Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-05-25
Women as Breadwinners.

| a report Just issued by the census bu-
reau and in its 400 pages we get all
sorts of interesting statistics on this
interesting topic. According to this
report there were. in 1900, when these
figures were obtained, 4,S33.630 women
over Is years of age in the country who
were to be classed as breadwinners for
themselves and in many cases for 9TH
ers also. OF these about 81 per cent.
were native white women, % per cent.
native white women of foreign parent
age. Il per cent. foreign born and %
per cent. negroes. over 6S per cent. OF
the whole number were under 80 years
OF age and almost exactly the same
proportion of them were unmarried.
According to the 1900 census the total
number of women over 16 years old in
the country was %, 4S5,559 and thus We
find that 20 per cent, or one in every
five. il a brcadwinner, that term being
used by the census official to designate
person following a ganful occupa-
ton. OF the total male population OF
the same age, over 80 per cent. are
breadwinners. This difference between
! the sexes as regards the percentage OF
breadwinners is probably not greater
than would be anticipated. Men take
up some occupation almost as matter
Of course. and usually follow it the
greater part of their lives. With Wo-
men the adoption of an occupation, al
though by no means unusual, is lar
from being customary, and in the we'll
TODD classes Of society is exceptional.
Moreover, the pursuit Of an occupation
by women is probably more often tenn
p0rary than permanent.
| The report makes plain the increas-
| ing number in which women are en-
eaging in various occupations. the gain
! i'm the past 20 years being over 100 per
cent But perhaps the most interest
| ing feature Of the report aside from
these figures showing the total num-
bers, etc, is that which goes into de-
tail regarding the occupations which
| women follow. They are found in no
fewer than 294 different lines Of work,
according to these figures collected by
| Uncle Sans agents ana there were no
fewer than 125 occupations employing
over 1000 each.
| Notwithstanding the increasing di-
vcrsity Of em?loyments for women. do
nestle service still remains the most
IMPORTANT by far of the occupations in
which they a~e engaged. OF the
4S33. $50 women in continental United
States reported as engaged in gainful
occupations at the time Of the twelfth
census, 1124,383, or almost one-fourth
of the total number, were returned as
servants 1t may seem surprising that
women IS that Of farm laborer, and
that the number of women reported as
following this occupation was i56,iO1,
or almost half a million. Most of these
were negro women in the South.
Next to these two leading occupa-
tons come four others, not far apart
in numerical Importance. though wide
Iy different in character. They are
the occupations Of dreSSnaker
Idundress. teacher, ana farmer. The
largest Of these occupations-that OF
essmaNcr-cmployed 33S,14 women
and the smallcst-that of farmer-cm
| Moved 3u7 100 OF teachers there Were
a772 2O6; Of laundresses, 32S,935 Three
Gfths Of the total number of womer
reported as breadwinners We're founC
in the six occupations employing more
tlian 700 O0A women each, the aggregate
number in these occupations bcins
2.SS2. 40. The total number of womer
reported as textile mill operatives-231,
45S-makes this the seventh occupation
group in numerical importance. Th'
occupati ton next in rank is that 0
Ecusekccpcrs and stcwardcsses. Thi
comprised 1929 women.
. The housekeepers here referred to arr
those working for wages. the house
keeping or housework done by womel
, in their own homes not being treate'
. Iby the census as gainful occupation
= although it has. of course. grea
, economic Importance not to be over
, looked in any attempt to estimate tn
, social value of woman'S work
, there are added tn the occupation
/, groups already mentioned the group a
+ salcsN.omen, comprising 1926 women
and that of seamstresses. comrrisin
13S.72l, the list includes the 10 leadin
: occupations for women and account
for 3.5i2. 155, or 1913 per cent. of the tota
c number of women who are breadwin
n ners.
$ Following these 10 leading occupa
= tions come 2S4 others in which wome
| !,