Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1885-04-18
The W0mnn Of America


Gen. Francis a. Walker, the
chief of the Census Bureau, who
has been lecturing before the Lo.
well Institute, took for his subject
of his second lecture "Woman in
the Census" He stated, first, the
proportions in which the sexes were
found. All the world the NUM-
Der of males born exceeds the NUN
her Of females. In the United
States we find 1885 native white
males under five years Of age to LOO
native White females. The proper.
ton is a tritle larger in favor of
males for infants one year old.
The proportion in Massachusetts
stands at 1922 to 100; i'll Oregon,
l01.7; in Georgia, 1856. In near,
~ all the European countries the
vitality OF the females, however, is
SO great that they finally FREEDOM
mate in number over the males, i'll
spite Of the opposite condition at
birth. In the census for our cOun-
try we find the total native white
population to be 102 males to LOO
females. the mortality among males
therefore, is greater than that
among females hut not ulnch great
er. In the deaths from alcoholism
there are 5000 males 10 every l..
coo females-the highest llSpropor-
tion: the next higest is i'll suicides,
1000 males To loo females; in con-
sumption the figures show an OPP
posite result, GOO males to 1000 te-
males. The addition ofthe colored
population to this native born popu-
latiOn does not materially alter the
figure; the addition Ofall the foreign
population, however, adds more
males than females and brings the
figures to 25,5IS,000 males to %,
637, 900 femaleS--a proportion OF
1888 to 100. Almost all the South
ern States have a nearly equal mum
Der Of each sex. In Massachusetts
the females between twenty and
fifty years of age exceed the males
of the same age by about $4,000.
In seventy eight cities the excess
of females is 14S,00O. That litter
acy prevails more among women is
due, probably. to the foreign pop
ulatlon. Woman contributes less
to pauperism, the proportion being
81 900 to $4,000. The ratio OF prison
inmates is 5,06S women to 81, l6O
males. Women are in excess among
insane, men in excess among the
idiotic, blind and deaf muteS. In
occupation we cannot but rejoice
at the extension, over fifty years
ago, for women who must earn
their own livelihood, but Yet there
is dislike to see in this q liability
to celibacy or to lack Of home life
and influence. The proportion Of
women who engage in occupations
outside Of the household is smaller
in the United States than in foreign
countries, but in no country is the
proportionate number engaged in
superior Industrial occupations
equal to that IN this country. or
the = ,547, 900 women in occupations,
595, 900 are engaged in agriculture,
most of them colored women in the
Southern States; 632,000 are in
manufactures, of whom about one.
half are in New York, Massachu-
sets and Pennsylvania. In what
special occupations are the womens
Two hundred and eighty-two thous-
and are milliners, etc.; $4,000 are
taiors. Of the forty four occupa-
tions recorded as "personal SERVICE"
forty find women in them. The
525 female surgeons of 1870 have
increased to 2,473; the seven law
yers to Is; the "a clergymen to 155.
The number of laundrieS has incras-
ed from Gl.000 in 1870 to $4,000,
and of the latter 10000 are kept
by women. This large increase
show a great tightening of the
housewives labor.