,231,000 women are employed in all branches of industry and commerce, or over a million more than when the war-be-gan. In banking and finance, for instance, the number of women, formerly 9,500, has jumped to 46,500. In government departments 133,000 women are employed as compared with 66,000 formerly. The industrial trades show the greatest increase where 393,000 women are taking the places of 314,000 men. In ammunition works where 2,000 women were employed before the war 120,000 are directly replacing men. On busses, trams, and various kinds of transportation service women have increased to 41,000, all replacing men. Men teachers are being displaced and in municipal transport work, 40,000 women are employed. Farms alone show the smallest percentage of women replacing men. The number of men replaced on farms by women is n-iven as 20,000 while the number of women farm workers is 80,000.