Young Fabian pamphlet on "Womanpower"

A Young Fabian Study Group consisting of four women, Ann Glennerster, - Lyn McFarland, Rosalind Steele, and Freneis Stewart, all married and three with children, examine the barriers which prevent married women in general, and mothers in particular, from seeking ond obtaining employment, Entitled "“Womanpower", the pamphlet breaks new grounds They begin by re~stating the anticipated 1970 manpower shortage as predicted in the National Plan and suggest thot married women represent the greatest untapped supply of labour in Britain, They suggest that the contention is false that the majority of the two thirds of our married women who do not work do not, in fact, wont tog They cite firstly the regiona] variations in female employment and,secondly, the enormous variation between the developed countries of the world, They go on.to point out, with reference to doctors :nd teachers in particular, that narried women represent not merely the largest reserve of labours "Perhaps mae important, they are the largest reserve of troined labours" They contend that the main influence keeping many of these women out of work is the failure of employers to meet the special requirements of wonen with domestic responsibilities, "Employers on the other hand, generally tolerate rather than welcome part-time work" ond many do not even tolerate it. The suthors suggest that discriminotion agairst women is by no means a thing of the past snd demonstrate the comparative inadequacy of promotion prospects for women, They suggest that the high turnover of women workers, often quoted by employers in defence of their discriminatory attitudes, should be seen as an effect of discrimination rather than as a justifice ation for ite As far as the unions are concerned, the authors suggest that in continuing to place their main emphasis on equal pay, they are often neglecting problems such as part-time work, which are of more immediate relevance to women workers, The authors regret the small use which women seeking employment tend to make of Labour’ Exchanges and recognise a spiral effect here in that employers fail to inform exchanges of jobs open to women because they believe that there is no demands The authors go on to consider the effects on children of mothers who ore out at work. They indicate 2 number of studies which reveal no signifie . cant differences between the children off working and non=working mothers, and- suggest that there is no reason to doubt that children whose mothers are out at work will. be psychologically wnimpaired, provided that suitable substitute care is available, They go on to examine the inadequacy of substitute care provisions and point out the failure of ‘nursery school provision to match the decline of day nursery provision. They describe the growth of private, and some cases illegal, child minding and argue for a higher degree of local authority supervision and financial provisions The pamphlet is concluded with a& summary of recommendations under the heads: employment, substitute care, training, loal aaerer hey employers and trade unionse The pamphlet can be obt:ined frome Young Fabian Group, 11, Dartmouth Ste, London S.We le, costing 3s 3d post paid.