OPPORTUNITIES for WOMEN .

CHEMISTS in WASHINGTON' RUBY K. WORNER

National Bureau of Standards, Washington, D. C. C

W HEN this title was selected, I had it in mind'to assume the r8le of the inquiring reporter and to visit women a t work and also those who have

had experience in placing and observing women chem- ists in Washington. I happened to meet Mr. Boutell, who is in charge of our Information Section a t the National Bureau of Standards and who generally knows the answers, so I asked him what he thought of opportunities for women chemists in Washington. "Well," he smiled, "I have heard that the women so far outnumber the men here that they don't have many opportunities."

However, an examination of the situation indicates that this bit of logic may not be applicable to women chemists.

' Contribution to the Symposium on Training and Opportuni- ties 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.

Let us consider first the various positions in Washing- ton that require chemical training. The different Government agencies employ the largest number, and these will be discussed more particularly. Since Washington has certain unique advantages, there is considerable variety in the other agencies that employ chemists. The Geophysical Laboratory of the Car- negie Institution of Washington is here. A number of trade associations have offices and some laboratories, for example, the Institute of Paint and Varnish Manufac- turers and the National Association Institute of Dyeing and Cleaning. Editorial offices of some of the scien- tific journals, such as Industrial and Enginemug Chem- istry, Journal of the American Pharmaceutical Asso- ciation, and Science Service are located here. Some business concerns and patent lawyers station chemists here to do library research. There is more than the usual number of opportunities for teaching in colleges as well as in secondary schools, for in and near Washington

are American University, Catholic University, George Washington University, Georgetown University, the University of Maryland, and others. Coijperative researches with industry are invited by some of the Government departments; for example, a t the Na- tional Bureau of Standards there is a research associate plan which operates somewhat similar to that a t the Mellon Institute of Industrial Research. A large num- ber of organizations have taken advantage of this plan, including the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists, the American Petroleum Institute, and more recently, the Textile Foundation.

In the Federal service, practically every type of chemistry is utilized. According to the latest classi- fied list of members of the Chemical Society of Wash- ington, the majority of chemists in the classified service are employed in six of the major departments of which Agriculture and Commerce lead in numbers. It would only be confusing to name the twenty-seven or more bureaus represented, but you will be interested in know- ing that women chemists are working in the Bureaus of Animal Industry, Chemistry and Soils, Dairy Industry, Home Economics, and Food and Drug Administration in the Department of Agriculture; in the National Bureau of Standards, the Geological Survey, the Na- tional Institute of Health, and the United States Na- tional Museum. There are probably others, but it is difficult to obtain complete figures.

In all the Bureaus mentioned, the men far out- number the women, with the exception of the Bureau of Home Economics. The Chief of this Bureau is Dr. Louise Stanley, who is a chemist, as are also the heads of the nutrition and textile divisions. In the Bureau of Home Economics, women are definitely given a break, for the Bureau is practically "manned" throughout by women. Moreover, the history of this Bureau shows the ability of women to work together, which is con- trary to Dr. Landis' contention.

Some of you are probably wondering how one gets a position in the Government. with the exception of establishments outside the competiti* classified serv- ice, all positions in the Federal Government are ob- tained through Civil Service examinations. Tech- nically speaking, there are no provisions discriminating against women in the laws and rnles governing the Federal Service. Moreover, the regulations of the Commission provide for "equal compensation irrespec- tive of sex." Examinations for positions paying an annual salary of $2600 or less are designated "as- sembled" and require the applicant to take a written examination on subject matter appropriate for the posi- tion to be filled. Although similar examinations may be held for positions paying higher salaries, these ex- aminations are usually "unassembled" and require the applicant to furnish information on his training and experience and to submit lists of publications. The rating of the applicants by the Commission is based on the grade received in the examination, although credit is also given for military preference. When an opening

the appropriate register are certified to the agency which is then free to choose among them. In asking for certifications, the agency may specify if men or women are preferred.

Advance notices of these examinations are posted in first and second class post offices and are published in appropriate journals. Any person interested in a particular examination may file a card with the Com- mission and then receive direct notification when the examination is given.

And now, a little about the training required for Government service. As stated above, practically every type of chemistry is required in some part of the service, so the best training will depend upon the par- ticular job to he filled. In general, however, it may be stated that for the sub-professional grades which pay salaries from $1020 to $2000, a college degree is not required, whereas one is necessary for the professional grades which pay $2000 and up. However, large numbers apply for these examinations: for example, 4495 applied for the last Junior Chemist's examination; 1945 the Assistant Chemist's; and 1246 the Associate Chemist's examinations. Thus, competition is keen, so usually it is the person with a college degree who gets the job in the sub-professional class, whereas a Ph.D. is a definite asset in even the lower professional grades. In addition to sound chemical training, a knowledge of physics, mathematics, statistics, English, and foreign languages may come in handy. Other branches of science, art, and literature may also he helpful. In addition, the personality and appearance of the applicant, which cannot always be evaluated, are important, particularly in rcgard to advancement.

Assuming a yoman obtains a position in the Govern- ment, what are her chances for advancement? From personal observations and discussion with others, i t appears that women are rather less likely to advance in the senice than are men, assuming equal ability and application. There seem to be a number of reasons for this. There is always the economic reason, that man is the head of the household and, therefore, the support of a family. But it is not generally recog- nized that women often have similar responsibilities and that not all men are supporting families. Women are more readily accepted in positions of a routine or assistant nature and may not have an opportunity to develop or exhibit their executive abilities. There is also the difficulty of reallocating positions to higher grades after they are once fixed. There are still men who object to working on an equal basis or under women. It is possible that some of these men could have their minds changed by appropriate circumstances. In general, it is true that women are not as adept a t creating and repairing equipment as men, largely be- cause they have not been trained in that direction. Most of them were playing with dolls and toy baking sets, while their brothers hammered and sawed, or took the family "Lizzie" apart. But this creative ability can be developed or compensated for in other qualifica-

in any agency occursi <he three highest applicants on tions.

One gentleman who is in an excellent position to ob- serve women in the Federal service said that he felt the greatest need among the women was organization; that, a t present, they do not properly appreciate or evaluate their capabilities.and consequently do not re- ceive the recognition they deserve.

In this connection, you will be interested in Miss Ruth O'Brien's opinion expressed last spring before the Institute of Women's Professional Relations. As yon probably all know, Miss O'Brien is in charge of the Division of Textiles and Clothing in the Bureau of Home Economics.

"The general feeling seems to prevail that women scientists have little chance of appointment in the Government service. True, the older bureaus have apparently not looked with favor upon the ladies as desirable workers in other than stenographic and cleri- cal positions. However, as a representative of one of the newer bureaus and one which follows the general policy of employing women where qualified ones are available, I am more impressed by the indifference of women scientists to the Civil Service announcements than by the indifference of appointing officers to women's professional qualifications. Time and time again we call for certification of eligible women for positions and either receive the reply that none are on the present rolls, or the names certified are women who have rated so low that they are obviously undesirable. Granted that the number of openings is not over- whelmingly large, there are positions available for women who have the energy to watch for the annonnce- ments and take the examination."

In general, i t appears to be much easier for women to enter the service in a higher classification than to ad- vance from a lower grade to a higher one.

As regards the relative number of women chemists in Washington, i t is difficult to give exact figures without making an exhaustive survey and study of individual cases. Some positions in applied chemistry might he overlooked for they use other titles than "chemist." So far as I know, unless it has been done gy the Insti-

tute of Women's Professional Relations, complete data have not been compiled. Among the avail- able data, i t is interesting to note that according to the records of the Secretary of the Chemical Society of Washington, the total membership of six hundred eighty includes forty-five women. At the National Bureau of Standards, there are seven women chemists and one hundred twenty-three men. Data obtained last spring by Miss O'Brien showed thirty women chemists among two hundred sixty-five professional women in the De- partment of Agriculture. Undoubtedly some of the rest of the two hundred sixty-five might have been in- cluded from the standpoint of "applied chemistry." In the Bureau of Home Economics, there were six- teen chemists, all women; in the Bureau of Chemistry and Soils, five of the one hundred fifty chemists were women; in the National Institute of Health, there were five women chemists, but there were also twenty-five other women scientists, most of whom probably use some chemistry in their work.

It is evident, then, that with the exception of theBu- reau of Home Economics, there are relatively few women chemists in the Federal service. One might conclude from this that the opportunities for women are also few, or a t least very limited. However, the scattering of women in the various agencies might lead to the more optimistic view that women are just beginning to show their abilities and to be accepted in this field; hence the future potential opportunities are limitless. For the present, unless there is some very real change, I should not like to encourage anyone entering this field if she expects rapid advancement in i t ; but the experience to be gained in Federal service may make her more valuable elsewhere. I t is not easy to get in; but, once in, Washington offers unusn- ally fine opportunity for study and development, for recreation, for general culture, and for seeing first-hand some of those who are making history. The Govern- ment makes generous provision for annual leave, sick- ness, and retirement; and there may'be more security in a Government position than in industry. For many, these other opportunities are ample compensation.