Mountain Home bulletin. (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1888-1889, 1889-04-27
WAGe.EARNiN0 WOMEN,
Facts Giea ed from Recent Report by
the Commissioner Of Labor.

Facts Glea ed from n Recent Report bV.
the Commissioner Of Labor.
quarter OF n century ago most
avenues OF employment were closed to
women. The occupation available to
them We're generally unremunerative
and often dis.asteful. Since that time,
however, conditions have bettered
wonderfully in this respect, and it APP
pears from the annual report OF Carroll
ID. Wright, Commissioner of the De-
partment Of Labor. that women are
now extensively employed in 342 oo-
cupations
One of the most remarkable show.
ings in Mr.. Wright's report is that in
all the great cities the working women
are practically girls. Their average
age in all the cities comprehended in
the report is % years and seven
months. The highest average, 25
years and one month. was found in
!. Savannah. and the lowest, 2l years
and five months, ut st. Paul. The
| bulk of the 1924 women interviewed
, by the compilers OF the statistics were
3 between the ages of lS and 20. The
.
t ence Of II considerable number of
v women past middle age.
These figures prove, il they mean
y any thing, that the great majority of
s women who work for wages marry
n early in life, and in this fact many en-
II ployers find justification for paying
d lower wages to their female than to
ID their male employees. The latter be-
!. gin with an intention to make their
% position stepping stone to prefer
ment The former in many cases re-
d gard it rs II mere makeshift.
,t Another interesting fact is that IA
,g l20 of the 17,247 women interviewed
r. are native born. The parents of u
at great majority Of these, however.
fe were foreign born. OF the whole
ye number only 745 women are married.
10 while there are l,O3S widows Those
al in perfect health number IA, 55i, which
he argues well for the general sanitary
condition of American workshops
at Good homes are possessed by 12,02) ol
lv the women, but many Of the remainder
"a exist under the most miserable anG
,r. discouraging conditions.
at The average yearly earnings OF won
,et en- in the leading industries are givel
ID as follows:
he Artificial flowers, sg77 so; awning and tent,
nv t978.i6; book binding, s.7l 81; boots and shoe
"'9 2s6 90; candy, s2l3.59 carpets, t20s So: ciga
he boxes, 1907 80; cigar factory, t.9466; cigaretl
de factory, 1906 II; cloak factory, 1891 49, clothn
~ factory, s2iS.36; cotton mills. fy18 az; dres NAL
ing, ,s27s67, dry good stores, s36S.Si; jewery fa
tory, 1926 2k laundry, $si3,75 mattress factor
ar. s26} So mems furnishing goods factory, $D!.2-
- millinery,sH "a o. I;paper-box factory .! O47: pu
cn tobacco factory i237 g. printing ONCE, x3DO.0
on skirt factory S.65. 40; smoking tobacco factor
ro i23s7..
5 of A careful study Of these figures
i'm very instructive. They might hay
,les been made more valuable, howeve
tier had not Mr.. Wright's agents confine
ime their Investigations to the women en-
ait ployed in purely manual labor. Thes
mo- form but small portion OF the worl
the ing women of the country. Thousant
not of others are engaged in teaching.
telegraphy, in stenography, as clerl
J, OF and in the professions. 1t is pt
and that Mr.. Carroll did not make a mo
.eed comprehensive and thorough repol
his Albany On. W Journal.