DOCUMENT RESUME

ED 332 910 SO 021 302

TITLE Milestones: The Women's Bureau Celebrates 70 Years of

Women's Labor History.INSTITUTION Women's Bureau (DOL), Washington, D.C.

PUB DATE 90

NOTE 45p.

PUB TYPE Reports - Descriptive (141)

EDRS PRICE MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage.

DESCRIPTORS *Employed Women; Females; Labor Force; *PublicAgencies; Public Policy; Social Change; *SocialHistory; *United States History; *Womens Studies

IDENTIFIERS *Labor Studies; *Womens Bureau

ABSTRACTThe Women's Bureau of the U.S. Department of Labor

was created by Congress in 1920, and given the mandate: "to formulate

standards and policies which shall promote the welfare ofwage-earning women, improve their working conditions, increase their

efficiency, and advance their opportunities for profitableemployment." Highlights from the Bureau's seven decades of service to

women are followed by statistical contrasts of women then and now.

The majority of the document is devoted to a section entitled

Profiles and Progress: Sketches of Women's Bureau Directors, Programs

and Accomplishments. The challenges facing the women of the 1990s are

briefly outlined. The "Chronology of Women's Labor and Women's Bureau

History: Selected Events from the Turn of thP Century to the Present"

also is included. (DB)

***********************************************************************Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made

from the original document.***********************************************************************

Milestones:The Women's Bureau Celebrates

c,70 Years of Women's Labor Historyr

c.,U.S. Department of LaborOffice of the SecretaryVVomen's Bureau

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Material contained in this pubhcation isin the public domain and may be reproduced, fully or partially, without permsson of the Federal Government. Sourcecredit is requested but not required.Permission is required only to reproduceany copyrighted material containedherein.

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A Message from the Secretary of Labor

Only years after the Department ofLabor was established in 1913. the

Women's Bureau was created lw Congressanti made an integral part of theDepartment. Since that time. the Bureau hasdirected both its commitment and itsresources toward meeting the diverse needsof the rapidly growing female labor force--aforce that is now- comprised of it) millionwomen who account for -ti percent of theAmerican w ork fOrce. Women workers limehelped and will continue to contributeimmensely to the health of our Nation'seco110111Y.

I salute our Women's Bureau and applaudits many contributions that have been vitalin fulfilling the Department's responsibilitiesto our Nation's workers.

Ilw Bureau has been On the leading edgeas it has addressed the changing nature ofwork and the composition of America'swork force. Projections tell Us that by theyear 2000. the work force k III includeincreasing numbers of womc n andminor:ti('s.

Economic demands f)f the future willrequire workers who are skilled andproductive and employers who have theability to utilize the talents of all availablehuman resources without distinction ofgender. race or ethnic origin.

In addition, as more mothers enter thework force, balancing work and familyresponsibilities is becoming a criticalconsideration for both employers andemployees. Through its Work and Family-Clearinghouse, the Wonlen's Bureau hasestablished a modern data base complete

ith "how-to- information aboutestablishing a wide variety of child careprograms including cafeteria-style benefitsplans and tax credits, updated informationabout liability insurance and communityresources.

As the Bureau celebrates its "Oth yearmilestone we commend its continueddevotion to the mission of advocating onbehalf of women's employment issues inthe ()ifs and on to the 21st century.

Elizabeth Dole

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Foreword

We are pkised to share the life storyof the Wonwn's Bureau as we ob-

serve our 70th anniversary. Many milestoneshave been reached and they are recorded inthis comMemorative publication. We inviteyou to revisit our seven decades of serviceto working women as the highlights unfoldthroughout these pages.

There are many striking differences yetsonw impressive similarities among thewomen who have worked or sought workduring the Bureau's -0-year history. Seventimes as many women are in the labor forcetoday (56 million) as were there in 1920(8.25 million). Still, women remain concen-trated in certain occupationsclerical work,for example.

The Bureau's story, which also reflectsthe experience of women workers, is notone entirely of heartening news. Indeed.there have been disappointments along thewaydisappointments because women still

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find obstacles in their path as they pursuecertain careers or strive to reach top levelsof management, for example. But the activi-ties described in profiles of Bureau directorsand the programs they guided translate intosignificant gains for women workers.Perhaps most important is that the Vbmen'sBureau story is one of adapting to change.pursuing progrussand maintaining hope.

The Bureau has great expectations for thefuture and will play an active role as advo-cate and catalyst to effect more positivechange for women. Our ambitious prJgramsnow underway toward achieving this goalare described in the section on "FacingChallenges of the 1990's.-

As we work toward reaching new mile-stones in our eighth decade of history, wehope to write many new chapters ofprogress on behalf of women who work orwant to work, We invite you to support usin our mission.

Jean I. CurtisActing Director, \\Omen's Bureau

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Contents

Page

A Message From Secretary of LaborElizabeth Dole iii

Foreword by \\Omen's Bureau Acting DirectorJean M. Curtis iv

The Women's Bureau: What It Is, What It Does

Women \\Orkers Then and Now:Statistical Contrasts 3

Profiles and Progress: Sketches ofWomen's Bureau Directors, Programs,and Accomplishments

Mary Anderson. 1920-19+1 4

Frieda S. Miller, 194-4-1953 6

Alice K. Leopold, 1953-1961 8

Esther Peterson, 1961-1964 I()

Mary Dublin Keyser ling. 1964-1%9 12

Elizabeth Duncan Koontz, 1969-19-'3 14

Carmen Rosa Maymi, 16

Alexis M. Herman, 19-7-1981 18

Lenora Cole Alexander, 1981-1986 20

Shirley M. Dennis. 1986-1988Jill Houghton Emery, 1988-1989

Facing Challenges of the 1990's 26

Chronology of \\Omen's Labor andWonwn's Bureau Ilistory: SelectedEvents From the Turn of the Centuryto the Present

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D ay the same as night, night thesame as day.

And all I do is sew and sew and sew.May God help me and my lore

come soon,That I may leave this 'fork and go."

Yiddish folk song sung in the sutatshortsof New York City, early 1900's.

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The Women's Bureau: What It Is, What It Does

Cll. 70 years the Wonwn's Bureau hasr- been a strong voice and a helping handfor working women. Although its policy em-phasis and program direction have necessari-ly changed with the changing times of eachpassing decade, the Bureau's current and fu-ture role is born out of its past.

One of the oldest agencies in the U.S.Department of Labor, the Bureau was creat-ed by Congress on June 5, 1920, and givena mandate: "to formulate standards andpolicies which shall promote the welfare ofwage-earning women, improve their workingconditions, increase their efficiency, and ad-vance their opportunities for profitable em-ployment.- At this time, women workedlong hours, often in unsafe and unhealthyenvironments, and received low wages.These oppressive conditions prompted WM-en's organizations to urge Congress to estab-lish a Federal agency that would investigateand document worklife conditions for wom-en and reLommend changes. Thus, in itsearly life the Bureau documented the needfor labor reform. After the Fair Labor Stan-dards Act was passed in 1938, establishingthe first Federal wage and hour law, theBureau worked to extend coverage to addi-tional workers.

In the 1940's, after World War II began,the Bureau helped the Nation meet its needfor industrial workers while men served inthe military. Vtbmen were encouraged toenter the labor force while the Bureauworked with industry leaders to developtraining programs for these newcomers. TheBureau also encouraged the development ofchild care centers to provide adequate carefor the children of those working mothers.

Throughout the 1950's and 1960's, theBureau addressed a widening array of issuesranging from career-oriented training andeducation to passage of the Equal Pay Act.The Bureau was instrumental in the creationof the President's Commission on the Statusof Women ill 1961 and subsequently provid-ed needed information, contacts, and techni-cal assistance to the various task forces thatstudied and reported on the status of wom-en throughout the Vnited States.

During the 19-0's, women joined thework force in increasing numbers. TheBureau worked for women's greater accessto employment and training as well as tocareers of their choice. Another emphasiswas the recruitment of women to nontradi-tional jobs in the trades, professionalspecialties, and the upper levels of corporatemanagement, which generally paid higherwages and offered mobility and good fringebenefits.

In the 1980's. the multiple-earner familybecame the norm. There was also a rapidincrease in the number of families main-tained by single adults. mainly women. andmothers with preschool children entered thelabor force in rapid nunibers. New issuesemerged around the limited amount of timeavailable for family care needs, and theBureau advocated policies and practices tohelp make work and family needs compati-ble. Also during tlds decade, women madetremendous strides in increasing their levelof education and in expanding theirpresence in virtually all occupations.

As the 1990's begin, the Bureau enters itseighth decade of service to women. Specialattention continues to be focused on de-

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velopnwnt of policies and procedures thatwill enable the balancing of work and fami-ly responsibilities. The Bureau has alreadyresponded by instituting the Work andFamily Clearinghouse. This computerizeddata base suggests options that employersmight consider in order to help workersresolve conflicts in balancing their work andfamily responsibilities. The Bureau also be-gan examining the implications for womenworkers in the 21st century workplace asdata projecting the nature of work and com-position of the work force became available.

From its position in the Office of theSecretary of Labor, the Bureau participatesin departmental policy making and programplanning, and serves as a coordinating bodyin the Department of Labor for programs af-fecting women. To establish vital links at lo-cal levels, the Bureau has offices in the 10Federal regions across the Nation. Headed byregional administrators, the offices imple-ment national programs and policies, de-velop local initiatives to address local needs,and disseminate information and publica-tions. Both national and regional officeswork cooperatively with women's organiza-tions and commissions for women, the pri-vate sector, unions, program operators.educational and training personnel, socialservice agencies, and government at alllevels.

To remain in the forefront on issues, theBureau initiates and supports research andanalyses in economic, social, and legislativeareas, and makes policy recommendations. Italso tests innovative ideas and approachesthrough demonstration projects that help

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prepare women to enter or reenter the workforce, move into new areas of work, ormove up in their careers. The Bureau carriesout an information and education programthrough publications, audiovisuals, media re-lations, feature articles, and public speaking.On the international level, the Bureau par-ticipates actively in high-level policy de-velopment for working women.

Now and in the future, the Umen'sBureau will remain not only a strong voicethat advocates policy but also a helpinghand that activates programs to assist work-ing women and potential workers, and thtthto carry out its congressional mandate of1920.

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Women Workers Then and Now:Statistical Contrasts

These few statistics sketch a strikingcontrast in profiles between the wonwn

who worked in 1920 and toda 's workingwomen. When the Women's Bureau was es-tablished, the working woman was mostlikely to be single and in her twenties, andshe generally went to work out of expe-diency to help her family in times of eco-nomic hardship. She did not expect to workfor many years nor to acquire the sameskills, seniority, or wages as a workingman. She was most likely to be found in so-called "women's jobs, such as factory orother operative jobs, clerical, private house-hold, or agricultural workall requiringlittle education and skill. Only one out offive of her contemporaries probably gradu-ated from high school.

In 1920 the female labor force totaledabout 8.25 million, of which approximatelyone-third worked in factories. Womenrepresented less than 20 percent of the totalU.S. labor force. Less than one-fourth of allwomen between the ages of 20 and 64 werein paid employment, and only 18 percent ofwomen ages 35 to 64 were workers.

Today, 56 million women workers makeup 45 percent of the Nation's civilian workforce. While the total labor force grew 26.5

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percent between 1976 and 1988, the numberof women in the labor force increased 40.4percent. The majority of women (57 per-cent) are now employed or seeking paidemployment. About 7 of every 10 womenages 18 to 64 are working, and womenbetween the ages of 25 and 54 (74 percent)are most likely to be working.

The typical woman worker today, age 36,is married and is a partner in a dual-earnermarriage, or she has been at some time inher adult life. She is a high school graduatewith some college or post-secondarytraining-23 percent of all women workersnow hold college degrees. She is most likelyto be working in a clerical job, nursing,teaching below the college level, or in retailsalesall relatively low paying occupations.But women have increased their participa-tion in nontraditional areas, significantly inmanagement and administration (40 percentfemale in 1989), as well as in the profes-sions, police protection, and skilled trades.Women are also venturing into soleproprietorships as entrepreneurssome 4.1million by 1986. Today, some women can befound in all of the 514 individual occupa-tions identified in the 1980 census.

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Mary Andersonappointed by PresidentWoodrow Wilson. served 1920- I 944

The first ''up from the ranks" laborwoman to head an executit e depart-

ment of the Federal Government, MaryAnderson led the Bureau for nearly 25years, continuing efforts begun in her youthto win better wages, hours and workingconditions for women. She served f'vepresidents and, more important. the ranksof women workers swelled from 8.25 mil-lion in the year she assumed her position tosome 19.61 million by 1945.

An immigrant from Sweden, she arrivein the U.S. in 1889 at the oge of 16 andtook her first job as a dishwasher in aMichigan lumberjack boarding house 1orSI.50 per week. Moving and changing jobs.seeking better pay and conditions. she even-tually became a skilled shoe worker earning$14 a week. She was the first worker ather plant to join a union and nventually be-came president of the Shoe Stitchers Local94 of the International Boot and ShoeWorkers Union.

After 18 .ears in the shoe trade, Mary

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Anderson spent 8 years travelling across tlwcountry organizing women in the tradesinto unions for the Women's Trade UnionLeague (WTUL). While attending the Ver-sailles Peace Conference as a Winrepresentative, she drew President Wilson'sattention to the need for a clause in Lite In-ternational Labor Organization's constitutionthat would give women the right to partici-pate in its work. Later. she hecanw the firstwoman to do so.

At the outbreak of World War I. Miss An-derson was appointed assistant director andeventually director of the newly formedtemporary agency in the War Departnwnt,Woman-in-Industry Services (W1S). estab-lished to ''insure the effective employmentof women while conserving their health andwelfare." In July of 1918, WIS was trans-ferred to the Department of Labor. In 1920.responding to decades of lobbying bywomen's organizations. Congress gave WISpermanent peacetime status as an agency ofthe Department of Labor, to he known asthe Women's Bureau.

Under her directorship. the Bureau inves-tigated anti reported on working women.their environments, conditions and needs.setting standards eventually. incorporatedinto labor laws at the State, and finally.Federal level. She was largely responsiblefor tlw inclusion of women in the FederalWage and Hour Law of 1938 (currentlyknown as the Fair Labor Standards Act).Mary Anderson combatted exploitation ofwomen in all forms, demonstrating an "ad-mirable obstinacy" which has inspired Bu-reau staff ever since.

Having witnessed the slippage in groundgained by wow,. yorkers after the firstWorld War, she fought for and succeeded inwinning more skills traini4, wider jobopportunities. and better pay and work con-ditions for women who responded inunprecedented numbers to the call forworkers in World War II. Before retiring III1944, she wrote and spoke extensively onthe need to plan for reconversion ofwartime women workers into peacetimecontributors to the national economy. She

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had no illusions about the difficultieswonwn would continue to face. writing in1944:

"Calm recital of facts and figures willscarcely allay rising fea in some quartersthat wonwn will take jobs from returningsoldiers. Nor will statistical statements pre-vent unjust and unfounded discriminationagainst women workers. Facing the specialproblems of women and formulating specificsolutions IllUst be the line of action. Other-wise, in the transition period of suddendemobilization of both military and indtis-trial forces, with large numbers of joblesspersons competing for work. women will bethe victims of a catch-as catch-can situation.Another complication looms as a result ofwomen's migration in the past two yearsfrom less to more essential jobs. from civil-ian to war industries: Mah women. havingburned their occupational hridges behindthem. may try in vain to go hack to theirformer fields unless given special as-sistance. . . . Full employment of ourproductive resources . . . is essential tosave the country from a worse depressionthan the one that began in 1929 . . . fullemployment nwans women as well asmen. . . . To evaluate women's servicesoa a cheaper basis than nwn's or to permit

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women to compete with men as workers onlower wage levels is neither sound nor just.I prefer to state the equal pay policy . .

in the terms advocated by the women'sBureau from its beginningthat wage ratesshould be based on occupation and not onsex." (The Postwar Role of AmericanWomen," American Economic Review Sup-plement Vol. XXXIV, No. 1, March 1944).

After her retirement, "the dean of Fed-eral women," continued to give theWomen's Bureau valued guidance and topromote better conditiotn for workingwomen by. lecturing, writing. and testifyingbefore Congress and international bodies ontheir behalf. She also served as Chairman ofthe National Committee on Equal Pay.

But Mary Anderson left a legacy to allworkers. In 1962. at the age of 90 andshortly before her death. she was honoredwith the Department of Labor's "Award ofMerit" in recognition of her significant con-tribution toward furthering the work of theDepartment to "foster. promote, and de-velop the welfare of the wage earners inthe Uniwd States." Perhaps for this cham-pion of workers and women an even moremeaningful reward was living to see passageof the 1%3 Equal Pay Act shortly beforeher death in 1%1.

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Frieda S. Millerappointed by PresidentHarry S. Truman, served 1944-1953

When Mary Anderson prepared to re-tire. she said she would not have

been willing to do so without the assurancethat "the right kind of woman" would suc-ceed her. The person was found, Frieda S.Miller, whom Miss Anderson described as"ideal for the job."

Born in Wisconsin, Miss Miller earned abachelor's degree at Milwaukee Downer Col-lege/Wisconsin and pursued four years ofgraduate study in economics, sociology, po-litical science, and law at the University ofChicago. She then joined the newly estab-lished department of social economy at BrynMawr College as a research assistant and be-came secretary of the Philadelphia Women'sTrade Union League, holding the positionthrough the post-World War I period. Thisbrought her into close contact with theAmerican labor movement and women w or-kers in particular. She was active in theWorker's Education Bureau of America.serving on its executive hoard until 1924.

Frieda Miller traveled as a delegate to the1923 International Congress of Working

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Women in Vienna. She spent a year in Eu-rope studying labor conditions in England.Germany, and Austria. On her return in1924, she put these experiences to work asa factory inspector for the Joint Board ofSanitary Control of the women's garmentindustry in New York, gathering and com-piling statistics on conditions in theindustry.

She joined the staff of the New York CityWelfare Council in 1927, followed by anappointment as director of the Division ofWomen in Industry and Minimum Wage ofthe New York State Labor Department.where she helped strengthen laws ffctimigthe hours, wages, and working conditionsof women. Appointed Industrial Commis-sioner of New York State in 1938. shereplaced Frances Perkins who left the postto become the first woman cabinet memberas Secretary of Labor under President Frank-lin D. Roosevelt. In 1943, she went abroadas a special assistant to Ambassador to Eng-land, John 6, Winant, building upon inter-national experience gained at Pan-Americanand International Labor Conferences duringthe previous decade.

As Director of the Women's Bureau, sheunited her experiences and capabilities tocontinue the work begun bv Miss Anderson.focusing upon postwar employmentprospects for American women. Commentingon the immediate postwar period some 20years later, she said, "The arresting factabout the employment picture for womenwas not the exodus of those who left thelabor market after the war . . . hut ratherthe continuation in gainful employnwnt ofthe millions whose services were needed bythe economy, and who, in turn, dependedupon their pay envelopes to cover Bingexpenso."(Women's Bureau archives.)

Child care and household employmentbecame pressing issues for those who re-mained in the work force. "More than halfof the present total of 18.i million womenworkers are married. In about a fourth ofthe families where the husband is em-ploy e,d, the wife is also in the labor force.

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Five million women workers have childrenunder 18. Four million women are heads offamilies. Under these circumstances, unlesssatisfactory arrangements can he made forthe care of children by obtaining competenthousehold help through child-care centersor in some other way, family life suffersand absenteeism among working mothersrises as they struggle with home responsibil-ities and emergencies . . . (hut) conditionsin domestic employment have for the mostpart been left to be determined hy theindividual decisions of housewives andwomen seeking work. This field of employ-ment is, roughly speaking, at the stage ofdevelopment where industries such as theneedle trades were half a century ago," shewrote in 1952. ("Household Employment inthe United States," International LabourReview. Vol. LXV1, No. 4, October 1952.)

Frieda Miller also used her internationalcontacts to share information and cooperatein the new initiatives of labor and women'sorganizations in Europe, the Philippines,and the Americas. These internationalefforts were given new impetus by theestablishment of the United Nations Commis-sion on the Status of Women in 1946. MissMiller continued to seek new directions forAmerican women workers and linkages withtheir counterparts abroad until her resigna-tion in 1953.

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neacethne and wartime wages for womenI- have a common denominatorwomen earn less than men."

Elizabeth Christman, Women's Bureau staff member andNational Akunen's Trade Union League oiganizer, 1942.

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Alice K. Leopoldappointed by President Dwight D.Eisenhower. served 1 953 19 6 1

IThe third director of the Women's Bu-

reau presided over what many lookback upon as the doldrums in the history ofthe women's movement and of wo .cingwomen's issues in particularthe Fifties.But Alice K. Leopold's own background andthe types of studies conducted during herdirectorship point to some steady, if unpub-licized, progress and changes that wouldlead to new momentum in the decadesa.nead.

Mrs. Leopold was the first marriedwoman to hold the directorship. She had abackground in retail managementas per-sonnel director of two large depatzmntstores, Hutzler Brothers in Baltimore and .

Altman & Co. in New Yorkrather than inthe industrial environment that character-ized her predecessors. She had also heldelective, not merely appointed. Stategovernment positions, gaining practical ex-perience of the political and legislativeprocesses from the inside, as Secret't1 y ofState for Connecticut and a member of theConnecticut legislature. All of these differ-

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ences syntholized changes in the profile ofthe American woman worker and suggeswdsome new possibilities. Women had onlygained the right to vote in 1920, when theBureau was founded; now its director was aseasoned politican, with additional ex-perience as secretary and project chairmanof the Commission on Intergovernmental Re-lations; a manager, not just an employee;and a wife and mother, too.

Mrs. Leopold's tenure also suggested thatwomen, while ever in economic need ofwork, might also enjoy some psychologicaland intellectual rewards from theiremploymentjust like men. She stated in aspeech before a 1955 conference, "The Ef-fective Use of Womanpower: "Not onlycan men and women work together side byside, but in this era, our Nation needs thiskind of working partnership. The contribu-tions of both men and women to the econ-omy are necessary if our Nation is to main-tain its high level of productivity, its greatcapacity to use new methods, its highstandard of living and of good working con-ditions . . . people, whether men orwomen, work for the same reason. Theywork for their economic survival. Hopefully,they work at jobs that interest them, that

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give them a feeling of accomplishment."Mrs. Leopold received additional duties as

special advisor to the Secretary of Labor onpolicies relating to employnwnt standardsfor women, serving also as Chair of theSecretary's Advisory Committee onwomanpower.

During her directorship. the Women's Bu-reau documented changes ill women's Occu-pations, publicized employnwin and trainingopportunities in insurance professional ac-counting, mathematics and statistics. legalwork, physical and biolcgical sciences, and

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technologies, and highlighted the phenome-non of increasing numbers of women inhigher education by surveying the first jobstaken by new wonwn graduates. Otherstudies reported on child care and maternit)benefits for \corking omen and inves-tigated the needs and provisions forolder" women workers.

By the time Mrs Leopold resigned in1961, the stage was set for the next twodecades which would see the most profoundchanges in Anwrican social and labor rela-tionships since the Great Depression.

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Esther PE ,ersonappointed by PresidentJohn F. Kennedy, served 1961-1964

Born in Utah, the descendant ofpioneers and Swedish immigrants.

Esther Peterson brought to the Women'sBureau a broad and deep background ineducation, labor, and women's affairs. Hervaried experiences in the U.S. and abroadhelped her fulfill the expanding responsibili-ties of the VComen's Bureau in the early1960's.

With a bachelor's degree from BrighamYoung University and a master's fromColumbia University. Mrs. Peterson began ateaching career that spanned 12 years.including 6 years at the Windsor School,Boston, where she also taught garmentworkers at the YWCA. She then alternatedteaching with her family responsibilitiesuntil 1939.

During this period, she joined theNational Consumers League. and remainedan active member. serving on its board ofdirectors for 15 years. Between 1939 and19-H, Mrs. Peterson served as assistant tothe director of the Amalgamated ClothingWorkers of America. By 19-15. she had

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become the union's legislative representativein Washington, a post she held until movingoverseas with her husband, a foreignservice officer.

While living in Sweden and in Belgium,Mrs. Peterson participated in severalimernational conferences, establishingrelationships with women leaders of thelabor movement in Europe She was one ofthe organizers and teachers of the firstInternational School for Working Womenheld in LeBreviere. near Paris.

Upon returning to the U.S. in 195.Esther Peterson was named legislativerepresentative of the Industrial UnionDepartment of the AFL-CIO, serving in thispost until appointed Director of theWomen's Bureau in 1961. She commentedshortly after assuming her new post. ''Wedon't intend to slip back into any of the oldnotions about women's p:ace. Their place iswhere they can do the most good. .

Later that same year, the President alsonamed her Assistant Secretary of Labor forLabor Standards. But the major event forMrs. Peterson and the Bureau's constituencyin 1961 was the establishment of the firstPresident's Commission on the Status ofWomen, on which she served as executivevice chairman, under the chairmanship ofEleanor Roosevelt.

Remembering the kind of thinking thatled to the establishment of the Commissionin an article she prepared more than twdecades later, she wrote:

"1 believed we needed a definitive studyin the United States to assess where womenwere, one that could identify inequalitiessystematically and examine possible solu-tions. We needed to burst the bonds of thenarrow and anachronistic view that theWomen's Bureau in the Department of Labor'took care' of women as far as the FederalGovernnwnt was concerned, 1 wanted to getconsideration of women into the warp andwoof of everything.- ("The KennedyCommission,- Wwnen in Washington:ildrocat(s for Public Policy. Irene Tinker,ed.. 1983.)

The Commission's report. "American

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Women," presented in 1963 as "an invita-tion to action," became the blueprint fordeveloping policies and programs to increasewomen's participation in all sectors ofAmerican life. While admitting that many ofthe proposals sound moderate today, Mrs.Peterson noted that some are not yetrealized. Writing about the report'srecommendations, she said, "Our goal wasto begin to address women's problems in acomprehensive manner and to move towardchanges based on practical considerations.NVomen were already working: we did not.despite some press reports, encourage themto do so, but we did insist that they had aright to work, to be treated fairlt and to beoffered reasonable compensation in order tohelp them meet their obligations to them-selves. their families, their communities andthe nation . . . we did not propose torestructure society. Rather, strove to fit

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new opportunities into women's lives astbq were. We were practicing the art of thepossible."

The Bureau continued with its ownstudies under Mrs. Peterson, includingindepth reports on 1945 women collegegraduates 15 years later, new job horizonsfor the degree holders of the sixties, ageographical comparison of the status ofwomen workers, and an important reporton black women workers at the opening ofthe decade.

During Mrs. Peterson's directorship. theBureau achieved renewed momentum,broader support and higher visibility fromits key position in coordinating women'sissues at the Federal levelamong govern-ment agencies, the White House, state andlocal government bodies and private groups.Its major legislative achievement waspassage of the Equal Pay Act of 1963.

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Mary Dublin Keyserlingappointed by PresidentLyndon B Johnson, served1 964- 1 969

The Bureau's fifth director brought ahard-edged economist's eye to working

women's issues. as w ell aS experienu ineducation and social welfare. A graduate OfBarnard College in her native New York,Mary Dublin Kevserling completed hergraduate study at the London school ofEconomics and Columbia University . She

taught ecommhics and statistics at SarahLawrence College from 1933 until 1038.when she began a 3-year term as generalsecretary of the National Consumers League.

Front 1941 until 19i3. Mrs. Keyserlingheld high-level economic posts in FederalGovernnwnt agencies. including that ot'director of the International EconomicAnalysis Division of the U.S. Department ofCommerce. From 10;3 until her appoint-ment to head the Bureau in 1964, she w asassociate director of the Conference onEconomic Progress. a national researchOrganization concerned with the major prob-lems of the American economy . She alsoworked aS a consulting economist in private

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practice in association with her husband.Concurrent with her leadership at the

Bureau. Mrs. Keyserling served as ExecutiveVice Chairman, Interdepartmental Committeeon the Status of Women. During her direc-torship. Congress passed the Civil Rights Actof 1964, including Title VII, and ExecutiveOrder I 13-5 amending I 1246 was issued in'96-. These continue to provide the basesfor equal eights and equal opportunity fo-women of all races and ages.

With the new legislation. the issue ofprotection versus discrimination againstwomen workers came to a head, as it hadin the eari y. days of the women's labormovement, and would again in the future.Now. much of the protective legislation. so

hard-won in previous decades, had to bereassessed in light of women's efforts togain entry to a much broader range of jobsand occupations on an equal footing withIllell. The Bureau, ever responsive to thechanging demands and needs of its constitu-ency. led efforts to study the impact of thenew legislation on women workers, reassessstanding laws. and push for trainingopportunities which would allow women tofollow their interests and fulfill their needs.

The Bureau provided support andresearch to the Citizen's A dv iso r v Councilon the Status of Women. It also encouragedextension of commissions and studiesbeyond the national level. Mrs. Kevserlingremembered in a 1981 article for theBarnard Alumnae Magazine, "During they ears_ . I served as Director of the

n's Bureau of the U.S. Department ofLabor, we worked hard and successfully topromote the appointment of commissionson the status of IN omen in ever\ state, the

District of columbia and Puerto Rico.Commissions were also formed in manycities and counties. They played a vital roleill furthering equality- of rights for women.They reviewed the state and localdiscriminatory statutes and many wererepealed or altered. They encouraged priY ateand public administrative action and didmuch to educaie the public aS tO IleedVdchanges not only in law. but in custom.

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social practice, traditions and attitudesM'omen's associations throughout Ow coun-try were closely associatk d with this contri-bution to progress.

Mary Keyserling twlped the Department ofLabor to set an example for other employersby establishing a demonstration child carecenter in a nearby building for children oflow income Department employees.

By the end of Mrs. Keyserling's tenure attlw Wonwn's Bureau, women's issues,minority women's issues and workingwomee's issues were not only being dis-cussed, hut acted upon hy a much largercast of actols. most of whom had thepower of law, numhers or access to publicopinion which would make progressfornwrly only dreamed of, actually begin tohappen in the years that followed.

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We are brought up to believe indemocracy; we are told that if we

have talent coupled with ambition, im willgo far; those of th who accept this challengeare at a definite disadvantage. We are nottold that undemocratic elements are pt playand that we WU be hindered in our effortssimply because we are women. Someoneshould have told me years ago that I'd hateto be content with half a loaf. . .1 wouldn'thave tried so hard."

Cathryn Crosby. a Michigan sectrtan,in a letter to the Women's Butrau, 1956.

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Elizabeth Duncan Koontzappointed by PresidentRichard M. Nixon, served1969-1973

E lizabeth Duncan Koontz had devotedIG most of her life to the field of educa-tion before becoming the first black womanto head the Bureau and the highest rankingblack woman in the Administration. Bornand raised in North Carolina. she earnededucation degrees at Livingstone Collegt andAtlanta University. did additional graduatework at Columbia University and IndianaUniversity. and pursued training in specialeducation for the nwntally retarded at NorthCarolina College.

Mrs. Koontz teaching career spanned 30years (1938-1968). luring which she servedher home State's public schools, including a3-year period of work with slow learnersand disadvantaged children. In 1962, sheserved on the North Carolina Governor'sCommission on the Status of Wonwn, oiw ofmany conm0ssion and committee menther-ships in the service of education and socialdevelopment. A life menther of the NationalEducation Association (NEA), she Rpresentedthe NEA on a trip to Berlin in 1962 to ob-

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serve the effect of the Berlin Wall on educa-tion. From 1965 to 1966 she served aspresident of NEA's largest department. theAssociation of Classroom Teachers, followedby the position of vice president,1967-1968.

In 1968. Mrs. Koontz became the firstblack president of the NEA. During her termof service she initiated the Conference onCritical Issues in Education, which sought toeliminate discrimination against women,minorities, and the handicapped, and todestroy many myths and stereotypes plagu-ing the teaching profession. Her positionwith the NEA and contributions to numer-ous other associations and working commis-sions led her to participate in many nationaland international conferences around theworld.

Shortly after being appointed to direct theWomen's Bureau, Mrs. Koontz .as alsonamed U.S. Delegate to the Un .2(1 NationsCommission on the Status of Women. Inthis capacity. she helped the Bureau shareresearch and expertise with women abroad,especially in the developing countries.

Mrs. Koontz took full advantage of theprevious year's kgislation and the new visi-bility of women's issues to increase theactivities of the Bureau and promote aware-ness of its programs and purposes amongthe general public. She also set out tosupport the fight for passage of the pro-posed Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to theU.S. Constitution, given new impetus by thecivil rights movement, a shift from the Liu-reall-s traditional opposition to ERA in thepast. In general, she sought to make tlwBureau a more visible activist, employing asophisticated public relations sense to gainattention for working wonwn's issues gener-ally and to the special issues of black andminority women in particular.

The Bureau had a long history of includ-ing black women in its studies and stan-dards policies, because black women hadalways worked in higher proportions thanwhite women. usually in the most tediousand poorly-paid jobs, under the worstconditliMs. It took a black director and a

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new social awareness to bring the messagehome to the wider public. The first to admitthat her own appointment was "tokenism...Mrs. Koontz consistently highlighted theserious problem of bringing nistoricallydisadvantaged minority women into theeconomic and political mainstream of theNation. "Wonwn hold the lowest payingjobs. Black women are at the very bottom."She led the Bureau in extensive outreachefforts to ensure that minority women knewof their newly confirmed rights andencouraged them to report problems to thenewly formed Federal and State agenciescharged with enforcement of civil and equal

rights laws, thrmigh a program of Bureau-sponsored minority consultation workshops.

But Mrs. Koontz. never failed to focus onthe shared problems of all working wonwn.regardless of race, or economic and socialstatus, rooted in sex discrimination. "Oursociety has set aside roles for womenthepedestal approach. However, the fact is thatmany women can't stay home even if theywant to . . . women are learning that 'tildeath do us part doesn't mean her deathbut her husband's death." Citing in 192the increasing figures on households headedby women (one out of nine) and especiallyamong minority women (four out of nine),she called for federally subsidized,community-controlled child care centers toalleviate the number one problem for allworking mothers.

Major support for working women'srights was gained during Mrs. Koontz'directorshipthe more explicit Departnwntof Labor regulations requiring FederalGovernmein contractors to take positiveaction in eradicating discrimination againstwomen and minorities. The ComprehensiveEmployment and Training Act of 1973sought to improve opportunities for disad-vantaged workers: with later amendments itwould open new doors for women. Int(r2. the Secretary of Labor issued anorder directing the Women's Bureau tocoordinate all Deprtment activities concern-ing women and designated the director asspecial counselor to the Secretary of Labor.

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Carmen Rosa Maymiappointed by PresidentRichard M. Nixon, served 1 9 73-1 9 7 7

Born in Puerto Rico, Carmen RosaMaymi was the Bureau's first Hispanic

director and the highest ranking Hispanicwoman in the Federal Government. Aholder of an undergraduaw degree inSpanish and master's in education fromDePaul University she also conductedgraduate work at tlw University of ChicagoGraduate School. She began her career as anemployment counselor with the MigrationDivision of the Commonwealth of PuertoRico in Chicago, follow ed by a position asassistant director of an Urban ProgressCenter of the Chicago Committee on UrbanOpportunity, and later as Urhan ProgramUnit Director.

Ms. Maymi entered Federal service in1966 as a Community Services Stwcialist inthe Office of Economic Opportunity, leavingto act as project director on Federal con-tracts dealing with model housing. serviceto Indian reservations and migrant pro-grams. Slw returned to ihe Government toconduct a study on the "Ecinomic Opportu-nity of Spanish Speaking lk ople in the

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1970s" for submission to the Committee onEconomic Discrimination of the DomesticCouncil.

The first Women's Bureau director to heappointed from within the ranks, she joinedthe Bureau as a consultant in 1972 and wassubsequently named associate director forprogram development.

At her swearing-in ceremonies, Ms.Maymi outlined the growing diversity of thefemale workforce shP was appointed toserve: "I am acutely aware that the 33million women workers in the United Statesinclude women of all races, ethnic back-grounds and religious persuasions, and I ampledged to serve them all. Of particular con-cern to me are the women who are hard toreach through the usual communicationchannelswomen in isolated regions,women unable to break the language bar-rier, and women whose poverty has keptthem out of the mainstream of economiclife. For those, the Women's Bureau mustfind extraordinary means to provide itsservices.'.

As director, she worked to develop theBureau's growing linkages through coopera-tive programs with private organizationsinterested in promoting the full utilizationand potential of wonwn. In conjunctionwith the objectives of the InternationalWomen's Year-19-5, she led the Bureauin increasing its inwrnational activities.travelling around the world to share itsexperiences. International programs includeda joint study between the U.S. Departnwntof Labor and the Ministry of Labor in Japanon the role and status of women in thelabor force, as well as ongoing work for theUN Commission on the Status of Wonwn.IW, and other specializal bodies. Ms.Maymi represented the Bureau at humanrights of women conferences and continuedto make its resources available to othercountries exploring the role of governnwntaland private organizations for women.

On tlw natiopal level, she designed pro-grams and developed models to illustratethe legal, economic. and social status ofwomen, directed research in traditional

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Bureau areas, including legal research onexisting and proposed Federal and Statelaws affecting the status of women, andoversaw outreach programs designed toserve those special target groups such asWomen offenders, trade union women,

youth, and minority women, often cooperat-ing with voluntary organizations andcommissions.

The 1970's also saw increased awarenessof the labor contributions and problemsfacing Hispanic womendue largely to theirparticipation in the first successful efforts toorganize farm workers in western agricul-tural enterprises and futory workers in thesouthwestern manufacturing plants. Manyother Hispanic women were to be found ingarment industry sweatshops. Writing for apublication of the National Council of LaRaza in 1974, Ms. Maymi pointed out theunique barriers Hispanic women encoun-tered in finding improved work opportuni-ties: "Hampered by a language barrier anddiscriminated against because of their sexand their ethnic background, few have hadthe opportunity or incentive to acquire thenecessary education. These women had amedian level of 9.4 years of schooling in1970. Only about two out of three womenof Spanish origin, aged 2i years and over,could read and write in English in 1%9.This situation is improving, however:among young women of Spanish origin.aged 10 to 24, the proportion . . is now 9out of every 10. This parallels the improve-ment in the educationai attainment of youngSpanish speaking people generally. Still.Ms. Maymi insisted, "the common denomi-nator of discrimination against women issex, not race.

During her directorship. a new Depart-ment of Labor building was designed withspace set aside for a child care center, self-Fupported by parental fees and governed hya parental board. This model cent r pa%edthe way for child care centers at otherGovernment and private sector offices.

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hen I WaS appointed to the Bowl ofRegents in Olik. . .1 wac flattered

and exited. I oas the first and only womanon the Board a real breakthrough forwomen on a truly powerful and influentialBoard. My first etperience as the onlysvman was dismaying. I was treated withgreat politeness, deference, but I did feel Iwas not taken seriously. . . When a secondwoman was appointed, the change wasdramatic. We were both consideredindividual members of the Board, notPist women, and listened to accordingly."

Ohio Regent Mar) Ellen Ludlum. mid-1970's.

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Alexis M. Hermanappointed by PresidentJimmy Carter, served 1 9 77- 1 981

The second black director. Alexis M.Herman. was the youngest woman to

be appointed to the Bureau in its then59-year history. During her directorship, theBureau was elevated to the Office of theSecretary, facilitating its full participation inthe Department of Labor's overall programplanning and policymaking.

Born in Alabama, Ms. Herman receivedher bachelor's degree from Xavier Univer-sity in New Orleans and did graduate workat the University of South Alabama. Shespent most of her adult life working in pro-grams to help minorities, women, andyoung people to improve their economicstatus, serving as a social worker, guidancecounselor. community outreach worker.program developer, adtr" Itrator, andconsultant.

Ms. Herman came to the Bureau fromAtlanta. where as national director of theMinority Women Employment Program ofR-T-P Inc., she implemented programs toplace minority women in white-collar jobsin 10 cities and to place women in non-

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traditional blue-collar jobs in -* other cities.She developed the original model for MWEPunder the auspices of the Southern RegionalCouncil in 1972.

During her directorship, the Bureaumounted new programs to help low-incomeand young women with employment relatedproblems, cooperating with the Office ofYouth Programs in a Demonstration School-to-Work Project for high school girls inurban areas. It increased effort.. to improveopportunities for women in nontraditionaloccupations, backed by new Federal affirma-tive action programs, pressure on appren-ticeship programs to open their ranks towomen and amendments to the Comprehen-sive Employment and Training Act, whichgreatly enhanced its benefits for womenwurkcrs. The Bureau continued research todefine the increasingly varied target groupswithin its mandate of "working women.-so as to better represent and fulfill theirspecial needs. It focused anew on thespecial needs of women who work in thehome and of older women, pushing foradult education programs to facilitate entryor reentry into the workplace for widowed.divorced, or single-parent women.

Ms. Herman and tlw Bureau sought tostrengthen linkages with the private sector.as well as other Government agencies inpursuing its mandate. She wrote in a 19Narticle for the Labor taw Journal: "Suchlinkages are critical to the success of bothanti-discrimination and human resourcesprograms because one effort opens doors forwomen by eliminating artificial barriers totheir employment in occupatitms and indus-tries where they are excluded today, andthe other effort assists in the training andreferral of qualified women.-

But there remained many policies thathad not yet ht -2n corrected: -However, thesuccesses that have been realized in thesetwo areas have not been paralleled by anincreased awareness that policies must lwreshaped to fit todav's realities in the othertwo broad policy areas . . . family supportsystems and inequities in the impact oftraditional policies governing health, retire-

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ment and labor policies . . these policyareas have not received the same pri-ority . . . and they have not been related toan overall policy to provide support systemsto families As earning responsibilitiesare shared. many families view child rearingas the responsibility of both (mother andfather) . . . Likewise. much remains to bedone in reevaluating health, retirement andemployment policies formulated for a differ-ent set of social values and realities."

Ms. Herman also represented the Depart-ment of Labor and the U.S. at manynational and international conferences. Shewas delegate to the UN Mid-Decade Confer-ence on the Status of Women at Copenha-gen and at the OECD's first ministerialconference on the status of %%omen in Paris.On both occasions. the Bureau issued publi-cations informing the public on issuesaddressed and solutions found in the U.S.The Bureau also contributed to the work ofthe National Advisory Committee forWomen. 19-8-199 and the President'sAdvisory Comnlittee for Women,19-9-1980.

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Ufotiiltill six leyfialloinaggo,wthhaerI ;:mnlb:tthose women who stated really paved themiy. I have very few problems now from mymale co-workers. Mosd it's a matter ofcuriosity: They say; ' do you want to dothis work?' Hill first, love the work andI'm good at it. 494nd second, I bought ahouse last year. I could never have done thatin my old job.'

Juanita Edwards. journeyman press operatoi.Washington. D.C., early 1980's.

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Lenora Cole Alexanderappointed by PresidentRonald Reagan. served 1981 -1986

r. Lenora Cole Alexander. the ninthDwoman to hold the Bureau directorship.offered a strong background in higher edu-cation and public service on behalf ofminorities and women. She earned her threedegrees, culminating in a doctorate, at theState University of New Thrk at Buffalo.

While holding Yaious teaching and ad-ministrative positions in higher education inChicago. Buffalo, and Washington, DC_ Dr.Alexander promoted programs for tne Coun-seling of women and minorities and soughtways to create new opportunities for them.Prior to her appointment to the Bureau, sheserved as vice dresident for student affairsat the University of the District of Columbia(19---19-8) and vice president for studentlife at American University (19-3-1)-Th

At her appidntment confirmation hearingbefore the Senate Committee on Labor andHuman Resources, in October 1081. Dr. AWN-ander noted that the needs of workingwomen had not departed greatly from thrBureau's original mandate of 1020. and

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pointed out that large numbers of womenhave been thrust into the labor marketprimarily for economic reasons. She citedstatistics as background I'm Bureau programsshe would promow or initiate: women con-stitute more than 43 percent of the Nation'swork force: approximately 60 percent of allemployed women are single, widowed, sepa-rated, divorced, or married to men whoseearnings are less than S10,000 a year: 48percent of impoverished families are main-tained by women. She called women "avaluable and untapped reservoir of humanand economic talent." "If fully utilized."she said, "they will be a force in providingworkable solutions for man y. of the eco-nomic problems confronting American soci-ety. Given the opportunity, women will as-sist in developing the President's program torevitalize the Nation's economy."

Dr. Alexander also stated her intention to"enlist assistance from the private sector inresponding to the needs of working women.Oyer the years . . . the Bureau has devel-oped and tested a number of demonstrationemployment and training models. . . .

N1any of these models have great portabilityfor use in the private sector and can facili-tate a higher degree of elevation for the sta-tus of their women employees. The Women'sBureau is prepared to serve as a link in tnistype of effort."

In addition to her duties as the Women'sBureau director. Dr. Alexander. like herpredecessors, was responsible for ensuringcoordination among all Department of Laboragencies on programs affecting women. andshe served as the Secretary of Labor's prin-cipal advisor on matters relating to the em-ploy meld of women.

Under Dr. Alexander's leadership. the HU-reau mounted a number of initiatives whichwere carried out through its Vashingtonhase in the Department of Labor and 10regional offices across the country. Amongthose initiatives were efforts to promoteemployer-sponsored child care and to in-troduce child care at occupational trainingcenter sites, address the school-to-worktransition problems of young women, and

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increase the gainful employment of womenthrough job fairs and job matching services.A Bureau-produced videotape on employee-s ored child care, "The Busiiwss of Car-ring.- was a welconw accompaniment to thechild care effort. The Bureau also workedmore closely with women serving on cur-poraw holrds and in high-level managementpositions, to help otlwrs move up in tlwmanagenwnt structure. It advocated tlw in-terests of female entnpreneurs. whose num.hers increased by 0 percent Iwtween 14-2and 19-- alone, totaling some 3 million in198.1.

Through the job Training Partnership Actof 1983. tlw Bureau broadened the targetgroups of women served by its programs;now it reaclwd out more specifically to displaced homemakers. disadvantagedteenagers. dislocated workers. and thechronically unemployed. Dr. Alexander se-cured the Bureau's own line item budgetauthorit) for demonstration projects and in-creased staff at regional offices.

The Bureau becanw more researchoriented. howl. identik issues ant.; prob-lems as they arise. it contracted studies onMkt 10piCS :!ti: employment-related neMs ofwomc.n veterans. immigrant w-omen. dislo-cated wonwn workers, displacedhomemakers and older women. and tlw ca-reer transition problems of wonwn in theprofesskms. The Bureau also began a stud%of the persisteiwe of poverty among working

women in an eXpanding econonnOn the international SCMC, Dr. All' \alldff

and the Bureau cooerated with an ever-increasing number of organizations involvedin developing policies for the welfare ofworking women in other countries. Sheworked with tlw 11,0 and tlw InternationalCommission on Wonwn, serving as a dele-gate to its conference in Cartagena, Colom-bia. She led the U.S. delegations to Paris formeetings of the OECD, Working Party No. 6on the Role of Umen in tlw Economy, Onwhich she served as elecWd %.ice-chair. As amember of tlw U.S. delegation to the UNCommiss..m on the Status of Women nwet-ing in Vienna in 1983. Dr. Aleunder playeda leading role in planning the 1985 WorldConference on the UN Decade for Women.Slw also attended the conference in Nairobias a memlwr of the official U.S. delegation.

ohserve the 6ith anniversary of its es-tablishnwnt by Congress. the Bureau om-Yened a national conference 'n Washington.D.C.. in November 198S. Workshop tlwnwsincluded: achieving equity in the workplace.technology and wonwn's empliNment.breaking the cycle of poverty shaping jobtraining and educational policies, and tlwwfwld economy and working women. Par-ticipants also witnessed the premier showingof tlw Bureau's documentary film on wo,k-ing women from 1920 to 198S. "Tlwre's NoSuch Thing as \\Omen's Work.-

Gaming on its tradition of preparingwomen for thc future. tlw Bureau began exploring the impact of rapid technologicalchange on wonwn's job opportunities forthe rest of this centur% and beyond

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Shirley M. Dennisappointed by PresidentRonald Reagan, served 1986-1988

Te 10th director of the Women'sBur?au, Shirley M. Dennis, brought to herpost considerable management experience. astrong advocacy background, and a closeassociation with women's interests andorganizations. Her management experiencebegan upon her graduation from TempleUniversity in Philadelphia with a degree inBusiness Administration and continuedthroughout a number of positions. She w asa Pennsylvania State offical, serving in theGovernor's Cabinet, prior to her Federalappointnwnt.

As secretary of the Pennsylvania Depart-ment of Conummitv Affairs (19'9-1986).Mrs. Dennis was chief advocate for theState's low-income citizens and for its morethan 2,600 municipalities. Prior to her Statepost, she was chief executive officer of theHousing Association of Delaware Valley-, aUnited Way-supported housing research andadvocacy agency in Philadelphia: housingdirector of the Philadelphia Urban League:and equal opportunity specialist for the ci-

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ty's Redevelopment Authority, where shewas actively involved in housing issues andwrote considerably on the subject.

A year before she became direfmr, Mrs.Dennis was a member ot the Philadelphiadelegation attending the UN Decade forWomen conference in Nairobi, Kenya. Herrole in international activities heightenedafter she became the Bureau's director: sherepresented the United States as president ofthe Organization for Economic Cooperationand Development's (OECD) Working Partyon the Role of Women in the Economy, thefirst American to do so.

When Mrs. Dennis began her tenure atth? Bureau, she identified issues the agencywould focus upon: work and family, womenin nontraditional jobs, a "holistic- ap-proach to welfare reform, flexibility in theworkplace. and sufficient education andtraining to help women prepare forchallenge,: of work by 2000.

A nt.mber of activities were generated byor in response to a study, commissioned bythe U.S. Department of Labor avd preparedhy the Hudson Institute, which projectedthe nature and composition of work and theU.S. work force for the 21st century. Tlwreport, "Workforce 2000.- noted: between1986 and the year 2000, 21 million newjobs will be created: women.and immigrants will fill 80-90 percent ofthe new jobs: women will account for 63percent of that new labor force growth.Some other significant changes to be expect-ed are: *.he Nation will experience a workforce shortage due to declining birth rates:there will be stiffer competition within thehush.ess community for skilled and educatedworkers: and flexible benefit packages willbe required to serve the needs of t .0-careerfami:. s. since -I' percent of the work forcewill be female by 2000. Further, thebenefits will be needed to address childcare. eldercare. and retraining needs toenable greater productivity and retention ofworkers. Mrs. Dennis spearheaded theBureau's communication effort to spreadthis new infornution to the Americanpeople, especially to educators and training

personnel. policymakers, employers, unions,and women's organizations, by sponsoringor participating in meetings across the COL! n-try and distributing the Bureau's fact sheet."Women and Workforce 2000."

Supported by the new data about thefuture workplace, the Bureau focused newlight on the interrelationship of women'sresponsibilities to work, family, and otherpursuits. The Bureau progressed in itsdevelopment of a Work and Family Clearing-house to help employers make informeddecisions about options and benefits as theyconsider policies to assist employees withchild care and eldercare. The clearinghouse.accessible by telephone or throughcorrespondence, began operation as a com-puterized data base of employer-sponsoredchild care options: it would be expandedlater to include similar options for elder-care, benefit plans. and flexible leave poli-cies and work schedules. There were otheractivities Two Work and Family Expos forLabor Department employees offered infor-mation about support services to help themmanage their work and family responsibili-ties. The Bureau encouraged replication ofthe model event by other employers andemployee groups. "Child Care: A WorkforceIssue." the Departnwnt of Labor's report ofthe Secretary's Task Force. gave furtherimpetus to the Bureau's long-time efforts toincrease child care, and so did statisticswhich showed that, as of March 1988. i()percent of mothers of preschool childrenwere in the labor force.

Recognizing that women will continue toseek ways to accommodate their multipleroles and that flexibility in the future work-place will be a key requirement. the Bureauset out to gain more insight into flexibleworkstyles or the "contingent work force,"a growing force of part-time, temporary, orleased workers, and independent contrac-tors. In 1987 the Bureau cosponsored aonference, "The Contingent \Vorkplace:New Directions for Work in the Year2000." to explore impact of the trendtoward contingent w ork on women, whocomprise the majority of part-time and

temporary workers, and to consider otherat-risk groups such as older workersincluding those displaced by factoryclosingsminority youth. and immigrantpopulations. Mrs. Dennis expressed hopethat the conference and the publishedproceedings "will stimulate furtherresearch, spark more public debate. andpromote government, corporate, and unionpolicies that will be relevant to the 21stcentury workplace and the needs of itsworkers.''

The Bureau advocated an approach towelfare reform that looks at the individual'stotal needsnot just job trainingand thenfocuses community resources to help meetthose needs including health benefits, childcare, and life and career planning. Towardthis end, the Bureau worked with OIC's(Opportunities Industrialization Centers) andprivate sector enterprise to conduct demon-stration project HOPE (Higher Opportunitiesfor Partnerships in Employment), whichembodied the principles of welfare reformadvocated by the Bureau. Mrs. Dennis, inspeaking before groups about the objectivesof the project, imparted the Bureau's con-victions: "We are convinced," she said,"that women on welfare need an opportu-nity to break out of isolation. They needcontact with successful role models to helpopen their eyes and those of their childrento the wide range of opportunities availableto them."

As a facilitator and advocate, the Bureaucontinued its role of' sponsoring andparticipating in numerous conferences toencourage education and ,raining policiesand programs that promote nontraditionaljobs for women in skilled trades. profes.sional specialties, and upper levels of cor-porate management. Relevant fact sheetswere updated and the Bureau publish«1 anew pamphlet, "Jobs for the Future."

Mrs. Dennis and other Bureau staff metwith leaders across the countr to developand refine the women's agenda for thedecade of the 90's and into the 21 stcelltUry.

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Jul Houghton Emeryappointed by PresidentRonald Reagan, served 1 988- 1989

Tking hold of the -bright torch- ofleadership held by the 10 previous Women'sBureau directors, Jill Boughton Emery illumi-nated the concerns of women as well as theBureau's programs and objectives to improvetheir employment opportunities. ller transi-tion to the directorship was facilitated hvher kno. :edge about the Bureau and itsprograms: sinee 19Si Mrs. Finer% had smut'first as deputy director anti later as actingdirector. She came to the 1. S. Deparment ofLabor from the U.S. Small Business Administration. w here she Was director of the Officeof \\Omen's Business Ownership.

An educator for 12 ears prior to a careerthat spanned business. politics and the Tederal Government. Mrs. EtIlell earned abachelor's degree from the State nit\ Mitof New York at Geneseo. w here she con-tinued graduate work. ln WS- she wasselected for the Senior Managers ill timerii-ment Program at the John E KennethSchool of Government. Harvard I niversitShe was president of the Einer Corpwation

a business consulthig firm in New York, be-fore coming to Washington, D.C. in 1984Mrs. Emery ran for Congress in the 3.-ithCongressional District of New York, launch-ing a campaign in which she narrowlymissed defeating a 9-year incumbent in thesecond largest congressional disti:ct in NewYork State.

Under Mrs. Emer 's leadership. the Bu-reau directed special attention toward issuesthat are expected to shape the workplace ofthe future: child care. eldercare. flexiblebenefits, nontraditional jobs. training oppor-tunities. and youth at risk.

On behalf of workers who are trying tobalance work and family responsibilities. theBureau. through a multi-media campaign,formally introduced the expanded Workand Family- Clearinghouse. sirs. Emeryenthusiastically noted that child care andeldercare optitms in this computerized database have been promoted as highly attractiveadditions to employee benefit plans and suc-cessful aids for recruiting and retainingworkers. She urged employers It learn whatis available and what is possible in the newworkplace for onh "the price of an incom-ing phone call of the stamp on a written IT-qUest: To further assist employers withwork and fallItIV the Bureau pub-lished and distributed a -Work and FamihResource Kit- and a revised pamphlet -Em-ployers and Child Care: Benefiting Work andTallith.- Other facets of the Bureau'swork/famth initiatives included: a researchcontract w ith the National At ademy ofSciences/National Research Onincil to stuthemployer policies and working parents.focusing on factors shaping employers' deci-sions and the advantagi'S of disadvantages ofalternative policies fig employers and ftirworkers in different fallItly SIM:WITS: and aproject to address work and family needs ofthe Navajo. including training Navajo womenas child care providers.

Several projects to promote nontraditional

iobs for women continued to receive col-laborative support. %mien in llighwa Con-struction. a jointly funded rojett of theBureau. the Emplo ment and Training

Administration (ETA), and Federal HighwayAdministration. is designed to identify bar-riers faced by women in the constructiontrades and to develop a program guide foruse by State highway departments and con-tractors in recruiting and hiring women. ETAalso joined with the Bureau in funding thesecond annual National Tradeswonwn Con-ference. The Bureau began compiling amuch needed resource, a directory of non-traditional training/employment programs.

International cooperation continued totake an important place on the Bureau'sagenda. Mrs. Emery. as deputy director, hadled an American delegation of women toIsrael and Greece as part of a Memorandumof Understanding between the two LaborMinistries, and had represented the UnitedStates in Paris, France, at an OECD (Organi-zation for Econontic Cooperation andDevelopment) Conference on I.one Parenting.Now, as director, she continued to he a partof the Bureau's visibility on a global scale.Mrs. Emery took part in an internationalsymposium in Munich, Germany, on'Achieving Pari'ty for Women and Men in

Europe and the United States.' In collabora-tion with other departmental agencies, theBureau supported an OECD study to examineskills required fo- jobs in the service sector.The seven-country study includes a series ofpapers focusing on financial, business, andhealth services, all ot' which have largeconcentrations of female workers.

Responding to the diverse needs of itswide-ranging constituency, the Bureauinitiated programs that ranged front help forteen parents to assistance for executives.Emphasis on helping at-risk youth includeda teen parnt employment demonstrationprogram focusing on education, vocationalttaining. long-term employment preparatioii .

and support services. Another project, theEquity Training Model Program for publicschools in one State, was designed to assistgirls and young women with their develop,mental needs in career, educatiimal. and

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personal/social areas. Executive women alsoface barriers. Career mobility of femaleexecutives in a variety of industrial, service,anti government organizations was the topicof research initiated with the University ofKenn! ky. The research went beyond affirm-ative action programs to examine the moresubtle individual and organizationalprocesses that potentially limit or promotethe carver ;.dvancement of women.

l'nder Mrs. Emery's directorship, theBurPau continued to highlight tht .-iplica-tions of data that forecast the state of workand workers as the next centuryapproaches. Commenting On tlw increasingwork and family needs such as child care,eldercare. benefit packages, and flexibility inleave policies, work hours and workarrangements, Mrs. Emery invited employersto avail themselves of the Bureau's dataresources to assist ihem. She suggested: "Il'yo LI want to maximize Your work force'spotential. we've put together materials tohelp you Modcrnizu vo u r human resourcesprogram. Do not be left behind, c(oupeti.lively speaking. in the 2Ist mutt

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Facing Challenges of the 1990's

As the final decade of the 20th centuryapproached, labor markci ch:ifiengi.:

of the 90's underlay Bureau eCort,women overcome obstacles and tak.opportunities. Activities continued toforward during the interim between depar-ture of the Bureau's 1 1 th director andarrival of the 12th. Under the leadership ofacting directors, the Bureau demonstrated itscommitment to help women face today'schallenges and prepare for those looming onthe horizon. Priorities for action were infour broad areas: balancing work and familyresponsibilities, training and retraining toacquire skills needed now and in the futureworkplace, affirmative action in managinga diverse work force, and safety and healthin the workplace.

The challenrs of reconciling work andfamily responsibilities form a huge umbrellaof concerns that relate to child care, elder-care, flexible leave policies, alternative workpatterns, and benefit packages. Inherent in

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the mission of addressing these issues is thechallenge of accommodating workers' needsand meeting employers' business objectivesat the same time. The Work and FamilyClearinghouse, an initiative toward that end,provides employers with options they canoffer workers to ease work and familyburdens and thus help to maximize produc-tivity. The clearinghouse continued toexpand with more data on dependent care,flexible policies, and other categories. Thecomputerized data base is accessible by tele-phone or through written request. TheBureau also carried the message about workand family issues and the future workplacearound the country through a variety offorums: roundtables, conferences, speeches.publications, and one-on-one consultations.These dialogues increased understanding ofthe adjustments required in order to meetboth work and family needs.

Training and retraining pose challengesnot only for women entering the work

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force for the first time but also for careerwomen in jobs which are becoming moresophisticated or may be replaced entirelydue to technological change or job redesign.Bureau efforts addressed the challenges of:raising math and science levels: gainingaccess to training which leads to higherpaying jobs: creating more opportunities foron-the-job training: improving the quality oftraining; meeting tlw need for support serv-ices for trainees, such as housing, transpor-tation, and child care: increasingemployer-based training for women in non-traditional careers: and enhancing schoolprograms which promote nontraditionalcareers. A National Tradeswonwn Networkwas set up to provide technical assistanceand national representation, and to promotewomen in the trades.

Managing a diverse work force and takingaffirmative action to achieve greater integra-tion of women into all levels of the workforce remain challenges in the 90s. Wonwnstill lack opportunities because of sex, race.age, ethnic origin, disability, or pregnancy.The Bureau's long-term efforts to achieveequality for women have received a newthrust as the numbers of wonwn, minori-ties, and immigrants in the work force haveincreased and are expected to continue toincrease into the next century. Some of theprojects, such as symposia. are intended toheighten awareness and sensitivity ofmanagers: awareness that they must designand implement human resource systemswhich recongnize that workers' backgroundsand values differ in a multicultural environ-ment and that the ability to understand andeffectively accommodate ethnic, racial, andgender differences is necessary to maximizeproductivity and achieve business success.Bureau programs also addressed occupa-tional segregation at all levels and con-straints of the "glass ceiling" for womenprofessionals and executivesthat invisiblebarrier which prevents women from movingup and into top managenwnt.

The challenges of safety and health in tlwworkplace of the 90's relate largely to tech-nological change. The Bureau continued to

be concerned about the impact of automa-tion on clerical workers, especially asrelated to video display terminals and ergo-nomic problems. Chemicals in the work en-vironment constitute additonal concerns.Other health and safety issues are beingidentified by health care professionals,computer-related occupations, pharmaceuti-cal companies, food service industries, andcare giving professionals.

These are but some of the challenges fac-ing workers, families, and employers thatthe Bureau addressed in 1989-1990. To ag-gressively face the issues and to undertakethese and other programs, the Bureau keptpace with legislative and economic issues af-fecting women. It followed legislationfromthe origin of a bill, through the review andcomment stages, and on to passage ordefeatand frequently issued legislative up-dates or publications. The Bureau also keptapprised of statistical data which indicatewomen's employment situation, shape sig-nificant trends, and otherwise have implica-tions for women workers. Subsequentlythese data were analyzed and shared.

The international arena was active. Onthe Nairobi World Conference on the Statusof Wonwn, the Bureau continued to followup on the results with its constituent groupsand with governmental agencies. Again theBureau represented the United States at theOECD meeting of the Working Party on theRole of Women in the Economy, and con-tinued to support efforts of the Organizationof American States Commission on 'omen(OAS/CM.

Yet another important event occurred. Inthe fall of 1990 the Bureau paused brieflto reflect on its proud seven decades of I is-tory. An important asset in planning forfuture progress is the knowledge and recog-nition of past achievements. So the 7 Othanni ersary observance was also a tinw togather momentum for facing the challengesof the 90's, and then forging ahead into the21st centuryalready characterized as anera of change for the workplace, society,and the global marketplace.

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A Chronology of Women's Laborand Women's Bureau HistorySelected Events from the Turn ofthe Century to the Present

The history of women's participation inthe American labor force begins long

before the Women's Bureau was establishedin 1920. The following timeline, while byno means complete, highlights some majorevents in the facilitation of women's contri-butions to the national economy throughwage-earning work from the beginning ofthis century to the present day.

1903 National Women's Trade UnionLeague (WTUL) established at AmericanFederation of Labor convention.

1905 Illinois branch of the WTUL passesresolution to seek Federal investigations ofworking women's conditions. NWTULlobbies with other women's organizations inWashington, D.C.

1906 Bill introduced to fund suchreports.

1907 Bill passes; severa investigationsconducted over 3 years, authorized bySecretary of Commerce & Lahor, yield 19volumes of reports unveiling poor condi-tions, health, and wages of women workersand recommending establishment of apermanent agency to watchdog and set stan-dards. Women's groups continue to lobbyfor such an office in the Department ofLabor.

1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire dis-aster in New York City focuses nationalattention on dangerous conditions underwhich women work.

1913 Department of Labor separates fromthe Department of Commerce and establishesa %omen's Division as a sub-dMsion of theBureau of Labor Statistics. It is not effectiveat the policymaking level due to lack ofstrong mandate and adequate organization,hut does publish informative materials onsegments of the women's labor force.

1916 Jones-Casey' hill introduced forestablishment of Women's Division in theDepartnwnt of Labor. hut does not pass.Women continue to lobby for four moreyears.

1917 Council of Defense sets up Commit-tee on Women in Industry, comprisingWTUL and Consumers League members, toadvise it on means of safeguarding thewelfare of women workers during the war.Board of Labor Standards and U.S. RailwayAdministration set up women's branches, asdoes the Ordnance Department, the latter tooversee women's work in munitions plants.

In July, the first draft of American mento fight in World War I begins to causeshortages of labor. By the fall, the U.S. Em-ployment Service launches campaign to re-place men with women in "every positionthat a woman is capable of filling." A post-Armistice Women's Bureau study showedthat while 14.402 women were employed in562 plants engaged in metal production(other than steel and iron), before the firstdraft, the figure rose to 19,783 thereafter.and to 23,190 employed in 558 plants afterthe second draft.

1918 June, War Labor Administrationsets up a "Woman in Industry Service's tomeet the problems connected with morerapid introduction of women into industry.A month later, Mary Van Kleeck, a WTULactivist, moves from the Ordnance Depart-ment to direct the new agency with MaryAnderson as assistant director, and HelenBrooks Irvin as an experienced organizer ofblack women workers.

WIS sets to work to formulate standardsfor employment of women in war indus-tries, including a 48 hour work week, equalpay, lunch breaks, and sanitary and safetyprecautions. By August, defense departmentshegin to include these in war contracts.although many contractors did not observethem. In its five months of existence beforethe Armistice, the WIS was successful inpromoting better working conditions, if notequal pay for women and it continued topuhlish detailed reports and guidelines basedon the WWI experiences of wonwn andemployers until it was transformed into theWomen's Bureau in 1920.

1919 One of the most militant years inU.S. labor history. An epidemic of strikes

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breaks out across the country caused bycontinued rise in cost of living and post-wareconomic recession as the country shiftedfrom war to peacetime production. Womenand minority workers are among the worstaffected by economic problems and cut-backs in jobs; they join in strikes.

First International Congress of WorkingWomen meets in Washington, D.C. It laterbecomes the International Federation ofWorking Women with the pronmtion oftrade union organization among women asits main priority.

1920 June 5: Congress establishes theWomen's Bureau in the Department of Laborwith a staff of 20 and a budget of :130,000,under the directorship of Mary Arderson.The WB immediately begins its field investi-gations. Analysis and recomnk ndations onnational, state and industry trends affectingwomen at work begin to enwrge. Sometitles published in 1920: "Night-Work Lawsin the U.S., 1919": "Tlw New Position ofWomen in American Industry"; and "Indus-trial Opportunities and Training for Womenand Girls."

Two months later, the 19th Anwndnwnt

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becomes the law of the land, giving womenthe right to vote.

1921 WB reports on "State LawsAffecting Working Women"; "Health Prob-lems of Women in Industry"; "WomenStreet Car Conductors and Ticket Agents";"Women's Wages in Kansas," amongothers.

1922 WB investigates "Negro Women inIndustry"; "The Family Status of Breadwin-ning Women"; "The Occupational Progressof Women."

1923 Alice Paul of the National Woman'sParty introduces the first proposed amend-ment to the Constitution on equality forwomen.

WB reports on "Women's Contributionsin the Field of Invention" and co-sponsorsa Women's Industrial Conference.

Federal Government Classification Actpasses; an equal pay victory for WB, whichexposed hiring and wage discriminationversus women in a 1920 report, "Womenin the Federal Government." The new lawestablishes that Government salaries shouldbe determined by job duties, not sex ofemployee.

1924 WB reports on "Married Women inIndustry"; "Domestic Workers and TheirEmployment Relations"; and "Wonwn inAlabama Industries.''

1925 Rose Knox, president of Knox Co.,producers of gelatin for food and industrialpurposes, begins to oversee her profitablebusiness "in a woman's way." She insti-tutes one of the first 5-day work weeks,keeps her plants clean and pleasant andwins enduring loyalty from her employees.

WB reports on "Home Environment andEmployment Opportunities for Women inCoal-Mine Workers' Families" and "Stand-ard and Scheduled Hours of Work forWomen in Industry."

1926 WB investigates "Women in theFruit-Growing and Canning Industries in tlwState of Washington"; "Lost Time andLabor Turnover in Cotton Mills": "Effects of

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Applied Research upon the EmploymentOpportunities of American Women":"Women Workers and Industrial Poisons."

1927 WB reports on "Industrial Acci-dents to Women in New Jersey, Ohio andWisconsin"; "The Development of MinimumWage Laws in the U.S., 1912-1927."

1928 WB reports on "State LawsAffecting Working Women"; "The Employ-ment of 'Wonwn at Night."

1929 WB publishes findings on "NegroWomen in Industry in 1 '5 States": "Condi-tions of Work in Spin Rooms": "WomenWorkers in Flint, chigan."

As the depression hits America, AnneRonnell is paid S25,000 for writing thesong. "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolfr

1930 WB reports on "Variations in Em-ployment Trends of Women and Men": "ASurvey of Laundries and Their Women Wor-

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kers in 23 Cities"; "Industrial HomeWork"; "Women in 5- and 10-cent Storesand Limited-Price Chain Department Stores";"The Employnwnt of Women in the Pine-apple Canneries of Hawaii."

Ellen Church, United Airlines, becomesthe first airline stewardess.

1931 WB publishes "IndustrialExperiences oi Wonwn Workers at the Sum-mer Schot:s, 1928-1930."

Verne Mitchell. aged 19. becomes the firstwoman to pitch baseball for an organii.edmale teamChattanooga Baseball Club.

1932 Section 213 of the FederalEconomy Act requires that one spouseresign if both husband and wife are work-ing for the Federal Government. A Wymen'sBureau study later shows that more than -5percent of those resigning were women.Section 213 remained on the hooks until193". I is but one of many public and ph-

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vate pressures on women to give up "pinmoney" in favor of the working man in thedepression, despite the reality of wonwn'sresponsibihties for their families' support.

WB reports on -Women Office Workersin Philadelphia"; "The Effects on Women ofChanging Conditions in the Cigar & CigaretteIndustries"; "The Employment of Wonwn inSlaughwring and Meat-Packing."

1933 Frances Perkins is appointed firstwoman Cabinet member, when namedSecretary of Labor.

WB reports on "Wonwn Workers in theThird Year of the DepressionA Study ofStudents at the Bryn Mawr SummerSchool"; "Effects of the Depression onWage-Earners Families: A Second Survey ofSouth Bend"; "A Study of Change from 8to 6 Hours of Work."

1934 WB investigates "The Age Factor asIt Relates to Women in Business and theProfessions"; "The Employnwnt of Wonwnin Puerto Rico"; "The Employnwnt ofWomen in Offices."

1935 "A Survey of the Shoe Industr% inNew Hampshire"; "Employment in Hotelsand Restaurants"; "Employment Conditionsin Beauty Shops."

1936 More WB reports on "Womei.employed Seeking Relief in 1933"; "Piece-work in the Silk Dress Industry"; "Re-employnwnt of New England Women in Pri-vate Industry"; "The Employed WomanHonwmaker in the C.S.: Her Responsibilityfor Family Support."

1937 "Women's Hours & Wages in tlwDistrict of Columbia in 193-": "Tlw LegalStatus of Women in the United States ofAnwricaSummary and State by State."

1938 Fair Labor Standards Act sets mini-mum wage. maximum hours without over-time, standards to protect workers in mostpoorly-paid jobs. This law improved work-ing conditions and reduced the iwed for theWB to carr y. out field investigations on basicconditions, freeing it to expand its scope toother issues 3ffecting women workers. Mary

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Anderson and the WB made major contribu-tions towards the passage of this bill.

WB looks back on "Women at Work: ACentury of Industrial Changes."

1939 WB publishes "Conditions in theMillinery Industry in the U.S.A."; "Stan-dards for Employment of Women inIndustryRecommended by the Wonwn'sBureau."

1940 Slightly more than I I millionwomen are holding jobs. War in Europestimolates U.S. production, but men, notwomen, are first beneficiaries of inure jobs.WB issues reports on how women couldcontribute to upswing and recomnwndstraining programs to prepare them forfuture calls from industry.

1941 Government programs h,iii to'warm up'' unemployed in heavy industr

bt41 most employers still believe women arenot suited for a high proportion of availableproduction jobs.

After Pearl Harbor, the U.S. enters WorldWar II. A Fair Employment Practices Coinmission is established to help alleviatediscrimination against blacks in war produc-tion. Black wonwn especially press toescape from domestic and agricultural jobsinto more lucractive factory employnwnt.

1942 As draft begins to decimate theranks of male workers, the Governnwntissues a nondiscrimination directive. revers-ing depression-period restrictions onemploynwnt of women, especially marriedwomen. Many gains in protective legislationfor working wonwn are also waived infavor of wartinw needs. For first time,employers actively seek out women workersfor imntraditional jobs and sonw offerservicesday care. meals. transportationmaking it easWr for women with families towork. WB publishes a series of 13 reportson wonwn in various wartime industries. aswell as "Equal Pay for Women in WarIndustries"which w as not the practice inmany cases. By nUd-vear, War Manpower(;ommission starts a campaign to activel)cruit wonwn in labor shortage areas. Na-

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tional War labor Board issues an order"permitting- employers to equalize wagespaid to women with those paid to men forwork of comparable quality and quantity:Federal governnwnt lowers legal workingage for wonwn from 18 to 16.

1943 War production Board announces aneed for 1.5 million more wonwn workerswithin a year.

1944 Between 1940 and 19, morethan 6 million women join the civilian lalmrft,rce, tlmugh fully -5% of all womenworking for wages during the war hadworked before. By mid-year. the WB had al-ready begun sti:dying the effect of cut-backsin employment of women, as employersprepared for postwar slowdown. Somewomen began to quit their work voluntar-ily. man- others who preferred to stay wereharassed b employers. The Bureau recom-mended full employment and equal wagesfor men and women, as part of the recon-version process.

Wonwn joined unions in large nuntheisduring the war. in spite of resistance fromsome trades. Before tlw war only some800,000 women belonged to unions (9.4percent of total union membership). B

1944, more than million were unionmembers (22 percent of total).

1945 More than 19 million wonwnworked for wages sometime during the waremergency years. With the end of WorldWar 11, the WB focuses on postwaremployment opportunities for women andbegins its involvement with United Nationsorganizations relating to wonwn and eco-nomic development.

Women's Bureau and the WM. wage anaggressive campaign for a House-sponsoredWomen's Equal Pay Act.

1946 WB publishes its analyses of WorldWar II industrial experiences for womenand begins a series of reports on womenworkers in other countries.

1948 Economic & Social Council of theUN adopts the principle that women shouldreceive the same pay as inen for equalwork.

WB publishes "Handbook for WonwnWorkers- and looks at "Working Women'sBudgets in 12 States.-

Some 1-.2 million women are employedin the civilian labor force: a drop of 2.4million from the all-time war period high of19.6 million in July 1945, but an increaseof 835,000 over tlw 1947 total of 16.3million.

1949 Union of Electrical, Radio and Ma-chine Workers sponsors first postwar con-ference of any major Jnion on the problemsof women workers.

WB publishes "Outlook for Women inPolice Work."

Miranda Smith, a 40-cent-an-hour tobaccoworker becomes the first black woman toserve in the executive councils of a nationalunion, as Southern Regional Dilector of tin'FIA.

1950 18 million working women. nearhhalf of whom arc married. make up 29 per-cent of tlw workforce, and 32 percent Ofthe working age female population is work-ing. The postwar period saw a drop inyoung married workers, but half again as

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many women age 5-54 were working afterthe war as before.

WB publishes "Women in Higher-LevelPositions- and starts a series on job oppor-tunities in social work, following up on apostwar series on jobs in medical andhealth-related occupations.

1951 WB reports on "Part-time Jobs forWomen.

1952 A coalition of civic groups.women's organizations, labor and employerorganizations, including the WB, form aNational Committee for Equal Pay and holda conference. WB publishes the conference'sreport. along with its own papers on"Women Workers Their Dependents- and"Maternity Protection of EmployedWomen.''

1953 WB reports on 'Older Women asOffice Workers- and "Employed Motiiersand Child Care.-

1955 White House Conference on Effec.tive Use if Womanpower, in which WBplays major role. Director Leopold describesit as the "beginning of new efforts on thepart of the U.S. Department of Labor todevelop our country's manpower to thefullest.- It explores se..-stereotypes as limitsto opportunities for women and presentssuggestions for inci easing women's laborparticipation. WB publishes the conferencereport, and "Employnwnt Opportunities forWomen in Professional Accounting.-

Vie last of the local branches of the\\ -IL I. dissolves itself, on the basis thatmost of the League's functions have beenassumed by the unions. The AEI, and CIOmerge.

1956 \\ B reports on "EmploymentOpportunities for Women Mathematiciansand Statisticians-: "College Women Go toWork--Report on Women Graduates. 19.36."

1959 WB promotes "Careers for Womenin the Phsical Sciences.-

1960 Working w omen make up 33percent of the national labor force:percent of married women work for wages.

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contributing about 26 percent of total fanUlyincome. One-third of all wage-earningwomen hold clerical jobs. Nearly 80 percentof wage-earning women hold jobs stereo-typed as "female- and the gender-gap inearnings widensmedian annual earningsof women fall to 60 percent of the rate formen.

1961 President's Commission on theStatus of Women established to investigateparticipation of women in key areas, includ-ing employment. WB takes an active role instudies and recommends ways to overcomesex discrimination in employnwnt.

1962 Presidential memorandum barsdiscrimination against women in FederalCivil Service hiring and promotions policies.

1963 Congress passes the Equal Pay Act,requiring most companies to pay equalwages regardless of sex to all thoseperforming equal tasks.

"American Women. An Invitation toAction--report of the PresidentialCommissionis presented.

The Feminine Mystique. by Betty Fried-man, examines the causes and effects of theunderemployment of educated Americanm,omen.

1964 Congress passes Civil Rights Act.including Title VII. which prohibits firmswith I S or more employees from dis-criminating on the basis of sex. amolgother characteristics. Establishes Equal Em-ployment Opportunity Commission to coor-dinate efforts to implement the law and toconciliate disputes. Shortly thereafter. theEEOC is flooded with sex-discriminationcomplaints.

1967 Age Discrimination in EmplomentAct bars discrimination against w orkers age

1968 Executive Order 112.46. asamended b 113-i. prohibits discriminationin employment on basis of sex, amongother characteristics, b all employers w ithFederal contracts over S10.000. andrequires them to file affirmative actionprograms

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1969 Cowl! University beconws the siteof the first women's studies course.

1970 31.5 million women make up 38percent of the civilian labor force. Morethan 40 percent of married women areworking for wages or looking for work. lndthe rate among younger wonwn with chil-dren begins the rapid increase that will con-tinue throughout the decade. There are 1.9million divorced women workers. Theproprotion of wonwn in unions drops to 12percent of all union memberships. Tlwre isan increase of nearly 80 percent of womenin skilled, predominantly male, trades com-pared to 1960still, their participationaccounts for only 2-3 percent of totalworkers in such trades.

"Wonwn's Strike for Equity''womendemonstrate in cities across the country toobserve the 50th anniversary- of women'ssuffrage and to highlight demands includingequal opportunity in jobs and education.

1971 National Women's Political Caucusorganized.

Department of Labor rules requireGovernnwnt contractors to take positiyaction on discrimination against women.

1972 Congress passes Equal EmploymentOpportunity Act. outlining in detail anti-se\discrimination guidehnes for employers.

20 percent of first Year medical studentsare women compared to 13.5 percent theyear before: 12 percent of first Year layystudents are wonwn, compared to less than5 percent in 196-.

Secretary of Labor issues order directingWil to coordinate all Department activitiesconcerning w omen, designating its di,-ectorspedal counselor to the Secretary.

1973 Comprelwnsive EmploymentTraining Act (CETA) passed to hdp prepareeconomically disadvantaged persons andthose facing harriers to employment tobecome productiYe members of tlw ktborforce. Programs are to be conducted at theState and local level under the monitoringof the Federal Governnwnt.

1974 WB and Department of Labor hdp

to finance First Trade Union V'onwn'sConference in New York City., which leadsto the formation of the Coalition of LaborUnion Women (CLUW). At its foundingconference in Chicago, it states as itspurposes organizing unorganized wonwn,affirmative action in the workplace. politicalaction and legislation, and participation ofwomen in their unions.

2c% of all black women workers hokiclerical jobs: 11`!,, remain in domesticservice.

Recession begins.

1975 Recession deepens, women workershardest hit by unemploynwnt.

-9 to 5- founded in Boston: it eventu-ally becomes a national association of work-ing wonwn.

UN International W omen's Year-19-5begins International Women's Decade.

Tax Reduction Act increases availability ofincome tax deductions for chiki and depen-dent care expenses.

1977 Publication of Pink Collar Workers,by Louise Kapp Howe, coins new term tohighlight continuing sex-segregation ofwomen in low paying jobs.

WB plays leadership role in Intel agencyTask Force on Women Business Owners.

Women now make up 2-.6 percent of allunion nwmbers, due to increased efforts toorganize clerical. office, hospital and otherworkers in predominantly fenmleoccupations.

1978 WB input is reflected in Depart-ment Of Labor's affirmative action guide-lines, expanding opportunities forwomen in apprenticeships and constructionwork. WB also participates in policy effortswhich result in revised CETA: new provi-sions relate specifically to employmentneeds of tTonomically disadvantagedwomen. Pregnancy Discrimination Actrequires that women affected by pregnancybe treated the same as other vrsons similarin their abilityPnability to do work.

WB's focus expands to include trainingprograms for wonwn in pristms.

is transferred from Employment

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Standards Administration to Office of theSecretary of Labor.

1979 Hr the first time, more than halfof all women aged 16 and over areparticipating in the labor force. Labor forceparticipation of white women has risenrapidly to virtually the same as that of blackWOMen.

Executive Order 12138 establishesnational Policy on Women's Business Enter-prise. directing Federal agencies to establishgoals for contract awards to women-ow nedbusinesses.

WB begins funding model programs forcareer counseling and occupational trainingof displaced homemakers, women withoutrecent paid work experience or evidentmarketable skills, who must begin to earntheir own livelihoods.

WB director testifies for amendment toTitle VII of Civil Rights Act, banning dis-crit-Mnation in employment based onpregnancy. .

1980 More than -10 million women in theworkforce. but 80 percent of workingwomen remain in traditionally female jobs.

Sexual Harassment (luidelines reaffirmthat sexual harassment is an unlawfulemployment practice. clarifying what consti-tutes such harassment and employerresponsibility.

WB participates in Organization for Eco-110MiC Cooperation & DeVelopMent (OECD)Conference On the Employment ofWomen/Paris, the first cabinet and ministrYlevel meeting of officials from 2-4 membercountries to address women's issues.

WB participates in UN Decade for WomenConference in Copenhagen. having previ-ously- sponsored two regional meetings inthe U.S. to assess progress and developstrategies for remainder of the decade.

1981 Economic Recovery Tax Act increasestax credits and maximum expenditures forchild care and excludes employer-providedchild care benefits from gross income fortax purposes. expands eligibility definitionsand makes provisions for division of IRAs

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that benefit married, divorced womenworkers, and homemakers.

1982 WB launches effort to expand use ofits model program"Women in Nontradi-tional Careers (WINC)training schoolcounseling staff, providing classroominstruction on labor market opportunities.and exploring jobs in local communities.Using a WB-produced curriculum guide.regional workshops held over several yearsresult in 30 schools and colleges incorporat-ing the WINC approach.

WB, recognizing that mothers of pre-school children are the fastest-growingsegment of the labor force, makes establish-ment of employer-sponsored child-care sys-tems across the country a priority initiative.Publications, conferences, workshops aresponsored. and technical assistance providedto encourage company aud community-basedresponses to employees needs. WI3 alsoproduces a video-tape "The Business ofCaring. which presents various optionsused by employers.

1983 Job Training Partnership Act replacesCETA as primary federally-funded job train-ing program. Its goal is to move disadvan-taged or dislocated workers to permanentjobs in the private sector through thecooperation of the public and private sec-tors. with an emphasis on local administralion. WB publishes a guide to PTA benefitsfor working women and sponsors work-shops to promote its effectiveness.

1984 Emergency Mathematics and ScienceEducation and Jobs Act provides set-asidesfor special projects for underrepresentedand underserved populations, including girlsand women, from funds provided to Stateeducational agencies.

Retirement Equity Act of 198-4 makes iteasier for women workers and survivings:)ouses of workers to collect retirement!merits under private pension plans.

Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Actreauthorizes Federal funding for vocationaleducation, targeting over half the fundsallocated to States for programs for specialneeds groups, primarily women.

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1985 WB sponsors national WINC confer-ence for key prolesskinals interested inencouraging young women to pursue non-traditional occupations.

Wil begins replication of Project Discoyery, a pilot program to help first-thne jobseekers or those seeking to renter theworkplace, focusing on nnnority womenaged 35-50.

1985 World Conference. UN th -ade forWomen. NairobiWB director parCcipatesas member of U.S. delegation. WB puUesa report on the nunor economic and 1egisi.1-the accomplishnwnts of the U.S. during theDecade for Women.

WB begins new series of publications onimpact of wchnology on office workers andconducts research to help women veteranstake advantage of th.- r military experiencein new jobs.

1986 Work and family becomes a primarythrust for WB: related issues are delineated andfact slwets issued on Caring for the Elderly andAlternative Work Patterns.

Tax Reform Act of 1980 removes man y. work-ing poor from tax rolls and gives higher stan-dard deduction to single lwads of hmisehold.

Age -0 ceihng removed in Age Discrimina-tion in Employnwnt Act.

Higher Education Anwndments allow Pellgrants to part-time students: provide grants toestablish on-site child care for low incomestudents first in their families to attend college.

National Science Foundation Authorization Actestahlkhes 3-year inwragency task force onwomen minorities, and the handicapped inscience anti technology.

First U.S.-Israel seminar on w omen's issuesin Israelpart of Departmem of Labor's Ministryto Ministry- Program. Topics covered work andfamily, child care, single-parent families, andwomen's labor force participation.

1987 In July. Department of Labor issues itscontracted report by Iludson Institute. "Work-force 2000: Work and Workers for the 21stCentury.- which aleris Nation to economic.demographic. and labor force changes projectedto occur by. tlw year 2000. Women projected

to account for iwarly two-thirds of net new laborforce growth: minorities to account for iwxtlargest group of new entrants.

Child care enwrges as key work and familyissue. WB holds conference on child care sup-port programs and WB director provides con-gressional testimony on programs.

"Computer Chips and Paper Clips,- publishedby National Academy of Sciences, is presentedto Congress and fed into Pepartment of Labortask force report on technological change.

Organization for Economic Cooperation andDevelopnwnt (DECK Paris. France, begins studyof lone parent families at suggestion of \VB.

1988 \VB direcuir (Dennis) is firm 1..S.citizen elected president of OECD's WorkingParty on the Role of Women in the Econ-omy.. 1..S. supports --nation study of em-ployment and training issues related to dwservic- economy, with special emphasis oncontingent workerswho are largelywomen. Industries studied include hotaiand restaurants. retail sales, and banking.

Work and family continues to be primarYissue: "Child Care: A Workforce Issue.-report of the Secretary's Task Force. is pub-lished: \VB initiates research with NationalAcademy of Sciences to lwgin a 2-year studs-of employer policies that impact variouskinds of worker families.

Sujmort Act strengthens child sup-port enforcement. provides education. iob

training. mid work programs with exlRindedchild care and Medicaid lwiwfits.

Omnibus housing measure funds programto estahlish child care facilities in publichousing projects.

Women's Business Ownership Act amendsFqual Credit Opportunity Act to add colainInisiness loans to those already covered and .

aking with SBA Reauthorization bill. fundsdemonstration projects to provide trainingand managenwnt assistance to w own inbusiness or enter* business.

IlliteracY is identlfW as major factor illskills gap foreseen among new entrants andretraining workers. WB issues fact sheet on"Women and Workforce 2000.-

Civil Rights Restoration Act restores broadscope of coverage and clarifies applicationof Title IX of the Education Amendwntsand other nondiscrimination laws pertainingto entities receiving Federal financialassistance.

1989 In January. Wil formallymroduces, through a multi-media campaign.

its Work and Family Clearinghouse.Development of the computerized data basewas begun in 198" and continues to beexpanded and updated.

Secretary of Labor Elizabeth Dole issuesorder reaffirming WB role in coordination ofall Department activities affecting women:Wil policy. programs. and research addressmajor goals throughout Department.

WB issues its revised publication"Employers and Child Care: Benefiting workand Family.

Departmental Task Force on Child CareLiability is established.

Task force report on nurses is issued h%Ihpartment of Health and Human Sel.lces:apparent shortage of nures actuall is n'tinIt of increased demand for nurses' skills

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in a wider variety of health care programs .decline in numbers graduating from U.S.schools, and low pay and prestige accruingto these professionals. WB task force identi-fies methods and programs for recruitingand training additional health professionals.

Organization of American States Conunis-sion on women (OAS/UM) holds experts'meeting on women in the labor force andthe impact of the world economy on theeconomic status of women in thehemisphere.

1990 Americans with Disabilities Act ex-tends to people with disabilities protectionsfrom discrimination in employment and pub-lic accommodations similar to thoseprovided on the basis of race, sex, religion.and national origin h the Civil Rights Actof 196-3.

Fifth year post-Nairobi review ot' the sta-tus of women held in Vienna bv UN Com-mission on the Status of Women.

WB announces its first competitivedemonstration projects research process:projects and research agenda w ere publishedin the Federal Register.