The Working Woman: Barriers in Employment

Abstract

O NE of the principal characteristics of an open such as ours is the visibility of the interplay of those forces and factors which influence our national way of life. A dramatic example of this, and one which has gained the close attention of the world, is the current struggle of the American Negro for full rights as a citizen. Less dramatic, but an effort which also has widespread world interest, is the quietly intensified movement to obtain for the American woman freedom from certain social, economic and legal restrictions imposed by prejudice or outmoded custom. Both of these efforts have been stimulated by the fundamental needs of the individual and the needs of the nation to utilize human resources. One should not confuse these two disparate movements, however, as engaging the same societal forces or having essentially the same basic motivation or goals. The basis of the revolt of the American Negro is for emergence into the mainstream of American life from a long tradition of social, cultural and educational deprivation. On the other hand many of the discriminations imposed upon American women are imbedded in lingering memories of an antiquated social pattern, or adherence to romantic but unrealistic stereotypes of what woman's roles should be in modern life. The change from a predominantly agricultural to an urban society as a result of technological advancement and the social and economic turmoil created by two World Wars has shattered many previously established conventions. During the i9th century, women, and particularly married women, were employed only in a very limited number of occupations. Today, widespread employment of women in government, business and indus> A concerted movement is under way to free American women from prejudices and outmoded customs which act as barriers to their full participation in American life. These discriminations are particularly operative in the working community and act to limit or restrict the employment and advancement opportunities of well-qualified women. The author, who served with the President's Commission on the Status of Women, identifies and debunks some of the conventional assumptions concerning comparative employment characteristics of men and women workers. The personal insistence of President Johnson that women play a larger role in Government is found to provide a significant impetus to advancing their employment status in the federal service, and a strong focus on this issue in other segments of the economy.