March 10 - Obsolete Occupations

Branding of slaves: nice to know that's an obsolete occupation. Picture found online with no date or source.

By Magdalena I. García

Yesterday I came across a really neat National Public Radio photo essay titled “The Jobs of Yesteryear: Obsolete Occupations.” It highlights 12 occupations that have pretty much disappeared thanks to the advent of computers and technology, including: lector, elevator operator, copy boy, pinsetter, river driver, iceman, lamplighter, milkman, switchboard operator, typist in a typist pool, typesetter, and telegraph operator.

As I looked at the pictures, one of the first things that caught my eye was that only three of the twelve jobs were available to women: pinsetter, switchboard operator, and typist in a typist pool. On top of that, all three of these jobs were quite repetitive, with little room for personal expression. It would have been so much more interesting to be a lector, someone paid to read newspapers in cigar factories (not that I smoke, but I love the aroma; besides cigars in Tampa among Cuban expatriates would surely be accompanied by espresso). And I know plenty of adventurous women who would have been delighted to serve as river drivers, floating logs downriver to sawmills. But this was all long before Equal Employment Opportunities (EEO) laws.

As we celebrate the International Day of Working Women this week, we should rejoice that we have come such a long way, at least in most developed countries and Western culture, where women have access to education and practically all professions. Of course there are still barriers to overcome—from the corporate ceiling to the stained-glass ceiling—but great progress has been made. So we should be thankful for that, and celebrate the women who have paved the way.

The other thought I had as I read the photo essay is that it’s not necessarily a bad thing for some occupations and professions to be endangered. Can you imagine the day when Christians take their baptismal vows so seriously that there is no longer a need for ordained clergy? Can you conceive of a day when human beings have such high respect for life and for each other’s property that there is no longer a need for police officers? Can you picture a day when nations learn to live in peace and to share their resources, so that there is no longer a need for border patrols? We really ought to work harder at making more occupations obsolete.

To read the essay, see the accompanying photos, and hear some testimonials, visit: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124251060.