Helen Baker developed an unparalleled collection of industrial relations material at Princeton University Library and became the first woman to achieve the rank of associate professor at Princeton in 1948. Baker joined the Industrial Relations Section in 1930 as the Section’s first librarian and research assistant. Over the course of her career, Baker became the most respected woman in the field of corporation policy concerning personnel relations. She wrote or co-authored over 20 research reports published by the Section as well as several journal articles.

Baker's 1941 study of defense industries exposed that, despite labor supply problems, many employers refused to hire women over the age of 40. The survey further revealed that a few defense industries still had policies preventing the employment of married women, despite the fact that most industries had ended such policies. Baker’s “Women in War Industries”, published by the Industrial Relations Section in 1942, became a widely-known resource among policy makers including Secretary of Labor Francis Perkins. 

Through this exhibition of select materials from the industrial relations collection and research by Helen Baker, we witness the intersection of opportunities for women - in the American economy and within the field of economics.

Presented by Princeton University Library and the Industrial Relations Section.

This exhibition is made possible in part by the Princeton Histories Fund.

Charissa Jefferson, Labor Economics Librarian