Johnston] 



NAVAHO POPULATION 



57 



Table 12. — Median years of sehool completed hy Navaho employment applicants 

 in Arizona, by age and sex — 1950-56^ 



> Arizona State Employment Service, 1956, table 7. 



2 Number of applicants too small to warrant computation. 



Three tentative conclusions can be drawn from the above data 

 First, the educational level of the male applicants will approach that 

 of the female applicants in the future, as is suggested by the data on the 

 applicants aged under 20 years in the above table. This group already 

 reflects the effects of the higher rate of school enrollments of recent 

 years. Secondly, it is evident that the female applicants generally are 

 reluctant or unable to seek or find off -reservation employment unless 

 they have received at least a complete grammar school education. 

 This means, further, that the overwhelming majority of the adult 

 Navaho women lack the confidence or skill necessary to successfully 

 pursue such employment. It is also interesting to note that the median 

 education of the women applicants under 35 years of age is somewhat 

 lower than that of the women applicants 35 years of age and older, 

 despite the greater educational opportunities enjoyed by the younger 

 women. This suggests a growing confidence on the part of Navaho 

 women and an increased interest in off-reservation life and oppor- 

 tunity. Finally, the fact that the median years of school completed 

 by the youngest age group of job seekers (combining both sexes), 

 comes to about 6.7 years is a hopeful portent of the increasing skills 

 and education among the Navaho labor force in the future. 



There has been considerable speculation concerning the impact of 

 World War II upon the Navaho. Comparative data on the educa- 

 tional attainments of Navaho veterans and nonveterans throw some 

 light on this question. In table 13, the median years of school com- 

 pleted by male Navahos registered for employment at the Arizona 

 State Employment Service during the period 1950 to 1956 are shown, 

 according to age-group and veteran status of the applicants.^^ 



9= Arizona State Employment Service, 1956, table 9, p. 39. Those aged below 20 and 

 over 44 were omitted because of the small number of veterans in these age groups. 



