Omaha daily bee., 1896-02-09

Massachusetts Bureau of Statistics o
Labor, which has just been dis
tributcd in book form, embodies
some very interesting information
relative to the effect of college
| training upon women and its
/ advantage in pursuits in which
they become competitors with men
| The investigation was conducted with.
out bias through a series of inquiries
directed to representative employers of
women. as well as to women employees.
! Tho returns cover considerable range
Of employment and include all sections
of the country from Maine to Califor-
nia
The occupations of women with col
legiate educations include teaching,
| Journalism, stenography, telcgraphy,
type setting. life insurance soliciting.
bookkeeping and revising patents. 1t
was found that in representative
group of colege-brcd women largely
self-supporting and engaged in
callings for which. in general.
some special training is re-
quired, nearly IS per cent have
secured remuncrative work. The aver
age earnings of these college-bred
women are found to be decidedly above
the average earning capacity of the
ceived only common school cduca-
ton. Out of over 400 women ma
jority in any wage class were paid from
$50 up to 500 per month. Seventy
three were paid from 500 and up to
$500 per month. Two received exceed
ing 5000 per month and two were paid
salaries in excess of $500 per month.
1ncidentlly one of the most interesting
points of this. investigation was as to
the relative value of and pay for the
services of men and women when on
the same grade of work. Employers
were asked to reply to the following
questions: where, in general, women
receive less pay than men for the same
work. what are, in your opinion. the
reasonsY" Out of siXty-seven replies
twenty-nine assigned as Il reason the
effect of competition as governed by the
laws of supply and demand. Twenty
one gave as the reason physical and
mental differences or differences in gen
eral ability, while seventeen ascribed
the difference to custom.
The opinions of the college bred
women on the same subject are
unique. "Men oftener than women
have to support others" "a mar
ried man solely because lie is
has sometimes been paid
more than one unmarried" On
the same line of reasoning a married
woman ought to get more than an un-
woman. 1t is conceded by Il
woman respondent that |
81 business woman of educational |
ability receives as much salary as Il |
man whenever she renders her EN-
ployer proportionate amount of |
work" Another respondent declares |
that she is not sure "that women have
the physical strength fully to compete
with men in all the occupations that
have been opened to them"
While by far the largest number of
women; are teachers, quite
l number are engaged in literary pur-
suits and notably in newspaper work
An editorial writer gives her answer
Is to her experience as follows "Jour-
lalism pays women as well as it pays
nen, providing they are equally capa-
lie. On newspaper staffs women are
ess valuable than men save in eXcep-
ional cases For special work. if she
S clever, she can earn as much as any
nan for work of the same grade. Still
avenues of ability, so to speak,
re narrower than mems. man jour
lalist is supposed to know everything
rom sporting terms to the ethics of
overnment The average woman Jour
alist doesn't as yet" This writer hits
he nail squarely on the head when she
dds: "The wide differences now eX-
sting between the wages of men and
women are surely unjust, but these
differences seem to be growing less as
women have gradually proved their
bility. Economic conditions right
if given time, in n natural
'ay, but it is not probable that men
nd women will ever stand as equals |
4 the business world, for woman in
lOst instances cannot count on life
york. She Is woman, subject to the |
uties which fall to Il woman, and she
annot if she would be anything else
Without toppling the very structure of
ociety. This condition of instability
f employment will in my estimation {
lways exist. The frank acceptance q
f this fact will clear the way to n
luch more profitable discussion Of the $
ubject." 9
THE PASSING OF THE PRIZE RING. 2
10 dantla l.nall 1af r,..ix1, GIL, In, |