How to Handle Women in Business
Tucson Dating & Marriage Advice Circa 1950

IS A WOMAN'S PLACE IN THE HOME?

Is it true, as so many say, that woman's place is in the home? The answer is a clear "No!" A woman's place is in her place, and this is true both at home (as we have seen) and in the office. Friction has been caused recently only because women in business have on occasion stepped out of their places. This has caused untold confusion and mental anguish.

WORK TOGETHER!

Modern American business is anchored firmly to this prin­ciple: it is the man who does the thinking and the woman who does the work. Indeed, from the very day this principle was discov­ered, from the day man learned that all the heavy work in a business office could be performed by women at a fraction of the cost, American business zoomed upward. Men, with their hands idle, were free to perform their true function, that of planning and making decisions.

From that time onward, the sky has been the limit. The world has marveled to see this man-woman team, striding ahead together, raising American business to unheard of peaks.

WHAT DO WE HAVE TO FEAR?

Why is it then that men in business are troubled, worried, beset by ulcers and countless psychosomatic ills? Because, basically, women began to think. Once this happened, the whole tenor of American busi­ness changed, and the firm foundation on which it was built began to totter. The woman executive had arrived. It is with her that the male in business must learn to cope—or perish.

HOW TO DEAL WITH WOMEN EXECUTIVES

A woman executive is any woman who can wear her hat in the office. She need no longer work with her hands— and no one needs to be told how dangerous a woman is when her hands are not occupied. She gives orders and competes with men on their own ground. In some cases she even gives orders to men, something that has to be experienced to be appreciated.

It is your duty while in the office to make life as pleas­ant and as harmonious as possible for the office force, which is to say the bare-headed or non-executive women. However, when it comes to the woman executive, your mission is just as clear. The woman executive must not be allowed to spring up—and, once having sprung up must be suppressed as quickly as possible.

There are two main types of woman executive, each demanding separate treatment, (1) the siren, and (2) the battle axe.

The Siren

The siren-executive is a woman who combines a cer­tain superficial cleverness with calculated sex. She is not to be confused with the simple, or bareheaded siren, who may be just as appealing, but who uses her appeal in a wholesome way, which is to say only for its own sake. The siren-executive, or potential siren-executive uses sex the way you would use a meeting or a memo, purely for self-advancement. The really unscrupulous woman can, in fact, do things with sex that you could never do with the very best memo. The shrewd girl chooses her victims expertly and can often rise rapidly in an organization.

The counter-siren is the best defense against her. Find a food, simple or bareheaded siren and install her close to the office of the siren-executive's intended victim. This is known as fighting fire with fire. It is good to have a girl of your own handy for such purposes.
"Say, J.B., while Miss La Tour is out of the office for a day or two, you can have my secretary"
"Well, ah, Strong—"
"She's the reddish-haired girl in the sweater.'
{Be quick to establish identity.)
"Oh, that one. Well, I do need some help, Strong—"
"Don't say I told you, J.B., but she's been admiring you for months."
If your girl is handy to throw into the breach, you can deal with emergencies quickly. Between emergencies it will be up to you to keep her occupied and amused.

The Battle Ax

This ruthless and power-hungry type depends not upon charm or appeal but upon feline scheming. It will some­times be said of her that "she thinks like a man." This will not be the case. No one but a man thinks like a man. The battle-ax is not only dangerous. She can, if given the power to hire and fire, change the entire complexion of an office group. Suspicious of sex, she may bring in a different type of woman—and not the kind you would select yourself! Before you know it, the office may become a drab and unfriendly place, one where you will find no solace and little comfort.

Once again you must fight fire with fire, but remem­ber that her fire is of a different type.
"Oh, Miss Axel, I understand I don't need to bother you with the legal reports any more."
"Bother me, Mr. Strong? Why, I've been handling them for years!"
(Be sure you choose a sphere of influence that she has been trying to absorb for most of her business life.)
"Oh, then it isn't true! Thought I heard little Miss Breasted speaking to Mr. Biggley about that. Could have been mistaken."
(Ms Axel will deal swiftly with little Miss Breasted. However, if you have selected a protégée of top man­agement, one of the two may have to leave, and it may not be Miss Breasted.)

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