Industrial Employment (1914-1919) Mobilization for the war meant that men were drafted into military service and women stepped onto the factory floor. These figures on industrial employment during the war show that female workers increasingly outnumbered their male counterparts in rates of employment. Please click on print version (below) for a larger, more legible version.
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page 1 of 1 Evolution of the Employment of Adult Workers, 1914-1919 a) Overview   In the first two weeks of the months of: Branch of Trade and Industry March 1914 Sept. 1914 March 1915 Sept. 1915 March 1916 Sept. 1916 March 1917 Sept. 1917 March 1918 Sept. 1918 March 1919 a) Totals from all firms of all the branches of trade and industry (number of workers times the number of shifts worked) Total number of days worked by adult workers altogether  2,228,143 1,634,715 1,912,720 1,945,957 2,043,859 2,153,894 2,475,726 2,627,660 2,681,238 2,721,770 1,979,485 of these: a) male 1,915,138  1,386,400  1,604,763  1,571,000 1,582,948  1,612,061  1,798,057 1,916,770 1,949,042  2,006,300  1,670,657 b) female 313,005 248,315 307,957 374,957 460,911 541,833 677,669 710,890 732,196 715,470 308,828 Index Number (March 1914 = 100) adult workers 100 73.4 85.8 87.3 91.7 96.7 111.1 117.9 120.8 122.2 88.8 of these: a) male 100 72.4 83.8 82.0 82.7 84.2 93.9 100.1 101.8 104.8 87.2 b) female 100 79.3 98.4 119.8 147.3 173.1 216.5 227.1 233.9 228.6 98.7 For every 100 days of work, the following number of days were worked by female workers:   14.0 15.2 16.1 19.3 22.6 25.2 27.4 27.1 27.3 26.3 15.6 b) Evolution of the Employment of Adult Workers in Individual Branches of Trade and Industry [If one sets a standard of March 1914 = 100 (on the basis of the number of days worked), then the following proportional numbers result:]   In the last two full weeks of the month   March 1914 Sept. 1914 March 1915 Sept. 1915 March 1916 Sept. 1916 March 1917 Sept. 1917 March 1918 Sept. 1918 March 1919   a) for male workers Group 4. Natural Stone, Gravel, Sand and Concrete Industry   100   57.2   51.0   40.8   39.8   40.2   34.1   31.9   33.8   33.7   59.6 „ 5. Metal Industry 100 88.3 112.4 117.6 121.6 122.4 136.2 143.3 145.7 145.4 87.7 „ 6. Machine Industry 100 67.1 85.3 83.3 85.6 91.7 110.4 114.2 118.2 127.0 115.0 „ 6.E. Electrical Industry 100 60.7 58.4 53.0 47.5 69.4 72.5 75.6 71.3 69.2 81.9 „ 8. Chemicals 100 61.4 62.8 63.9 64.2 66.4 77.0 95.5 96.1 102.8 94.6 „ 9. Woven Materials 100 75.4 84.1 51.9 39.9 32.0 31.8 32.6 30.5 27.5 43.1 „ 10. Paper 100 53.8 51.6 46.1 47.1 44.5 46.6 46.2 47.2 50.2 62.1 „ 11. Leather and Rubber 100 59.6 42.5 36.2 29.6 25.3 25.8 25.2 24.9 25.6 54.1 „ 12. Wood and Woodcarving 100 74.9 69.8 60.6 54.9 50.6 48.3 48.6 50.5 50.7 74.4 „ 13. Gastronomy/Groceries 100 79.0 82.7 76.8 72.1 68.4 58.8 57.1 56.8 59.8 81.7 „ 14. Textiles 100 61.8 63.6 53.8 56.7 47.8 31.8 28.6 31.8 31.9 50.6 „ 17. Printing 100 66.0 71.8 63.4 61.2 65.3 57.9 56.5 50.7 52.5 78.7   b) for female workers Group 4. Natural Stone, Gravel, Sand and Concrete Industry   100   67.2   67.4   67.0   74.6   83.6   82.8   89.7   87.0   77.3   68.2 „ 5. Metal Industry 100 58.3 117.4 289.5 492.4 596.7 745.5 783.5 846.7 777.0 168.3 „ 6. Machine Industry 100 83.2 309,8 572.7 1414.8 2316.8 3381.7 3308.7 3520.4 3637.9 916.3 „ 6.E. Electrical Industry 100 57.1 102.3 245.4 299.7 665.5 856.4 972.2 813.8 691.4 326.6 „ 8. Chemicals 100 84.9 92.7 112.3 171.8 209.6 314.0 392.2 436.2 467.7 158.5 „ 9. Woven Materials 100 89.0 108.1 85.1 66.9 55.8 66.9 68.5 62.6 59.9 63.3 „ 10. Paper 100 53.8 78.9 90.6 101.3 132.5 136.7 131.1 149.8 159.4 120.1 „ 11. Leather and Rubber 100 67.7 57.3 61.8 57.8 55.8 89.1 112.3 96.8 96.6 60.1 „ 12. Wood and Woodcarving 100 24.6 89.9 110.8 148.5 123.9 109.5 112.2 115.7 124.9 96.3 „ 13. Gastronomy/Groceries 100 139.7 133.2 166.9 155.7 162.5 159.0 153.5 146.5 161.0 104.7 „ 14. Textiles 100 66.3 74.7 95.2 83.4 72.5 58.1 51.6 55.5 54.3 53.8 „ 17. Printing 100 62.7 82.5 83.2 84.9 86.1 82.1 87.1 90.1 96.5 85.4 Source: Reichsarbeitsblatt 18 (1920), p. 62ff. Reprinted in Ute Daniel, Arbeiterfrauen in der Kriegsgesellschaft: Beruf, Familie und Politik im Ersten Weltkrieg [Women Workers in the War Society: Employment, Family, and Politics in the First World War]. Göttingen, 1989, pp. 46-47. Translation: Jeffrey Verhey
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