National Archives documents show public service battle against women in the workplace

[lurker172602]

Australian Public Service bosses realised 95 years ago that equal rights for women in the workplace could transform the bureaucracy.

They then vowed to stop it happening.

The Royal Commission into Public Service Administration in 1920 found women were "physiologically" inferior to men in the workplace and "usually" had nervous breakdowns if given positions of responsibility.

Where similar duties are performed by men and women ... the experience throughout the world has been that equal services are not rendered owing to the fact that constitutionally women are unable to give such continuous effort as men and are absent from duty for health reasons to a far greater extent."

more here

I'm pretty sure I read echoes of the same thinking on here just this morning.

[vicr3000]

We were talking about two different posts. No worries.

Agree re that was a crazy comment.

"These are the same people that thought Australia was white"

I think you mean "should stay white" ?

[vicr3000]

I think you mean "should stay white" ?

[lurker172602]

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@vicr3000 wrote:

The fact is, some or the majority of women are "physiologically" inferior to men in SOME workplaces.

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Indeed, and some people thought the same way in the 1920s about clerical work.  

I'm not in any way comparing combat with paperwork, I just found it ironic that immediately after reading a discussion between two men about what women can and cannot do, I read this amusing article. I think it's funny.

[vicr3000]

Attitudes change.

Up until WWII (at leats in the UK), men work in the factories and fields.

That was until they needed the women to work the factories and till the fields.

And they built the aircraft, tanks and everything else just fine.

That was the start of the major change in attitudes IMHO.

[myoclon1cjerk]

They're not as good at weightlifting and thank god for that.There's nothing more entertaining than watching big,stupid blokes lifting heavy things.

[vicr3000]

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@myoclon1cjerk wrote:
They're not as good at weightlifting and thank god for that.There's nothing more entertaining than watching big,stupid blokes lifting heavy things.

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I agree 

[bluecat*dancing]

Women used to have to resign from the public service as soon as they married. I think that ended in the 1960s.

[bluecat*dancing]

I checked and the Public Service Act was amended in November, 1966.

[imastawka]

I worked for the (Federal) Public Service in the 60's and 70's.

In 1968 I started a petition for women to wear pants (trousers) to work

I forget now, how many signatures I got.   But the decider was, they saw

that women were being allowed to wear pants to Government House

functions.   So,  yay,  all the women turned up in pants every day. 

[gleee58]

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@lurker172602 wrote:

Australian Public Service bosses realised 95 years ago that equal rights for women in the workplace could transform the bureaucracy.

They then vowed to stop it happening.

The Royal Commission into Public Service Administration in 1920 found women were "physiologically" inferior to men in the workplace and "usually" had nervous breakdowns if given positions of responsibility.

Where similar duties are performed by men and women ... the experience throughout the world has been that equal services are not rendered owing to the fact that constitutionally women are unable to give such continuous effort as men and are absent from duty for health reasons to a far greater extent."

more here

I'm pretty sure I read echoes of the same thinking on here just this morning.

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OMG! Abbott has found their long lost rule book. 

Perhaps someone could inform him that there is a more up to date version.

[wilk1149]

He would have ti be dragged out of 1860's thinking first