The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-05-17

WOMEN ARE NOT GUSHING
MEN IN BUSINESS WORLD

In minor positions, but in the places
where responsibility is placed upon an
employers work, only men are eligible.
The general offices of railroads pursue
the same system in choosing clerks, and
in many of these the woman is tabooed
even as stenographer. Hard work is
the motto in this class Of Offices, and
woman is not adapted to hard office.
work.
In most Of these places the pay is
good. SixtY-fve dollars month is not
far away from the average minimum
maintained in many of them, except
among the younger classes of en-
!! ployees. This might be taken as SUBJ
stantiationl5o of the theory that woman
is responsible for wage reduction, for
in the offices where she is on anything
like equal numbers with the men it
must be admitted that the pay is much
lower than that quoted.
But this argument is unfeasible. The
higher pay in the offices where women
are scarce means simply that the work
is of higher grade or more arduous
nature, and economical conditions in
variably regulate that the pay for such
work shall be higher. Men draw this
higher. pay here simply because the
patible with it. There are positions in
these larger offices, especially in the
packinghouse offices and those Of the
railroads, where it is necessary that a
clerk shall work at top speed day after
day, with little or no cessation. A
woman in one Of these positions may
do excellent work for a period, but
breakdown is the inevitable end. Be
cause these positions are of utmost i'm
portance to an office g routine there is
always trouble and woe in the wake Of
breakdown in the person holding
them. 1t takes time to break in'
| a new worker and occasions much: dis
order in a well-regulated office. Also
women go, away to get married. AS a
consequence employers will not have
/ women in these positions. They want
| only as far as the accuracy Of work
is concerned, but also in the matter Of
Hstaying with it, Women cannot be
! depended upon to do this.
Then therezsis the position where,
during seasons, the clerk is crushed
to DEATH" Tn such a position woman
is lost. There are women who can keep
a cool head when work is being showed
at them so fast that it. piles up in a
of effort seems to reduce, but they are
few. Most women clerks, so soon as
they see that they are getting behind
in their work, go at it with such fever
ish energy that it is soon hopeless
mass Of tangles. and mistakes, or else
they sit down with their hands in their
laps and weep. Neither course of con.
duct is compatible with the best sort of
work. These are few Of the things
that have helped to keep women from
superseding men in office work. There
is little Sor. no; prejudice against her be-
cause she ssa woman. Such prejudice
as there is is based on the facts men
toned.
However, there are offices where
woman is the rule and not the excep-
tion among the. clerical positions.
Usually these are small ones, where
neither the volume Of work done nor
it's nature demands that the clerks be
Of high order or able to stand much
commensurately lower than with the
L: ~er firms, where a higher grade Of
work is required. In these places II
may be that woman has taken the place
4 Of man, but as the pay is seldom over
. So week, it is certain that man is only
1.-the better for having been superseded
in theshain, it is sure that woman
is not wanted in general office work. :.