The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-07-19
Are Women Overlooking the Labor
Market?

MaFkets
1t requires only the most casual OBJ
servation in walking through the BUSH
ness streets of New York or of any Of our
great towns, to discover that the num-
Der of women, more particularly young
women, who are employed in the many
and diversified business occupations of
modern life is very great and is increas-
ing steadily.
At the first Woman's Rights Conven-
ton, called at Seneca Falls in this State,
in 1s4s by LUCRETIA MORT, ELIZABETH
CADY STANTON and two other women,
the resolutions made the general charge
that the history Of mankind is history
of repeated injuries and usurpations on
the part Of man toward woman, and, as
specification un Ter it, that he has mo-
nopolized nearly all the profitable employ
ments" However it may have been in
ls4s, it is obvious that there Ia no such
usurpaton by man in 1908. Now, in some
employments, the usurpation is rather by
women, as, for example, the telephone
business. Women have also entered
largely into competition with men as
stenographers and typewriters Many
complaints of their interference have
been made in letters to THE SUN from
men stenographers. Hardly an elevator
runs up or down In one of the great Office
buildings Of the town which does not
carry women employees; and accordingly
a discussion lately arose in our columns
if the time had not come when the old
custom of a man s removing his hat in an
elevator in difference to women passen-
gers should be set aside as savoring
of something like absurdity, if not inn
propriety.
An early appearance of large number
of women in employments other than
domestic or as school teachers was in the
cotton factories Of New England, Sc venty-
odd years ago. Girls hocked from the
surrounding region into the factories, at
Lowell, for example, and there was much
discussion at that time and for many
years after as to the moral influences of
change 80 radical in the manner Of their
life. In 1881, out of the 13,843 persons
employed in the cotton mills Of Massa-
chusetts, 1858 were women and girls.
Ofrecent years, the percentage Of women
employed in the manufacturing indus
tries of the Union generally has fallen off,
probably because Of the increase of the
employment of machinery; for example,
there was a decline from 1890 per cent.
in 1850 TO 1921 in 1890
Meantime, however, there has been
great multiplication of the employments
in which the labor of women is engaged.
In the census list Of gainful occupations
pursued in the United States there are now
very few, and those only where the work
requires the rudest strength, in which
women are not enumerated. The report
of the Massachusetts Bureau of Statistics
for last year, now just issued shows that
since 1870 the number of women and girls
over ten years Of age employed in trades,
manufactures and professions in that
State has increased by over 1866 per cent,
though the population OF the State in
1900 was less than double its total In 1870.
In actual numbers there were 1925, O33 of
them in those employments in 1900 out
of total female population of all ages
amounting TO l,437,s72.
The question arises, Ia this extensive
invasion by women of fields of in dustry
formerly monopolized to a great extent
by men a disadvantage or gain to So
ciety? That is, has the addition OF this
great volume Of women's labor brought
injury to men by reason of it's competi-
ton? Mr.. CARROLL d. WRIGHT, the in
dustria statistician, argues that there
has been no such injury, that women are
not replacing men, but making new oocu-
pations for themselves, or, rather, that
as civilization has advanced new occupa-
tions for which they are specially fitted
have been provided for them. He con-