The Washington herald., 1912-01-22
WOMEN DEPRECIATE THE
VALUE OF THEIR WORK
By JULIA CHANDLER MANI.

BY JULIA OhANDb1h AA-NSs
In talking to me of her work the other
day, a young business woman ended the
recital of her success in the commercial
world with the information that she was
now earning salary Of $500 a year.
"And that is a pretty good salary for
q woman, don't you think so?" she asked.
1t is just this attitude of the working
woman's mind toward her own worth
that is the big impediment TO her great
er financial success in the business world
Why should a woman who is capable
of filling a business position that pays
81, 500 year feel that she is doing any
better as a woman than she would be
doing were she a man holding the same
position?
should BE No Question of Sex.
There should be no question Of sex
IN business relationships. Until this is
realized and worked for by women
themselves WoInan's work will continue
to be underpaid.
The time is coming when the appli-
cant best qualified for the position will
get Il irrespective OF sex, and the same
salary will be paid for the work whether
It is done by man or a woman.
But this condition can only come
through woman's own appreciation of her
Of all qualify for the job she intends
seeking. She must know the business
which she intends to enter. This. Of
course is the first essential Of success.
The world does not need unskilled labor,
but there is room and to spare for
either the man or woman who knows.
Another Essential to Success.
But after this comes another essential
to financial success which, as yet, wom-
an seems not TO have fully realized.
If she is capable of the work she un-
dertakes her services are worth as much
TO a firm, or an Individual employer, as
any man he might get to NIL the same
position.
Every woman who earns her own living
must realize an appreciation OF this fact
and demand what her work is worth be-
fore she can get II.
Some Years ago a brilliant entertainer
in talking to me on this subject, told
me Of an incident that had just occurred
in her own life. She had been asked TO
entertain a very wealthy PittsDurg club.
She accepted the engagement ana asked
SO for her evenings work, which the
club officials employing her Informed her
was A. sIather eXorbitant figIIrs.
She filled the engagement. however,
and during the course or the evening tnIs
same ornClaI IN compumenung ner WORK
said:
Entertainment Was Better.
Don't you know I think your enter
tsinment much more attractive than Mr..
NJ. S. We had him last month and had
10 pay him $50 for his evening"
Here was a woman VINO nad spent years
of study and a small fortune in the
preparation of a work. Added to this
was an exceptional gift which peculiarly
fitted her for platform work. She was
admittedly superior than her masculine
competitor. vet the man received twice
the sum Of the woman for his entertain
ment,
And the only reason for the injustice is
the wOmans own submission and ac-
Quiesce in the lower scale Of prices for
her own accomplishments.
I could cite a dozen instances of clever
and talented women who have followed
artistic professions. and who. because
they had nO-families to support, set a
price on their labor so low that it was
a shame TO them, and a shame TO their
competitors.
1t is just this girl who does not have
to enter the commercial or professional
field of labor VINO does the great harm.
She takes up some congeniaI profession
because she prefers It to just staying at
llOllAe- " HGlneF Slle Is TlEnl or wrong
in entering business when there is no
financial need Of her doing so IS another
question. and one which I do not intend
20 discuss just now, because it diverges
from the intention of this talk.
Has No Bearing on Result.
Whether a woman enters business be-
cause she must or only through prefer
ence has no bearing on the injustice
she deals out to other women when she
offers her work at a figure ! cent below
its actual value, or below the price that
a man, equally prepared to do it, would
ask in the same position.
AS an individual. she may be willing
to give her labor for a song and count
as nothing the years she has spent in
getting ready for that labor.
But IL was never Gods purpose that we
consider only the good of the individual.
There are thousands of splendid, brave
women holding commercial positions to-
day, supporting whole families, and
sometimes several families or parts of
families.
The girl who accepts a position at
Ealary lower than that which the posi-
tioR she enters IS worth lowers the scale
Of salaries not only for herself, but
for thousands Of other women who have
others dependent upon their efforts.
When women fills a position formerly
held by a man. she is worth as much
as that man if she does the work as
well
She isn't doing pretty well for
woman" II she geta the fraction of
cent less. But she is doing a tremen-
dously poor serviceSror herself and for
every other working Soman in the world