TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION F. 511 



trade union opposition, though in most cases agreements have been made for the 

 duration of the War only and without prejudice to the consideration of the 

 question after the War. in this connection it would be interesting to consider in 

 how far trade union restrictions, especially those concerning the entry to 

 the trade and the period of training required, are based upon the conditions 

 which prevailed in the past or upon the realities of the present. Employers 

 are, however, reluctant to express opinions until more experience under tne new 

 conditions has been gained. 



In non-industrial occupations, such as clerical work, in certain forms of 

 railway and vehicle work, such as ticket collecting, carriage cleaning, and tram 

 and 'bus conducting, in various forms of retail distributive work inside retail 

 shops as well as outside work like van driving and delivery, and in ware- 

 house work such as packing and despatching, women have, however, re- 

 placed men, in the sense of doing work previously done by men, to a much 

 larger extent than has occurred in industry proper. The majority of firms, 

 when faced with a shortage of male labour, have first commenced to replace 

 men by women in their office and warehouse staffs. Clerical work is obviously 

 suitable for women, and employers have had far less hesitation in introducing 

 a greater proportion of female labour into this side of their business than into 

 the industrial side proper. The conditions of the clerical labour market, in- 

 cluding as it does a great majority of clerical workers who belong to no trade 

 organisation, have made it easier to introduce female labour without encountering 

 serious opposition from the Trade Unions concerned than in those trades where 

 the group of workers is smaller and the workers are more highly organised. 

 Enlistment has also been exceptionally heavy, in some cases over 30 per cent., 

 among men such as clerks, whose occupation is sedentary, and, in spite of the 

 restriction of business, the net shortage of men was soon apparent, and women, 

 mostly young girls from school or middle-aged women from professions which 

 have been hit by the war, were rapidly drawn in to make up the shortage. Into 

 Government departments, local authorities, banks, insurance and other oflices, 

 as well as ordinary business houses, women are being utilised in increasing 

 numbers to do work previously done by men. 



Into most of these occupations women have entered to do work either slightly 

 more difficult than that done by women before or else work entirely new to 

 them, such as railway and clerical work in banks. In very few cases, however, 

 is the work now done by women exactly similar to that previously done by men. 

 Obviously, the lack of training and experience, together with natural disabilities 

 of physique, make certain forms of work and conditions of labour impossible 

 for women which are possible for men. Thus, in the case of ticket collecting, 

 in which at first sight men's and women's employment apipear equal, it is found 

 on inquiry that the women work shorter hours, requiring three shifts to do what 

 men do in two, and their shifts are arranged when traffic is less heavy, thus 

 leaving the more arduous work to the men. In many of the large stores three 

 women are required to do the work formerly done by two men. It is as yet 

 too early to form final judgments until women have had time to adapt them- 

 seK'es. Until August 16, 1915, the extra women employed since the War on 

 railway work had been paid less and given lighter and shorter work than the 

 men. Since that date, however, the railway companies have agreed that women 

 shall be paid the same rates as the men, and, in consequence, given similar 

 work. It will be interesting to discover how far women will successfully com- 

 pete with men in this work now that the conditions are approximately equal. 



Both in industry proper and in non-industrial occupations women have often 

 been introduced to do the work, not of the men who have enlisted, but of boys 

 and youths who have been promoted to do the work formerly done by men 

 which was of an arduous nature or required special knowledqce which in part 

 the youths have already picked up. Young girls have replaced boys as messen- 

 gers, etc., and young women have taken Ihe places of youths. It was often 

 remarked by employers that girls are found generally more efficient, careful, 

 and conscientious than boys, and apart from work entailing physical strain, 

 such as the carrying of heavy parcels, are much to be preferred to them ; on 

 the other hand, the majority of employers considered that adult women are less 

 efficient than men. 



