The Saint Paul globe., 1897-02-13
STATISTICS REGARDING THEM COLI
LECTED BY THE FEDERAL
BUREAU OF LABOR.
CROWDING THE MEN OUT.
PERCENTAGE OF INCREASE GREAT
Err FOR FEMALES THAN FOR
MALES.
GentIer Sex Not So Well Paid I'm the
Majority of Cases as Their
Brothers.

WASHINGTON.F Feb 12.-The eleventh
annual report of the department Of
labor, just transmitted to congress by
Commissioner Wright. relates entirely
to the work and wages Of men, women
and children. 1t shows that the pro-
portion Of women to the whole work.
Ing class is increasing, while that Of
children is decreasing. The report was
prepared in pursuance of a joint reso-
lutfon OF congress directing an In
vestigation relative to the employment
of men, women and children This re-
port is confined strictly to a comparison
Of the extent of employment and wag-
es OF 1856, or present period" with
the conditions which obtaineN some
years ago, termed former pe%od,'
antedating the present perioG by at
least ten years. The definite purposes
of the investigation were to determine
to what extent, if any, women were
superceding men; to show the conjugal
condition of the women who were en-
ployed; to compare the relative eff
cheney Of women and men, and finally
to show the relative rates Of wages
y.
1t was quite unnecessary to cover
the whole country, that is, to collect
industrial information from all estab-
lishments. The attempt, therefore, was
not made. The agents secured informa-
ton from 1,067 establishments of var
ious kinds, located in thirty different
states, and employing 148, 1867 persons
number large enough to insure that
the data collected was thoroughly rep
resentative. The complete data sought
for, however, was obtained from only
931 establishments. These 931 estab-
lishments employed 64560 persons in the
former and 108,64S in the present peri
cd. Of this number in the first period,
26,479 were males Of IS years of age
or over, as against 49, 1876 in the sec
ond; and 4,175 males under 18 years
of age, as against 7,540 in the second
period. In the first period 27,163 were
females Is years Of age Or over, and
6,743 females under 1S, as against 45, 1872
and 12,751 respectively in the present
period. From these figures it is seen
that male employees Is years Of age or
over increased in the present period
over the former period 63.1 per cent,
while the female employees of the same
age period increased 643 per cent. Male
employees under 18 years Of age increas-
ed 500 per cent, while the female en-
ployes under Is years Of age increased
S9.1 per cent.
CENSUS FIGURES.
AS collateral information, an inter-
esting showing is made of the figures
of the past three cenSuSeS concerning
the employment of women. The pro-
portion of females, 10 years of age and
over, employed in all occupations in the
United States rose in it's relation to the
whole number employed from 146S per
cent in 1870, to 1922 per cent in 1890,
while males decreased in proportion
from S5.32 per cent in 1870, to S2.78 per
cent in 1890.
The report throws considerable ad-
di,ional light upon the much dis
cussed question as to married women
in industrial pursuits. For the present
period, out of an aggregate of 1851
women, 70,921 or 887 per cent were sin
gle; 6,755, or S.5 per cent married; 2.011
or 25 per cent divorced and 244 or $40
per cent unknown. The last census
figures on this point are also anaylzed.
Of 3914,57 females 10 years of age or
over engaged in gainful pursuits in the
United States in 1S9O, 69,S "a per cent
were single or their conjugal condition
unknown, 1916 per cent were married; i;
1910 per cent were widowed, and 80
per cent were divorced. A comparison
of the census figures with those result
ing from the investigation of the de-
partment can only be made with certain
limitations, as the former relate to all
females productivity employed. While
the latter relate chiefly to manufac-
turing establishments, where women are
employed to large extent.
In 436 Of the establishments car
vasSed the agents secured data as to
the relative efficiency Of women and
children and of men working at the
same occupations. OF T82 instances in
which men and women work at the
same occupation and perform their
work with the same degree of efti-
cheney, men receive greater pay III 595,
or 76.1 per cent Of the instances, and
women receive greater pay in 129, or
1916 per cent, while in IS instances, or
IA per cent they receive the same pay
for the same work. The men receive
SOL per cent greater pay than the
women in the sos instances in which
they are given greater pay, while the
women receive but 1913 per cent greater
pay in the 129 instances in which they
are paid higher wages. Out of the 22S
instances in which men and children
(persOnS under Is years of age) work