As noted previously, the US War Department was responsible for wartime industrial mobilization and gave the Army Service Forces (ASF) responsibility for supervising and coordinating the placement of civilian workers throughout the nation.  ASF commander Lieutenant General Brehon Somervell issued this guide on November 10, 1943, to establish authoritative guidance on female civilian employment during the war. The guide demonstrates that the Army’s bias against women as substitute workers within war plants and other industrial facilities, while tolerated as a necessary emergency measure to alleviate the manpower shortage, was both detrimental and prejudicial in nature.

The conventional guidance delivered within these pages repeat customary societal assumptions toward females, as well as the traditional anti-feminine viewpoints prevailing in the male-dominated Army hierarchy.  According to the guide, the recruitment and training of women for industrial production was problematic compared to men (see Jul II, Aug I and Aug II columns).  The retention of female workers was considered equally difficult, as explained commencing with this section.  Supervision of women is described on Page 12 and Hours and Wages are covered on Page 13. 

Arbitrary stereotyping of females on the basis of their gender is specified by the leading statement under Supervision, “Supervisors should take into consideration some important differences between men and women” followed by the admonishments, “women resent any evidence or appearance of favoritism” (in contrast to men) and “women require closer supervision when assigned to tasks involving unfamiliar mechanical equipment” (in contrast to men).  Just as importantly, the Army advised, “Special promptness in dealing with women's grievances is essential” (unlike men).

The Army graciously noted that, “Good practices in the supervision of men employees can be used with equal success in supervising women” but added a vital qualifier immediately thereafter, “There are, however, some situations to which men and women react differently. Favoritism has no place in any department but when it is shown by preference for one woman over others, strong and immediate resistance on the part of the other women workers is set up. Special efforts must be made to be extremely fair in assignment of jobs to be performed.  It becomes important to explain to employees why certain actions are taken when there appears to be favoritism. .An employee will react favorably to an explanation if the facts support the action taken. The supervisor must anticipate situations which would cause resentment and explain his plans to employees before putting them into effect.”

The consequence of this Army-endorsed prejudice about elevated female hostility to favoritism is clear: industry supervisors are placed under additional strain to anticipate the fancies of womenfolk on the job, and women collectively (even more dangerous as a group because “strong and immediate resistance on the part of the other women workers” results) might put their vanities regarding perceived favoritism above any wartime urgency of job productivity.  The implicit message was that men required few special explanations or considerations of fairness due to perceived superior male adaptability to a working environment, but women were a comparative nuisance in this regard.

The Army’s blatant sexist policy is further underscored by inserting the prejudicial concept of a natural feminine disinclination toward mechanical devices that could, by extension (as specifically stated) lead to shop floors full of scared, confused and self-doubting workers because they were female personalities. Thus the statement, “As mentioned earlier in the Guide, women usually are less familiar with shop conditions and mechanical equipment than are men. Fear, lack of confidence, and confusion may disturb them if they, are not properly introduced to their new work.”

Again, the solution was for the supervisors (again, presumably mostly male) to patiently explain things to women, “The supervisor should take time to explain the purpose of the job, the safeguards taken to protect the workers, and any other factors which will assist the woman worker to adjust to her new environment.”  Note the emphasis on safety, since safety consciousness was considered a feminine weakness throughout the guide.

The need to treat women delicately and sympathetically because of their alleged sensitivity (in contrast to males) is emphasized, “Women generally are more sensitive to arbitrary orders as to what to do, and to reprimands that are not cushioned with a sense of sympathetic interest.”  At least both sexes are viewed as respondent to fairness, “Women do not expect to be pampered but, like men, they respond to fair treatment.” Nevertheless, female complaints seemingly required special treatment (compared to male expectations of promptitude and importance), “When grievances are presented by women employees, prompt action should be taken. Whether or not the grievance seems important to the supervisor, it is often very important to the employee and it is on this basis that the supervisor should deal with it.”

The hours and wages for women (Page 13) involve numerous considerations about programming women into the workplace according to their domestic and shopping needs, including the introduction of the "modern" concept of very flexible working
times; suitability for night shifts and other special measures immaterial to male employment assignments. The sum effect of rearranging times and workloads according to female peculiarities introduces another bias against their employment. These government perceptions of women viewed them as a secondary, inferior and emergency-only source of labor, compared to the purportedly higher efficiency and less troublesome capacity of men to fill industrial jobs.  Nevertheless, in spite of official adversity, female workers disproved such myths and were instrumental in powering American industry to Victory in World War II.
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Page 12: Supervision click to enlarge

Page 13: Hours and Wages click to enlarge