Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-05-27

woman to every was q breadwinner,
that term being used 20 designate per-
sons reported by tho census as follow
Ing galnful occupation Tho percent
ago Of brcad-winners among women
varies widely In different classes and
at different age periods The Influence
Of age differences n shown by the fact
that while the percentage of brcadwn-
ners IS 22,3 for women i5 to 20 years
Of age and sos for those ~ to "a years
" age 1t Is only 1879 for those IS to 3S
years and becomes still smaller IN the
older aga groups. In other words more
than 30 per cont Of the women under
% were at work. but hardly 90 per cent
Of those between % and S5, and corsld-
orably less than 20 per cent OF thuse
over 30. This difference Is directly at
irbutabie TO marital conditions rather
than to age The principal reason why
the older women comprise a smaller
percentage Of breadwinncrs is not that
thes arc older but that more of them
are married. The contrast between tn,
martial classes is very marked,
Another important feature OF the re-
port shows that the proportion Of
bread winners among women Is inGrcas.
ing. At the census Of 1850 the number
Of women i6 years Of age and over re-
ported as having a saiuful occupation
was 1883 9ss: In 1900 Il was 1898. $50. an
Increase OF 2,i7o,6i2 or 1858 per cent.
In other words the number OF women
Ut work more thnn doubled IN this ln-
teyaI Of twenty years. OF course Tho
increase was in part tho result of tho
growth OF population But this ac-
counts for not much more than one
hair Of the total Increase. and It ia
probable that there veto over million
women engaged Ia galuful occupations
IN 1900 who would not have taken IN
such occupations II conditions and ten
denotes had remained the same as they
were twenty years before. Tho increas
Ing participation OF women in Industrial
pursuits Is indicated by the Increase
shown H. the percentages. OF the wo-
men 10 years OF age and over l6 per
cent We're at work IN 1850. 10 per cent
In 1890. and 2O.6 per cent in 1900.
Concerning the various occupations.
five women were employed as pilots;
ton as baggage men. 81 as brakcmcn.
as conductors. 10 as engineers and
hreinen. and 26 as swttchmen. yard
men and nagmen ~ were carriage and
hack drivers; were reported as ship
carpenters, and as roofcrs and slat-
ers; as many as 1s5 were returned as
blacksmiths and sos as machinists. 8
we're boiler makers 81 We're charcoal.
coke. and lime burners, and II We're
Wen borers OF course these figures
have little economic or sociological
significance beyond Indicating that
there are few kinds OF work from
which the female sex is absolutely de-
barred. either by nature or by law OF
custom. There were le5 occupations |
employing over 1000 women each ana |
60 employing over 5000,
Some would perhaps regard the in
crease in the number of women work.
ing for living as a sign of their
widening usefulness and Independence.
But the question is whether il does not
rather prove that society is out OF
gear somewhere. IL there are more
men than women in this country as
the statistics prove, and as lis naturally
the fact, owing TO immigration. it Is
a shame 10 the men If they cannot
support the women in comfort. and |
permit them to devote their time TO
employment different from manual la
Dor and just as necessary for the moral
advancement and the education of
mankind. \ nation that permits. not
10 say compels. It's women TO go into
the blacksmith shop or the railroad
yard. or the sweat shop, TO make a Nv
ing has nothing to boast of, as far "a
economic conditions are concerned.
When you see the women work in tho
field. helping donkey to pull the pillow,
you know that you are in an uncivil-
lied country. But 1t seems civilized
conditions tend In the same direction,
driving the women back to the field
and the plow.