The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1891-09-09
The Earnings of Women

A paper read before the British Associa.
ton Mt Cardin recited well-known facts as
to the inferiorty Of women's earnings as
compared with mems. Except in few
cases OF piece work, their pay In manufac-
turing Industries averages from One-third
to two-thirds less. 1t is smaller also when
they compete with men as teachers, COM
positors. tclegraphers. and clerks; but in
art and literature. and wherever they have
extraordinary special skill or genius, there
is no such discrimination against them.
=. This lower rate OF pay for the run of
women Is not due to any disposition OF en-
ployers to take advantage Of their weakness.
The prices OF the labor market are not gov
erncd by such considerations. They are
regulated by quality and supply, and il
women's work was worth as much as mems,
it would command as high price. The fact
that tho pay for 1t Is loss is convincing evil
dcnce that ii Is inferior In quality. Hence
the only general conclusion that the author
Of tho paper at Cardiff could reach IS that
men beat women in the competition by pro-
duclng moro. and also by producing what Is
more valuable in the market.
AS n remedy lie advised that the train.
ing OF women should DO improved, and
he suggested that they might profit
by combining for their own protection.
Bu, the disparity between tho capacity
OF men and women as workers does not come
from any artificial cause. 1t Is fixed by ma
turc. AS rule. women canuot be relied
upon us steady workers to the same extent
as men. sober and healthy man can keep
ut his employment day in and day out and
from years end to years end. 1t Is not SO
with woman. The statistics Of factories,
shops, aud Offices show that the necessary
loss OF time from work is more with women
than men; and of course it must be so.
Nor can women be driven like men. They
must bc treated with greater consideration,
for which indulgence they have to pay in
less wages
1t Is obvious. therefore, that women can
compete with men in the labor market only
by takIn. smaller pay, no matter what their
training may be. They also suffer in the
manufacturing cMployments. which they
follow most generally, by the competition Of
feminine workers in vast numbers, who can
afford 10 give their labor for u small price,
because 1t Is performed at home rs method
OF making II trliling addition to the in
comes OF families, or Of employing hours
which otherwise would be spent in idleness.
Every woman who does her own family
sewing in whole OF in part Is q competitor
of the women who sew for living, and she
helps to lower the scale of their pay. So
also every ono Of tho many thousands Of
married women who take work home from
factories to exc out tho resources Of strait
cHed households contributes to lessen the
WagcS ui the regular workers in that ral.
tiruiar industry,
There is, however. q field in which women
do not suffer from anything like overcome
petition. 1t is domestic service. The de-
Inand for skilful women servants is greater
than the supply. No good and trustworthy
woman servant need ever DO without place
and without good wages. In the household,
also. women have the protection which they
require FOR their welfare, aud they lind in it
u variety of occupation which subjects them
II no competition with men, except to very
small extent comparatively. They can get