The 1943 Guide to Hiring Women - Oh Lord!

Excerpt from the 1943 issue of Transportation Magazine
Written for the male supervisors of women in the work force during World War II
     
      I just couldn't resist!
     
      Eleven Tips on Getting More Efficiency Out of Women Employees.
     
      There are eleven helpful tips on the subject from Western Properties:
     
      1. Pick young married women. They usually have more of a sense of responsibility than their unmarried sisters, they're less likely to be flirtatious, they need the work or they wouldn't be doing it, they still have the pep and interest to work hard and to deal with the public efficiently.
     
      "Pick young married women"? The number of single-parent households where the mother is working and raising the children would tend to dispute this. Young maried women probably aren't working. Or don't plan to be for long---- Not all single mothers are divorced, in some cases, the father never married them. Or they came to their senses and never married the father. "Less flirtatious"? It isn't the women in the workplace that drive that! Married or single, men hit on anything they want to (male or female), every day, all day, no matter what you look (or feel) like. Why worry about the women? "They need the work" - yeah - the dead-beat dads made sure of that. "Pep"? Oh Lord help me. "Interest to work hard"? Do we ever not? "Deal with the Public?" you mean men? Yeah - we deal with them every day, at work, shopping, in the classroom, in the cafe, in the park, anywhere we go. A 9mm helps. A black belt helps. A baseball bat helps. I have a list.
     
      Today we pay single women 56 cents to the dollar that men get, married women get more. This mantra must have stuck. Time to erase it. Equal pay - equal work. Of course, that means that women need to slow down so the men don't look so bad.
     
      2. When you have to use older women, try to get ones who have worked outside the home at some time in their lives. Older women who have never contacted the public have a hard time adapting themselves and are inclined to be cantankerous and fussy. It's always well to impress upon older women the importance of friendliness and courtesy.
     
      I may throw up. Wait - if you stay at home - run the house - deal with utilities, shopping, schools, sports teams, scouts, church, cleaning companies, dry cleaners, the gardener, the garbage man, the street sweeper, the mailman, kids, and I could go on - isn't that dealing with the public? "Cantankerous and fussy"? You mean PMS? Because we have hormone therapy (so do men). If I ever meet up with this lame-brain, I'll show you cantankerous and fussy! I may only have a brown belt in Karate, but I have a 9mm and a 20-gauge. You know the new country song - I'll show you what little girls are made of- gunpowder and lead! Friendly? Answer my damn questions and get that spec to me on time! Then I'll be friendly.
     
      3. General experience indicates that "husky" girls - those who are just a little overweight - are more even-tempered and efficient than their underweight sisters.
     
      We must have lost this because weight-discrimination abounds in our society. Oh, wait a minute, they said "just a little overweight". Oh, I see. Husky. That term only applies to boy's jeans - in my lifetime. So - we have weight discrimination and reverse-discrimination - you can't be too thin and you can't be more than a little overweight. How did they fill all those factory jobs?
     
      4. Retain a physician to give each woman you hire a special physical examination - one covering female conditions. This step not only protects the property against the possibilities of lawsuit, but reveals whether the employee-to-be has any female weaknesses which would make her mentally or physically unfit for the job.
     
      I don't think any employer is going to examine my female condition! "Female weaknesses"? Aren't we the stronger sex? Ever seen a man give birth? (Yes - I know about the transgender male who is pregnant - doesn't count.) If men gave birth - there would be no population problem. Just the idea that a "female weakness" exists and is some sort of job qualifier, makes my skin crawl. What about "male conditions"? Like - can't keep it in his pants, drinks on the job, bar fights, oh I could go on and on - but so could any woman.
     
      5. Stress at the outset the importance of time the fact that a minute or two lost here or there makes serious inroads on schedules. Until this point is gotten across, service is likely to be slowed up.
     
      OK - they are driving busses or trucks or maybe flying planes - I get that. But why are women considered different from men in screwing up tight schedules? If anything, women I work with are punctual and deadline-oriented while the men ------.
     
      6. Give the female employees a definite day-long schedule of duties so that they'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.
     
      SAY WHAT? No women I know requires any man on the face of the Earth to tell her what she needs to do. They want a seminar? Give me topic and go away. Need a user manual? Give me the high-level specs and a target subject expert. And go away. Need an algorithm? Supply the target and the input, and go away. Need travel arrangement for 40 engineers and management? Tell me who, when and where - and go away. More like I will tell YOU how your design flow should be operating. In fact, companies have hired me to do just that - several times. NO Initiative? Work two jobs (or three), deal with sexual harassment, sexual discrimination, and then cook, clean, raise the kids, and run the house. Right. No initiative my ass.
     
      7. Whenever possible, let the inside employee change from one job to another at some time during the day. Women are inclined to be less nervous and happier with change.
     
      Depends on just how damn boring the first task is. They have found that men like change too. Then again, when multi-tasking all day long, I would prefer not to be dragged off to something new without warning.
     
      8. Give every girl an adequate number of rest periods during the day. You have to make some allowances for feminine psychology. A girl has more confidence and is more efficient if she can keep her hair tidied, apply fresh lipstick and wash her hands several times a day.
     
      Oh right. That's why we like telecommuting in our bunny slippers and bathrobes, sans make-up and curlers optional. Who wrote this drivel? I prefer a nighty and bare feet myself. If I comb my hair once a day - I consider that the extent of my concern. It's called hair spray. Lipstick in the morning and then forget it. I can go all week-end without a shower, hair brush or make-up. If I have clothes on, that's good enough. "Wash her hands several times a day"? Men don't? Yuck! (Yes - I do wash after certain activities.) "Feminine psychology"? Let me load that gun. Better yet, I'll just put on my leathers and grab my whip. I'll teach you feminine psychology!
     
      9. Be tactful when issuing instructions or in making criticisms. Women are often sensitive; they can't shrug off harsh words the way men do. Never ridicule a woman - it breaks her spirit and cuts off her efficiency.
     
      Yeah. Because she's busy contemplating which one of YOUR parts need cutting off! This was before they did those personality tests. I'm a "D" - dominant, decisive, decision-maker, deadline-oriented, direct, etc. I'm who you hire when you want the job done. Tactful? I try to be. But some men are such ass-holes that I sometimes just don't bother. Shrug off harsh words? Most of us have a lawyer on speed-dial. Piss off a women - she will get even. And we have long memories. Ask any husband.
     
      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.
     
      Actually, she will pick up the language and hand it right back to you! I was scolded once for swearing on the job. Excuse me - I was being sworn AT! As women learned to turn the tables, companies got "sensitive" and stopped everyone from swearing. Curse words and blue stories have long been a weapon of choice against women in the workplace. I just tell them I am a trained sex therapist and nothing surprises me. The nude done on the impact printer didn't come off the walls until I hung up a Playgirl Centerfold. Or a photo of FABIO. My "stripped to the waist buff cowboy" picture on a coffee mug I was told was harassing the men. Must have been the way I was holding it, cupped in my hand. My Fabio mousepad got me hauled into HR - where they eventually told me I could keep it. Remember the lawyer on speed-dial? Actually, believe it or not, HR uses me on occasion as a "reasonable" woman. Makes you think, doesn't it?
     
      11. Get enough size variety in operator's uniforms so that each girl can have a proper fit. This point can't be stressed too much in keeping woman happy.
     
      Yeah - driving a bus or a truck in a set of too-small coveralls could be a real chafing problem. Of course, don't we have this problem with men? I can't imagine a man putting up with too small, chafing coveralls either!
     
      Notice how female employee - changes to women - changes to girl. Sliding down the respect scale in the article. Sort of like dodging the "n" word.
     
      I was born in 1942. Right into this mess. We still dressed like this in high school (50s). I dressed like this in college. (60s and 70s). Right up to the miniskirt and boots phase. While I was completing my PhD. One of them.