The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1906-06-21
nconciousy the Man Imposes the Greater Share Of the Burden
Upon the Woman.
Upon the Woman.
NUMEROUS AND GREAT ARE HER DISADVANTAGES,
She Must Gain Through What Man Has
Public Opinion Will Back Her and Guard Her Rights
To the Bitter End

In laborer's family, uncon-
Sciously the .man imposes the
greater share of the burden upon
the woman. From childhood the
boy is freer than the girl. 1t is
the little girl who is kept from
school to tend the baby, to help in
the housework, to nurse the mother.
Later it is the daughter who is
first called home, from the factory
or shop to meet domestic emer-
gency. Ii the family cannot spare
her earnings She rises at dawn to
things ship-shape, works all day at
the factory, rushes home to get
supper and clear up, and then,
perhaps, nurses far into the night.
Someone must be sacrificed to the
family need. 1t cannot be the
father or brother, who are earning
higher wages. 1t must be the
daughter.
Not only in cases of emergency
is working girl taxed more than
her brother. Custom demands
from her at all times style of
dress which means endless mending
Of skirt braids, trimming of hats,
washing of Shirt-waiSt and neck
ribbons. There is always the fam.
lily claim of housework and family
sewing. 1t is the daughter who
must prepare the refreshments for
the company, must play and sing a
little, must visit the relatives on
Sunday; must, i'll other words. bear
all the social brunt. The father
and brother dotf their coats and
take doggelly to their pipes and
taciturnity whenever the mood is
ON. Sometimes the poor little
new woman is worn out with her
tuSSle with MANS work, and would
fain sink into mans ways at home.
But public opinion holds her to
the standards of both the working
man and the old fashioned woman
ly woman. If the new woman is a
married woman-a mother-there
is no end to her tolls and burdens.
Death itself is to be fought off as
an evil temptation.
Besides these family and social
handicaps, the working woman is
at a disadvantage industrially. To
begin with, generally speaking.
she is even yet timid and uncertain
i'll her invasion of what has alwayS
been considered mans sphere: she
is not convinced that she belongs
there, and, aS rule, she does not
If fn
sallies into the field under the pres
sure of necessity and works there
as one who makes shift for the
present, but who will soon he re-
leved by some man or by the grace
of God. Her work, therefore.
lacks the plan and method of a far
seeing laborer; lacks the long
strong, steady arm stroke of the
man worker. This barrier to do
good work she herself must remove
How SLOW she is to realize herself
as an individual-her family life
her social life, as expressions and
expansion of her indiyiduaIity: as
they should be with man as we'll
and equally! When will she cease
to hang about waiting for man or
>*cNt w iiiHNS hSl lStlt w men Wlll
she seize upon life with her own
strength and WELD it with intelli-
gence and joy?
Many and great are her otbe,
disadvantages. She is lacking in
the physical strength of man and
in industrial training: tradition
and custom have fixed upon her q
habit of patience under all impo.
:sltions; her trade organizations are
as yet far from powerful and well
guided.
We can but admire the fine race
which the working woman is max
ing in America in spite of he,
heavy handicap. Are we to sit in
our judges seat seeing the odds
against her from start to finish and
never raise protest?
Since women must run in the in.
duStrtal race neck k-and neck Will
man, let her enter it with a high
head and steady pace and will
fair terms. By all the rules of tn,