Women for Hire

We would like to take you back to a time when “husky” married girls made model employees. A time when it was presumed that women required several rest breaks to tidy their hair and apply fresh lipstick. We recently came across a guide for hiring women published in 1943, during World War II. As an office predominantly staffed by ladies we can’t help but laugh a little at some of these vintage tips. Here are some of our favourite excerpts from this article:

 1. Pick young married women. They usually have more of a sense of responsibility than their unmarried sisters, they’re less likely to be flirtatious, they need work or they wouldn’t be doing it.

 2. Older women who have never contacted the public have a hard time adapting themselves and are inclined to be cantankerous and fussy.

 3. General experience indicates that “husky” girls – those who are just a little on the heavy side – are more even-tempered and efficient than their underweight sisters.

 4. Retain a physician to give each woman you hire a special physical examination – one covering female conditions.

 5. Numerous properties say that women make excellent workers when they have their jobs cut out for them, but that they lack initiative in finding work themselves.

 6. You have to make some allowances for feminine psychology. A girl has more confidence and is more efficient if she can keep her hair tidied, apply fresh lipstick and wash her hands several times a day.

 7. Women are often sensitive; they can’t shrug off harsh words the way men do. Never ridicule women – it breaks her spirit and cuts off her efficiency.