The sun., 1909-02-14

it would be possible to make any change
in the situation at present. Of late AZ
general thing, the average married woman
/ K oking for work goes first to department
store. and refused at one makes the rounds
before knocking at the doors OF factories
and office buildings.
In tho section called the shopping dis.
trict, bounded by Ihirt fourth and
Eighth streets. Sixth and Fourth avenues
are twenty large department stores rep
resenting variously q frontage OF from
haf block to two avenue blocks and q
height of from five to twelve stories. Al
a rough estimate 5000 persons are en-
p!oyed in these stores. In the aggregate
IS per cent. OF the employees are women.
SeveDty-five per cent. OF women IL nearer
the figure when u comes to the sales de.
partments Ia several OF these stores, and
about 60 per cent. OF the total number OF
salespeople and heads Of departments Ia
the twenty stores are women. In the
off ce or clerical department. with two ex-
ceptions. 90 per cent. Of the employees are
women. IL is only in the packing and
delivery departments tina. meh are In the
ma jority.
Five years ago the number o. sales
women in the department stores was
about 40 per cent. Ten years ago it was
under 80 per cent. Until lately. however.
the percentage Of married women in the
stores " as very small.
In the last five years, more particu-
| larly in the last two years, the number
OF married woman who have Joined the
ranks Of the wage earners has jumped up
tremendously, especially In the depart
ment stores. manager who hires
every one of the 900 adult force needed
to operate one Of the larger stores said
that ten years ago an application from a
married woman was unusual, whereas
for the last two years. especially during
the last twelve months, scarcely a day
has passed without bringing from five TO
ten married women applicants. young and
middle aged, a few Of whom had work ed
relied on a good figure or extra fiuenoy Of
speech, q large acquaintance among
! persons who have money to spend. or,
/ as in one case. on q practical knowledge
OF athletic sports, 70 get job. The ath-
letic applicant had two small children
and a husband out Of health and she
advanced her acquaintance wirh golf and
tennis and skating as q reason for giving
her a chance to sell sporting goods
The astute manager. who had not been
satisfied with the sales In the sporting
department, decided to give the novice
a weeks trial at a small wage. pitting
her enthusiasm against q total lack OF
business training. He did not regret the
act. The sales in the sporting depart
ment took a Jump Immediately, with the
result that in fortnight the new sales
woman found herself engaged perms-
nently at fairly good salary.
Speaking Of the personnel Of the mar
, ried women who asked for work and the
reason they gave, the manager said that
elderly women, for whom he could do
nothing but speak words OF encourage
ment. were sometimes In line. There
were also many women nearing middle
age and often Of fne education, who when
! they got q chance had shown degree
OF enterprise far ahead OF that shown by
much younger women. As rule. he said,
the more mature the applicant the more
careful she was TO please customers and
employers. especially II she was trying
to help support q family.
'Ninety-hv per cont Of the married
women I interview said the manager
Aak for work because their husbands ara