Daily camera., 1897-05-05
WOMEN WORKERS.
Their Increase in Numbers in the
Last Ten Years.
Avenues of Employment for the
Weaker Sex Opened Up by
Mechanical Improvements
Things In Their Favor.

The department of labor lately con-
request of congress, to ascertain wheth-
er women are superseding men as
wage-earners in manufacturing pur-
suits, and, if so, to what extent. 1t
appears from the report, which has Just
been made public, that the increase in
the number of female employees during
the last ten years has been greater than
that of males. This is in accordance
with the showing of the last three CEN
suses.
The information on which the report
is based was obtained from less than a
thousand establishments, but they are
scattered over 80 states and have so
many employees that the figures fur
nished by them may be taken as rep
resenting fairly the general situation
for the manufacturing industries COW
cred.
Ten years ago these establishments
which reported had 64,560 employees.
They had in 1S95-'96 10S,643 employees.
The number Of women over IS had in
creased 66.3 per cent, and of women
under IS 99.1 per cent. The increase
in the number of male employees over
IS was 63.1 per cent, and of males un-
der that age, SOC per cent. The women
have been gaining on the men. and the
juniors on the seniors. There is more
work than there was ten years ago, but
women have secured the larger share
of it.
1t has been eontended that married
women have either supplanted their
husbands as wage-workers because
they worked for less, or have been com
PEELED to work like their husbands, and
supplement the wages of the latter, to
support the household. Much has been
said about the evil effects of this on
family life. But the data collected by
the department of labor do not support
this claim.
Of the 79,9S7 women employed, of
whom As, 1852 were IS or over, 6S.7 per
cent. were single, 8.5 per cent. were
married, and 25 per cent. were divorced
and presumptively had tosupport them
selves Of those who are married
many undoubtedly have drunken or
worthless husbands, and hence are
compelled to take care of themselves.
No one who has observed the increase
in the number of women wage-earners
during the last 60 years will be sur
prised at the increase during the last
ten years. The day when women could
find work only on the farm OF in do
nestle service has gone forever.
The reason why women should be
given employment in manufacturing
industries on an increasing scale are
apparent The greater division Of la
Dor, which is the result of new methods
of production, has made places where
their services could be utilized. Me-
chanical improvements have lessend the
amount Of physical eAertion required
of employees and have made it possible
to utilize the weaker sex.
The women are mere trustworthy.
They do not get drunk. They are not
likely to go on strikes. They learn
more rapidly and they stick to their
WIN SIoSCiy. Mn, LII
to that, they work more cheaPly. Pos
siblv they can afford to do so, since
they do not feel it necessary to eX-
pend part of their earnings for beer,
whisky and tobacco.
According to the report, out Of
given number of instances where men
and women work at the same occupa-
ton and perform their work with the
same degree of efficiency themen receive
greater pay in 76.1 per cent. of the in
stances, and women 16.5 per cent.
Where males over and under is do the
same kind of work with equal efficiency
79.S per cent. of the former get the
greater pay.
Labor leaders claim that men get
more than women do because they are
organized, and are thus in a better po-
sition to fight for high wages. Others
contend that as on the average the
needs of women workers are less than
those of men they are willing to work
for less-Chicago Tribune.