Walt Disney’s Letter From 1938 Which Said ‘Women Don't Do Creative Work’ Goes Viral

There can be a slew of reasons why you are rejected for a job you applied for. The person might not be qualified for the post, the company cannot compensate well or they are short of vacancies, among others. But did you know a leading company once rejected a candidate simply for being a woman. Yes, you read that right. A rejection letter from 1938 to a young woman seeking a creative post with Walt Disney has gone viral on the internet. The letter, which illustrates how women were constrained to vocations that limited their abilities and were not regarded for creative work at the time, has sparked a debate on social media.

The letter was shared by a user on the Reddit community. It was addressed to Miss Mary Ford, who is said to have applied for a position in the inking and painting department of the US film company in 1938. Elaborating on why she has not secured the job, the letter stated, “women do not do any of the creative work in connection with preparing the cartoons for the screen, as that work is performed entirely by young men. For this reason girls are not considered for the training school.”

Moreover, they also stated the ‘only’ jobs available for women at the time. “The only work open to women consists of tracing the characters on clear celluloid sheets with India ink and filling in the tracings on the reverse side with paint according to directions,” mentioned the letter.

The rejection letter concluded by stating the prerequisites for applying for the post. It mentioned, “In order to apply for a position as “Inker or Painter ” it is necessary that one appear at the Studio, bringing samples to come to Hollywood with the above specifically in view, no there are really very few openings in comparison with the number of girls who apply.”

Netizens were quite surprised to see the open discrimination in jobs based on gender, and the post received a slew of reactions.

A user said, “It’s amazing the artificial barriers that used to be put in place to separate ‘men’s’ and ‘women’s’ work,” while another expressed, “This was infuriating to read. I hope whoever that lady was, found success elsewhere.”

A user who was angered by the discrimination stated, “Damn, I can’t imagine being talented, motivated, etc. and getting rejected because I’m a woman.”

An individual remarked, “Times have changed. These days you might not even get a response if you’re not hired.”