Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1904-08-11
SIX AND A HALF MILLION OF THE
SEX EARN WAGES IN FRANCE.
LIKE OUR CHINAMAN
They Have Entered Lists With Men
and Seriously Reduced the Market
Value Of All Observation-Disclosures
ct Machinery Adds Greatly to Their
Cppc rsunities.

1dpO4 maj net III FRANCE woman plays
the same role which has been play ed
for years past by the Chinaman in
America and the coolie in Africa. She
furnishes the capitalist and employer
OF labor with weapon TO be usec
against herself and against all en-
ployes generally. Her own urgent
need of means of livelihood ana
the limited scope given her compel
her to cheaper all laDor by accepting
minimum wage for the days work
which she is only too eager to be al
lowed 10 do. Such are the views set
forth by Nine. Daniel Leseur, by Mile.
Marie Laparceri and by other leaders
Of the woman's movement, in Paris.
Apart from the essentially feminine
work of sewing, the opening up of the
various departments of labor to wom-
en- in France is of comparatively
recent date. According to the latest
census, the number of women now
working in the country is about g.
100000 OF these nearly 2,000,000 are
employed in factories and about 500,-
600 in trade. In the cloth factories,
the leather and paper works. even in
the metal foundries, the number OF
women employed increases daily
This has, of course, been the case
for many years in the United States
of America and Great Britain, but, es-
sertially conservative as the French
are, the radical change in the constitu>
ton OF the home wrought by the EN-
ployment of women outside thai home
could only be effected slowly. In a
land where the marriage Institution is
based upon a financial partnership,
each of the contracting parties con-
1rihuting his or her share of money TO
maintain the home, in the face of the
increasing poverty brought about by
costly wars and heavy consequent
taxation, women have found them
selves reluctantly compelled to be-
come wage-earners-if not in order TO
insure marriage, al least to help sup
port their families While debarred
in almost every land from the heavier
kinds of toll such as work in mines,
tending furnaces, smelling works, ETC.,
the introduction in recent times OF
machinery into every branch of manu-
facture has benefited women by pro
yiding a large amount OF conn
paraiively light work in which care,
patience and suppleness are more es-
sential than physical strength. And
for such work French women are
better fitted than French men
Enter Lists With Men.
In thus entering the lists With men.
women have seriously reduced the
market value of all labor, and are
themselves the greatest sufferers in
consequence. A comparison of the rate
OF wages paid to the two sexes will
show how heavily handicapped the
weaker are in the struggle for life.
In agriculture the average daily wage
for a man is from / franc 50 centines
to 8 francs Is confines; for "a woman
it is from so eentimes 10 francs. Ia
froI1 / franc 20 confines to 3 francs;
for man it is double. In Paris the
average is a little higher than it is in
the country, but the proportion re-
mains invariable. 1t is more par
ticulaily in the textile manufactures.
where women furnish more than half
OF the total labor employed, that the
sex is the worst paid. The recent
strike among the woman weayers on
the Belgian frontier has made known
the painful fact that there are man,
among the hands whose weekly wage
amounts to no more than francs.
which is the equ yvalent in United
States money to $3.50.
But this pitifully inadeGuate wage
is by no means peculiar to France.
In Belgium nine-tenths of the woman
workers earn an average daily
pittance of no more than francs so
\centimes $50 cents)-that is, one-half
q the wage earned by men: in some
rye cites of Germany the average
re of the female employe is only /
rs centimes for a day of eleven
wages aboNy mentioned refer
the lowest form of labor.
however, to skilled labor,
by the more cultivated
women, the same crying
frent-all are hopelessly
The teaching profession
in France, perhaps, than
Use. and the modern ex-
the high school system
IS cut the ground from
Jet Of large number OF
|men who used to support
by giving private lessons.
no means uncommon 70
Eanc an hour go cents)
br a language lesson. and
hen have been thankful 10
blain needlework which. by
blesale house in Paris, is given
ladies only" Tie scale Of
Aration paid by this apparently
A. lrnnic firm is only eQualed BY