The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 1916. WORK FOR WOMEN.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIV, Issue 48, 1 February 1916, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 1916. WORK FOR WOMEN.

It is becoming more and moie fully recognised that as this great struggle for the world’s liberty from the utterly detestable influence of Germanism proceeds, women must play a more active part among the workers who carry on the peaceful avocations which are necessary to be maintained while the Empire’s manhood faces the cannon at the battle-front. In England it is certain that the need for more women workers from amongst the leisured classes is growing, and recent computations show that for clerical work alone in England and Wales 150,000 new women clerks are necessary if the places of men who enlist are to be filled. This total assumes that only onehalf of the 300,000 male clerical workers of England and Wales will enlist, and is quite over and above the vast number of women rapidly being absorbed in trade, industry, munitions, agriculture, horticulture, transport and the rest. That the only women available to fill this special demand for clerical workers are women who have never worked before is a point to be' specially emphasised. It means that girls of leisure, to whom a year ago a few of the lightest house duties, perhaps, with lawn-tennis, golf or boating, reading and music, were chief interests, must enlist in the ranks of the nation’s workers. English press writers assert that virtually every woman accustomed to work has already her place, and the leisured women is the only available reserve. Many of these leisured women have already gone out. Farming, horticulture, trade, transport and motor driving, and many other callings have taken a number of thorn. And every day new callings are being opened up to women. Young men are helping by inducing their sisters and sweethearts, and inj some cases wives, to leave home and “hold down” their jobs till they come hack. This last way is especially popular, because a man leaves bis position in the hands of someone he can trust to yield it up if he should want it again. It is safe to say that there is now no kind of work, apart from a few of the more exclusive professions, that is not open to a woman. The stress in this Dominion has not yet ! become nearly so acute as in Britain, 1 hut there is certainly much work that women and girls could undertake and probably will have to undertake, be-j fore the grim struggle is ended. j