The Pittsburgh Press (February 11, 1944)
Ferguson: Women and home
By Mrs. Walter Ferguson
Observers report that feminine workers in England will never go back to the old-fashioned idea that “woman’s place is in the home.”
It would not sound so severe and would be nearer truth to say “home is woman’s destiny; she cannot escape it.”
It is unlikely that the majority of women will remain in industry after the war. Economic conditions will not permit it, unless the millennium is just around the corner, which I doubt. Millions of soldiers will be back demanding their old jobs; women will be asked to retire to the “sanctity of the kitchen,” and whether they like it or not they’ll be compelled to do so.
I dare say our standards of service will also rise. Because of manpower shortages, many inefficient and lazy people are now overpaid. That will pass. In the post-war world many women will find it difficult to keep pace with men, and by the same token many men will find that they are not as good at the job as some women. It should be the quality of the work that determines its awards, and on that ground, women can demand fair treatment.
The equal rights movement is sure to spread. There are no longer any reasonable arguments against it, now that women have proved their equality, ingenuity and efficiency during the war effort.
But as for saying that most of them will refuse to go home – that, too, is nonsense. We aren’t quite so dumb. We know that if all women hate the restriction of home and let their children be cared for by the community, the Americanism for which we are fighting will be dead.