Workers ^rairinsS On
Household Project
"What interests me most are the
people carrying on these Women's Pro¬
jects. I had the opportunity to meet
them clear across the continent and
their enthusiasm and belief in their
work is really fine to see. It is not
the kind of spirit you see in people
who are working because they received
a certain amount of money at the end
of each week, There is a fire in them.
I think, through the feeling that they
are really working to better conditions
for their fellow beings."
—Eleanor Roosevelt
I
I * '
Womerv s
Prog ram
n
condensation cf a report of
progress on the Women's Projects of the
WORKS PROGRESS ADMINISTRATION IN OHIO
— Carl Watson, Administrator ~~ -
Prepared by the Writers' Project, and
reproduced for the information of Ohio
citizens who have indicated interest
in activities of the Women's Program.
"Extremely gratifying are the splendid
community services performed by 585,000
men and women on Women's and Professional
Projects. ■. . Research workers, professional
artists, writers, actors and musiciani
preserve valuable historical material,
conduct important surveys and make new
contributions to American culture. Women
workers fashion warm clothing, extend
library facilities and guard the public
health...Providing employment for 400,000
women necessitatedprojects covering more
than 250 work classifications and train¬
ing for unskilled housewives. Thousands
have found private employment and the
long-sought principle of equal-pay-for-
equal-work has been established. "
—Ellen S. Woodward
Assistant Administrator, W.P.A,
School Lunches: An Importan
Phase of the Nutrition Progra;
|Hundreds of women Are Employed
In Clerical Work
•' •• sV J „
■
women arwork —o— w.pa. in ohio
More than 20,000 women are now em¬
ployed by the Works Progress Adminis¬
tration in Ohio on a wide v?rirty o'
*orks programs operating under the five
departments of the Division of Women'®
and Professional Projects: Women's,
Professional and Service, Research and
Statistical, Education and Recreation.
Of these, 15,838 are employed on
specifically Women's Projects, doing
valuable work in several fields: sew¬
ing, nutrition, book-binding, building
renovation, and housekeeping aid.
The 14,342 women employed on Sew¬
ing Projects have produced approximate¬
ly 3,000,000 garments and 2,000,000
other articles, including toys, rugs,
and bedding — using 6,050,000 yards
of Federal Cotton Textiles. In dis¬
tributing clothing to needy families,
the WPA Sewing Centers have done much
to remedy the many problems which arose
through alack of adequate clothing for
school children. With the expiration
of a law empowering school boards to
provide clothing from county funds,
needy children have had to turn to local
welfare agencies. The clothing turned
out by WPA Sewing Centers has thus les¬
sened the demand on local agencies and
permitted them to spend more money on
other types of relief.
Steady work, steady pay and the
association of other women — these
factors have done a great deal toward
the rehabilitation of women who came
to the Sewing Centers bewildered and
beaten by the many hardships of the de¬
pression and the worry of trying to
feed hungry mouths.
%
w
WPA Nytrse - One of the 80 Women
Employed on Nutrition Projects
As a part of the program of nu¬
trition Projects, a health camp was
conducted during the summer for under¬
weight . children, many of them former
patients at a tuberculosis sanatorium.
After the camp period had ended, the
children returned to their parents
sun-tanned, healthy, and bright-eyed, all
of them having gained an average of five
pounds — living evidence of what regular
habits and correct diet will do to build
health. Another important phase of this
program is the serving of school lunches
to undernourished children. In one city
alone, 150,000 lunches were provided for
2,200 children during a period of six
months.
Book repairing provides jobs for
540 women on 41 projects throughout the
state. More than half a million damaged
books have been restored to useable con¬
dition; 50,000 sheets of music have been
repaired; and 100, 000 new books purchased
by School Boards have been labeled,
unpcd, and provided with pockets. The
peration of these projects has made re-
labilitated text-books available to
hundreds of school children who could not
afford new books.
Another important phase of Women's
Projects is the housekeeping aid program,
which is conducted in close cooperation
with local social agencies. On these
projects, workers are trained in house¬
keeping and are subsequently placed in
relief homes where help and management
Is needed. Motherless children and
elderly people are cared for in a kind,
efficient manner by a staff of workers
thoroughly schooled in cooking, sewing,
child-care and home management. At the
present time, 309 women are employed as
housekeeping aids on 19 projects.
Eighteen projects for the renova¬
tion of public buildings, employing 453
women, are being carried on in several
Ohio cities and form an excellent type
of program for the employment of un¬
skilled women workers.
In addition to those employed on
Women's Projects, 5,600 women are work¬
ing on other types of projects. Almost
3,000 are employed in Professional and
Service work, which includes Library
Projects, and the WPA cultural program
of Art, Music, Theater and Writers' Pro¬
jects. Twelve hundred women form part
of the teaching staff of the Education
Program. Research and Statistical Pro¬
jects employ 583 women in clerical posi¬
tions, while 942 work on Recreation Pro¬
jects.