§ 31. Mr. WHITEHOUSEasked the President of the Board of Trade if he will state the chief trades and occupations in which women have taken the place of men during the War; and if he has formed any estimate of the number of women so employed?
Mr. RUNCIMANIt is estimated, from information obtained by the Board of Trade, that there has been an increase since the War in the number of women employed in industrial occupations of about 6 per cent., or nearly 150,000. This figure does not include clerical and commercial occupations, in which the substitution of women for men is known to be considerable. It is not possible to say to what extent the increase in the number employed has been due to women taking the place of men, as there has been at the same time an expansion in the numbers employed in certain women's occupations. It is known, however, that women have been substituted for men in certain branches of engineering and other metal trades, tailoring, boot-making, tramway service, certain branches of the railway service, and, to a certain limited extent, in agriculture. During the last twelve months the Labour Exchanges have placed over 300,000 women in employment, and I am sending my hon. Friend a classified list showing the occupations in which these women have been placed.