198*.] 



Women in Horticulture. 



1137 



WOMEN IN HORTICULTURE. 



FUTURE PROSPECTS. 



Kate Barratt, D.Sc. 



Arout thirty years ago, women began to take up gardening 

 as a serious occupation and a means of earning a livelihood. For 

 the few pioneers, faced with prejudices of all kinds, it was uphill 

 work, but gradually, as more and more women were trained, a 

 steadily increasing number found posts as practical gardeners. 

 The majority of these were occupied in private gardens, some 

 as head gardeners, others as assistants. A few made a success 

 of jobbing work in the suburbs of London ; others were occupied 

 in nursery or market gardens as owners or employees. Among 

 the women who, from their love of plants and their desire 

 for an outdoor life, had been attracted to horticulture as a 

 profession, were some who became keenly interested in the 

 scientific aspects of the work. These found an outlet for their 

 energies in the teaching profession, and, after a scientific 

 training, obtained posts on the staffs of various schools and 

 colleges. This side of the work, which was naturally attractive 

 to some, offered in addition better remuneration than the purely 

 practical posts. 



Soon after the outbreak of war, when the men joined H.M. 

 Forces, those women who had been trained in practical 

 gardening found a rapidly enlarging field for their activities. 

 One of the results of this rather sudden and big demand for 

 women gardeners was the rapid dilution of skilled workers by a 

 number of insufficiently trained women. There is some reason 

 for believing that this influx of semi-skilled labour has reacted 

 unfavourably on the prospects of women gardeners under post- 

 war conditions. Many have found it difficult to obtain positions 

 in competition with men. The rise in the cost of living, conse- 

 quent upon the War, has had its effect upon horticulture. It 

 has resulted in a drastic reduction in the staffs of many gardens, 

 while the increased rate of wages and a reduction in hours of 

 work has caused many emplo}^ers to dispense with their women 

 gardeners. Men are undoubtedly better equipped physically for 

 heavv labour than are women, and this has become a very 

 important factor in weighing their respective merits. 



In many private gardens, also, the War directly effected the 

 shifting of the centre of interest from the purely decorative to 

 the commercial side. Although many, perhaps most, of the 



