The Canadian Girl at Work: A Book of Vocational GuidanceWillison, Marjory MacMurchy, Lady
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The Canadian Girl at Work: A Book of Vocational Guidance
Willison, Marjory MacMurchy, Lady
Women -- Employment -- Canada; Women -- Vocational guidance -- Canada
"No work will have as much happiness as it ought to have, or will be as
well done as it should be, until fellow-workers exchange experiences and
advice with one another."
Every girl can learn something about her work from others in the same
occupation. To learn from a friendly fellow-worker is pleasant and easy
compared with the difficulty that we find in learning from people who are
not specially interested in showing us how to work. Some of the happiest
groups of workers are those who have organized to promote friendship and
good feeling amongst girls and women who are in the same occupation.
This is what the girls of one such group say of the benefit of belonging
to a friendly social organization of which the members are fellow-workers:
"It improves our work, because we know how the others do theirs and we
want to do as well as they do. We talk over problems in our work, and
hearing the various ideas and solutions that others have thought out helps
us in solving our problems. We do not meet to discuss our work primarily;
as a rule our gatherings are for enjoyment and recreation. But work every
now and then comes into general conversation and in this way we learn.
It is a help to have for a friend one of the best workers in your
occupation. You try your best to keep up with her. If any of the girls
needs a new position, or is in difficulty about her work, she may talk it
over with one of the older workers. In the same way we advise one another
about wages. We can find out what is the average wage and the best wage
paid in the occupation and what are the average hours of employment.
Many girls in the club have found new positions and have been able to ask
for and get higher wages through the advice and help of other club members."
Every girl knows what a help it is to work with others when sewing,
mending, dressmaking and trimming hats. The girl in paid employment finds
this work more trying than the girl who remains at home, because the girl
at home generally has spare hours during the day when she may do work of
this character. A mending circle meeting once a week could plan some
entertainment to accompany work. One of the circle might read aloud, or
all the members might take turns in telling a story and adding in some
way to the evening's entertainment. Girls in such a circle could all help
in blouse making or in millinery. One or more of the members might have
a special gift in cutting and fitting. Others might be more skilful in
sewing. One or more of the girls might have a special gift in buying.
The possibilities of co-operative work of this kind for girls in the
twentieth century are very great indeed.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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