River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1889-03-28
wAGE-EARNING WOMEN.
Facts Cleaned from a Recent Report b
the Commissioner of Labor.

! Facts Cleaned from "a Recent Report by
the Commissioner of Labor.
A quarter Of century ago most
avenues of employment were closed to
women. The occupation available to
them were generally unremuneratiye
and often distasteful. 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 oc-
equations.
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, %
years and one month, was found in
Savannah. aud the lowest, 81 years
and five months. at St. Paul The
bulk of the 1924 women interviewed
by the compilers of the statistics were
between the ages of IS and 20 The
average age was raised by the pres
ence Of considerable number of
women past middle age.
These figures prove, if they mean
any thing, that the great majority of
women who work for wages marry
early in life, and in this fact many en-
ployers find a justification for paying
lower wages to their female than to
their male employees. The latter be-
gin with an intention to make their
position a stepping stone to prefer
ment. The former in many cases re-
| gard it as a mere makeshift.
Another interesting fact is that IA =
/ 120 of the 1921 women interviewed
are native born. The parents of a
great majority of these, however.
were foreign born. OF the whole
number only 745 women are married,
while there are 1,O3S widows. These
in perfect health number IA, 554, which
argues well for the general sanitary
condition of American workshops
/ Good homes are possessed by 1000 of
the women, but many Of the remainder
exist under the most miserable and
/ discouraging conditions.
The average yearly earnings of wOm-
en- in the leading industries are given
as follows:
I Artificial flowers, S277. So awning and tents,
/ S--6.46; book binding S27l.3l; boots and shoes,
! -; candy s213.59; carpets, S2as s.; cigar
boxes, S26136; cigar factory, s29i.66; cigare tie
/ factory, S266.i2 cloak factory, S99l.76; clothing
factory, S2iS36; cotton mills, S2S %; dres, max
ing, S7s 81 dry good stores 1868 81: iewelry fac
tory s2S5. 20; laundry. S3l375; mattress factory.
1868 80; mems furnishing goods factory. 500 -;
millinery, 81 paperbOX factory. - 10 a.; plug
tobacco factory. S23'.67 printing office, 5000;
skirt factory, 500 40; smoking tobacco factory,
/ S23s.72.
/ A careful study of these figures Is
very instructive. They might have
been made more valuable, however,
had not Mr.. Wright's agents confined
! their investigations to the women en-
plOyed in purely manual labor. These
form but small portion of the work
ing women of the country. Thousands
/ of others are engaged in teaching. in
telegraphy, in stenography, as clerks
and in the professions. 1t is a pity
/ that Mr.. Carroll did not make a more
comprehensive and thorough report
/ ALBANY IN. w journal