20 votes

Hold the line - The short history of women switchboard operators

Posted by Rocket_Man
Tags: women, automation, technology, phones, work, careers, jobs, switchboard operators, 20th century, author.akanksha singh, source.jstor
https://daily.jstor.org/hold-the-line/

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Title
Hold the Line - JSTOR Daily
Authors
S. N. Johnson-Roehr
Published
Jul 3 2023
Word count
872 words

3 comments

  1. [3]
    Rocket_Man
    Link
    I wanted to share this because it's informative, but also because these women's jobs were made obsolete through automation. A topic on a lot of peoples minds recently. The article doesn't discuss...

    I wanted to share this because it's informative, but also because these women's jobs were made obsolete through automation. A topic on a lot of peoples minds recently. The article doesn't discuss how these women adapted afterward. But does discuss how the job transferred from boys to women to black women to computers.

    Which reminds me of the automation in fast food to an extent. The more a task is automated or simplified the less skill it's considered to take. So people are paid less and the job is given to 'low-skill' workers. Which might be something to think about if you want to be a 'prompt engineer'.

    3 votes
    1. [2]
      scojjac
      Link Parent
      That’s an interesting comparison. The Wikipedia article for switchboard operators says this about an operator job in the 1920s: Operators today still exist but are far less common. They’re...

      That’s an interesting comparison. The Wikipedia article for switchboard operators says this about an operator job in the 1920s:

      The role demanded quick decision-making, meticulous attention to detail, a very good memory for names, and the ability to handle criticism. Switchboard technology was a physically demanding task, involving numerous plugs, keys, lights, connecting cords, and complicated protocols for establishing connections. The full-time operators were on duty 56 hours per week, and while they often grumbled about being overworked by a harsh boss, they were reasonably compensated at $50 a month.

      Operators today still exist but are far less common. They’re immensely useful in helping customers reach the right department or person in complex agencies.

      This story made me think of the story of Dorothy Vaughan — she saw that the human computer jobs at NASA were coming to an end, learned a programming language, taught it to others, and gunned for that job for herself and others. (Yes, Hidden Figures.)

      The lesson is not that we all have to become programmers — but we have to look for jobs that few are doing, want to do, or know how to do it, and demand the value of that work.*

      2 votes
      1. vxx
        Link Parent
        Just to spare you some search An average salary for a women in manufacturing was between 25-45 dollars in 1920, depending on the state Source For men it seems to be between 25-75 dollars depending...

        Just to spare you some search

        $50 in 1920 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $760.32 today, an increase of $710.32 over 103 years

        An average salary for a women in manufacturing was between 25-45 dollars in 1920, depending on the state

        Source

        For men it seems to be between 25-75 dollars depending on industry, with steel at the top

        Source

        2 votes