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A BACKWARD GLANCE GIVES a FOWARD LOOK' ,.
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MAY L. WHITSITT
Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas
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LMOST exactly one hundred four years ago a mob of Bostonians dragged a man through these very streets with such fury that only protection in the gaol prevented his hanging. William Lloyd Gamson's crime was sponsoring an address by a British abolitionist before the Female Antislavery Society, a group of Boston women so forward, so shameless, so nnsexed as to come together to discuss a public issue. I n those days it was an unheard of piece of license and indecency for women merely to attend a public meeting in the United States no matter how benign the purpose or respectable the meeting place (1).
' Contribution to the Symposium on Training and Opportunities for Women in Chemistry, conducted by the Division of Chemical Education at the ninety-eighth meeting of the A. C. S., Boston. Mass., September 14, 1939.
But times have changed; perhaps you read in the July 20th issue of the News Edition of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry that women conservatively dressed may sit in Boston Common an hour without attracting undue aftention! In 1911 there was only one woman in a governmental position whose annual salary was as much as $4800. Today there are two hundred women in the official government registry who are in executive positions. More than fifty are receiving salaries of $5000 or more; more than fifty are receiving between $3600 and $4800. In the Journal of the American Association of University Women, June 1939, Dr. Susan Kingsbury of Bryn Mawr College gives a summary of her "Study of the Economic Status of University Women," the full report of which was made a t the biennial convention of
the association in Denver in June. The report gives a picture of 8796 employed university women. ' The data were obtained from questionnaires circulated in 1935. Seventy-nine per cent. of the women were prepared for their employment by one or more years of study following graduation from college. Six per cent. have a doctor's degree in philosophy or medicine. Sixty-nine per cent. are in educational work; one-fifth of those in educational work are in executive positions. Twenty-eight per cent. are employed in fields other than education and represent eleven or more professions. Compared with the picture in 1911, this is progress, not ovemhelming, but noteworthy. But in spite of this steady gain one needs but to look around him to see that in the past ten years there has been some loss of ground; and there may be more. Miss Adah Pierce writing on "University Women of Western Europe" (2) quotes the following statement of Marie Butts, Secretary of the International Bureau of Education a t Geneva, "Yes, vocational opportunities for women are steadily decreasing. That decrease is due to two things, (a) unemployment in democratic countries which is the result of economic chaos; (b) propaganda regarding women's position in the totalitarian or fascist states." The effectwhich each of these conditions is producing on the economic position of women is grave enough even in the democracies to make it necessary to see the fallacies in their appeal. And for this reason one is compelled to clarify his own thinking and to rid himself of time-worn prejudices. No matter how cluttered our minds may be by haug-overs of past generations, when we bring the scientific method to bear and look facts in the face there is no alternative but to admit that women, all women, either mamed or single, are just people. And as such, according to our understanding of the Constitution of these United States, each one has a right to her fullest self development, and so she has a right to work at any occupation she may desire. Professor Thorndike as early as 1906 issued a warning, unheeded, that one'of our most dangerous assumptions was that women's functions in social, industrial, and domestic life are fixed. Efficiency should be the determining factor in choosing any person for a job, and if economic crises make allocation of jobs a necessity then the allocation should be on the basis of need. The unjust discrimination against married women workers shown by many school boards, some industries, and even some legislatures serves to weaken the position of all women; single women opposing the employment of mamed women would do well to realize this fact. Secretary of Labor Perkins in April, 1933 reported that ninety-five per cent. of the women in industry were the sole support of their families. In her report Dr. Kingsbury states that forty-one per cent. of the university women returning her questionnaire were responsible for the partial or complete support of one to four dependents and that fortv-one to fifty-two Der cent. of those with one to four dependents ee&ned iess than $2000. One-
third of the women reported serious discrimination, and of these eighty-one per cent. cited sex and marital status as causes. The discrimination varied from smaller returns for services rendered because they were women to actual loss of jobs because they were married women. In most cases it is the woman in the lower salary bracket desperately needing her job who suffersmost by this discrimination. Equal opportunities entail equal responsibilities. Certainly it is a contribution immeasurable in value which a man and woman make in bringing into being a family of healthy children and rearing them by intelligent guidance in an atmosphere of love and understanding. When the economic and social welfare of the family is enhanced by the mother's remaining in the home, and if this satisfies her need of occupation, then well and good. But it is not necessary to dwell on the fact that there are as many labor-saving devices for the home as for the farm or factory; in many homes when the children have reached school age and particularly when there are no children, an alert and intelligent woman is left with time on her hands which should be used for making a worth-while contribution for her family or her community else she will be forced into a parasitic position, one which a person of intellectual integrity cannot tolerate. "The so-called chivalrous refusal of the man of the family to permit his wife to work outside the home is largely a sentimental covering for a lack of intellectual honesty and emotional integrity" ( 3 ) . The depth of women's degradation in the fascist states has reached an all-time low through the arbitrary decision of men that women's.place is in the home. According to Frea.a Wunderlich in The American Scholar ( 4 ) , the blow dealt to the women's movement in Germany is so dangerous to women in other countries that it threatens what has been accomplished throughout the world. At the beginning of the Third Reich learned women had to withdraw from public life and from all positions of influence. The philosaphy of National Socialism is a religion of war and a destruction of human personality. Women's task is to bear the strong men the Fatherland needs for its wars. And the training of all girls is toward this end in a country where there is a surplus of 1,800,000 women. And yet here in our own democracy the large group of middle class, fairly well-to-do, ultra-conservative men and women who are scarcely aware of the teachings of the totalitarian states and who certainly do not realize the hideous menace of these teachings are quick to pick from the dictators the slogan, "Women's place is in the home," and with a warm glow of sentimentality for the days of their grandmothers when women's work was never done and with no thought for the harm they are doing society heedlessly make sex the basis for an unjust discrimination. But our chief purpose here is to summarize what has been so excellently presented in the preceding portion of this svrn~osium. Dr. French has given us a . full-length photograph of what we are today, a photo-
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graph clear enough to serve as a magic mirror to show us something of the future. Professor Sherman has from the university professor's point of view descnied and analyzed the opportunities and training for women in the field of chemistry. Those of you who have had opportunity of working with Dr. Sherman know his keen insight and his amazing ability to illuminate a problem even beyond the horizon. This is not meant to be a testimonial meeting, but if it was, all here would testify that much of the progress that has been made in securing greater opportunities for women in chemistry is due to the wise guidance and untiring and unselfish efforts of Dr. Sherman. And, parenthetically, we would like to add that we rejoice with Dr. Sherman that he is a t last free to devote all his time and energy to his field of the chemistry of nutrition-a field in which his contributions have made him an international leader. Dr. Landis by his thoughtful and sympathetic consideration of the problems confronting women in chemical industry and by his heartening and courageous calling of a spade a spade has made a valuable contribution not only in showing what the problems are, but in offerine constructive suneestions for their solutions. The bright side of ~omen7'~laceinindustry is shown by Dr. Adams in his discussion of the work of a bibliographer. It is delightfully refreshing to find in industrial work a position of so much interest and importance for which women properly trained are not only well suited but better suited than men. Dr. Adam's enthusiasm will probably bring on a riot of applicants. The interesting and all too brief accounts of their work by Dr. Worner, Dr. Weirick, Dr. Hearsey, Dr. Snell, and Dr. Hunter show once more that the proof of the pudding is the eating thereof. The positions that these young women have attained in spite of whatever faults there may have been in their training and in spite of handicaps they may have met in prejudice and discrimination is a tribute to their superior intelligence and to their ability fo overcome difficulties. In our summary of these papers, we have grouped the findings under three heads: (1)'the kinds of positions more available to women chemists and in which success is more likely to be achieved; (2) some valid objections to women workers; (3) some general statements concerning the training together with snggestions which may make for more eEective and satisfying work. A number of leaders believe that the chemical profession is already oversold and that the need therefore is not for more chemists but for better ones. Dr. French has found in a report from ninety-seven colleges for the years 1934 through 1939 that 5.6 per cent. of the total number graduating are chemistry majors; and one-fifth of these or one per cent. of the total number are women chemistry majors, about 1500 in six years. The woman of exceptional training and ability can reach the top in any field she chooses. In this connection Dr. French's report on the faculty position of women in chemistry is enlightening and somewhat gratifying; the returns from one hundred eighty
colleges show that ten per cent. of the chemistry teaching staff are women. Almost seven (6.7) per cent. are women holding Ph.D. degrees, and eight per cent. are women of full professorial rank. Opportunities in chemistry often bear other than chemical titles. The present trends show that business economics favors services of a man for engineering or heavy chemical enterprises; but it is also sound business to favor women in the development of chemical services in the lit111 of consnmptior~esr~nomics. ;\nd it is in this field that tiomen will 1:nd leis dia.rimin:~tion and greater chance of success. For the young woman graduating from college with a major in chemistry there are a number of positions which offer useful opportunities. The survey shows that during the past six years the largest groups of these young women with the minimum training in cbemistty have found employment as science teachers in high schools (sixteen per cent.) and as medical technicians (14.6 per cent.); an equally large number have gone on with graduate study. The positions that seem to be most easily available to women with this minimum training are as follows. (1) Chemical secretary. For this position there must be a good record of major work in chemistry, ahility to read in French and German, good training in mathematics, typing, and shorthand, ahility to write concisely, accurately, and clearly; a pleasing manner in meeting people and in working with them. (2) Technical librarian. This position requires similar training and ability as that of a secretary except for the writing. In addition, there must be good training in library work. (3) Medical technologist. The clinical laboratory is a woman's field both from the standpoint of openings for trained women and special adaptability of women to c a r 7 out laboratory procedures. Very recently the Board of Directors of the American Chemical Society authorized the appointment of a committee to study and formulate proper qualifications for workers securing data of a chemical nature for the use of physicians in the diagnosis of disease. The salaries for these positions at present range from $1370 to $1583 a year. When the extent of training in chemistry and in certain other fields is increased to include from one to several years of graduate work, particularly in science, there are more advantageous openings for women. In the field of scientific journalism there are many opportunities if one is interested in writing and has the ability to do it well. Dr. Snell has demonstrated by her own extensive publications how wide the range of chemical subjects in journalism may be when one is adequately trained in science. And, as she has indicated, this combination can lead to editorial positions. The various laboratories of the Federal Government as well as industrial laboratories require the work of
many trained chemists. For women most of the openings are routine jobs or bench work. However, these frequently demand specialized training such as work in enzyme investigation, microscopy, microanalytical work, spectra-photometry, colorimetry, and the like. One excelling in a special field may open a research job for herself. In another direction in industrial work, chemistry combined with home economics leads to positions in consumer services; these may be in testing laboratories in foods or textiles, in merchandise control, in many phases of nutritional work, in statistical studies, or in research positions. The work of patent attorney is closely connected with industry, and it has been emphasized that for the women well trained in sciences, mathematics, mechanical drawing and with or without law there are, in an uncrowded field.. o~nortunitiesfor interestine and valuable work. And in another uncrowded fiild closely associated with chemical industry is the position of bibliographer, which involves the training and experience necessary to contribute ideas and information to active research projects, to develop new ideas for research, to assist the directors and patent attorneys by furnishing a critical coverage of the technical literature. There seems to be a growing demand for capable people with trainiug in both sciences and statistics. Positions in this field are principally in medical statistical studies and iu departments of public health. Women seem to he well adapted to this kind of work and are more welcome here than in many other fields. At present Johns Hopkins, Harvard, Columbia, and University of Minnesota are offering this specific type of training for public health work, and it is through these training schools that workers are placed. Some positions women have created for themselves out of their training and hobby. Miss Natalie Kalmus has been working in color problems in photography for twenty years, and her knowledge of chemistry and her interest in art and photography have l e i to her uuusual position of expert color chemist with Technicolor. Mrs. Martha Gillett is a roads expert. It has been her job to plan the intricate system of roads a t the New York World's Fair and not only to plan them but to determine the best type of paving. And it would seem that a woman with a thorough knowledge of soil and plant chemistry would find much pleasure and profit in horticultural pursuits. We do not need to repeat that there are objections to women holding certain positions. Instances are reported of women who do not like to work under other women; and men like i t even less. Some of the objections are valid and should be considered in all seriousness. Most of them are of a psychological aspect, rather than on the basis of training and ability. Experience has apparently shown that enough women have demonstrated a lack of fair play to handicap all women in positions where good teamwork is essential. A directive imagination is another important quality found missing in many women. A blunter way of say-
ing the same thing is that while women perform their immediate tasks with utmost precision and care, many remain in routine jobs because they do not keep their minds close enough to their work to see the larger aspects of it and its relation to other fields; therefore they make little contribution toward changes and improvements. As a result they manifest a lack of aggressiveness. And these two factors are certainly important in understanding why women frequently fail to meet the strong competition for the better positions in their field. The problem of training for a career in chemistry is threefold: first, there must be training adequate for a firmgrasp of the tools needed in a first position which a beginning chemist is apt to have; second, there must be a thorough and up-to-date training in chemical theory and supporting physics and mathematics to give foundation for work of more theoretical character and to enable the chemist to embrace his next higher opportunity; third, there must be broadening courses in other sciences to widen to the horizon, to develop resourcefulness, and to show scientific relationships; there must be stimulating up-to-date courses in social sciences to give breadth of view, an appreciation of economic relationships, and most important of all, to give an appreciation of human significance. There should be little differentiation in training of men and women. Those who expect to follow chemistry as a career must have professional training which will heighten the directive imagination; women must have more opportunity for developing mechanical ingenuity. In view of these needs i t is thought by some that all students with a professional interest in chemistry should receive their training where this prpfessional attitude can be developed &nd that co-educational schools are better for this purpose. The differentiation in training will come in the choice of broadening courses in other sciences. Men will more likely choose chemical engineering, and women may choose statistics, home economics, journalism, or public health work. Then there is that matter of personality again. When Roger Adams visited us in Dallas several years ago he said to a group of students that the most important item in their training was development of a good personality. Adequate training in chemistry was taken for granted, of course. But, he said, given one job and two applicants, one capable, one more capable, the deciding factor would be the personality. The experiment in self-development that is being tried a t Stephens College bids fair to be an important guidepost in our newer educational-planning. A buoyancy and winsomeness that come from physical and mental health, a poise and dignity that come with good grooming; initiative, assurance, and intelligent aggressiveness, and reliance on intellectual integrity together with a humility of spirit make a combination hard to achieve, but impossible to resist. There may be days ahead that are not so bright. But a backward glance over the years and the survey of the present give one a feeling of appreciation for those who
have achieved so well; their achievement gives encouragement for the future. We have said earlier that equal opportunity gives equal responsibility. Even though women do not always have equal opportunity with men, they have greater responsibility because greater excellence is expected of a woman holding a job than a man; she cannot affordmistakes; if she succeeds she must do a better job than the man. And this attitude she must accept, not as a handicap, but as a challenge. Any individual or group endeavoring to thwart the development of human personality is a detriment to himself and to society. In so far as such effort is successful so far is progress of all the people retarded.
Overcoming discrimination whether on the basis of race, sex, economic, or marital status is a slow process. Certainly it can be accomplished only through active cooperation of all individuals who believe in the value of human personality and who have the conviction that it is the right of every individual to develop the possibilities for good within him. The splendid achievement that women have made and are making in the field of chemistry has been possible because of the active support and sympathetic encouragement as well as the brilliant example of the men in the field. And it is only by men and women who see these problems in the same light working intelligently together that women's place can be established on a self-respecting basis.
LITERATURE CITED
(1) GARRISON, 0.V., The Nation, 145, 131 (July,1937). ( 2 ) PIERCE, A,, Journal of the American Association of University Women, 32, 72 (Jan.. 1939).
(3) ELLIOT. G. L., "Five vocational issues," The National Federationof Businessand Professional Women's Clubs, Inc.. p. 43. (4) WUNDERLICH, F.. "Deutchland iiber Alles." The American Scholar, 7, 94-105 (Winter, 1938).
