Monday, March 17, 2008

1943 Guide to Hiring Women

Has anyone ever heard of this? I know others have written about it.

A faculty person just gave me a copy. It contains such golden gems as:

- 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.

- Retain a physician to give each woman you hire a special examination - one covering female conditions. This step not only protects the property against the possibility of lawsuit, but reveals whether the employee-to-be has any female weaknesses which would make her mentally or physically unfit for the job.

- Give every girl an adequate number of rest periods during the day. 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.

There is more... oh so much more. From Savvy&Sage, September/October 2007

But my question is: Why did my male colleague give this to me? Very odd.

If you have any ideas on whether this was an action of pure misogynism or someone trying to share a giggle, please let me know.

In the meantime, I need to go tidy my hair.

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