Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-05-18
MIGHT FIX VALUE
OF WIVES WORK
Mrs. Thompson Discusses
Possible Activities of Bureau
for Woman Labor.
SUGGESTS ONE METHOD
TO ELIMINATE SHIRKS
Kind Of Life Enjoyed by Family Test
Of Good or Bad Industrial Condi.
tions, She Says.

The good that will result II q bureau
Of woman labor in the Department OF
Labor IL established for the purpose Of
ascertaining the economic value OF wom-
ans unpaid work is outlined in a post
script to letter sent to Secretary of La
Dor Wilson by Mrs. Flora Mcdonald
Thompson of 25O6 Clifbourne place. in
which the establishment Of such a bureau
is urged.
She declares that consideration Of the
proposition to establish a bureau of
woman labor will doubtless raise two
questions in the mind of every one
namely, How can the economic value of
woman's unpaid work in the home and of
the exercise of maternity be found. and
what good will 1t do to find it? In an
swer to these questions she states:
Il should say that the first step toward
getting at the economic value OF the
Wife's work in the home might be to
study the conditions of that work with
respect to cost Of living, as represented
in similar families. similarly situated,
wherein the wives Of some OF them, are
employed outside the home some having
skill in household work, and some not
some with good, others with bad domestic
equipment.
Determining Value.
The variations Of cost of living as
Shown in regard to the equipment, hours
of labor and skill of the wives work
would be an indication Of value of that
work Health and moral conditions, facts
as to infant mortality in connection with
household labor, would show certain other
indications.
The good resulting from knowing the
olvra <,fk -
home would operate in two ways:
Capital, discerning that money Is in
VOWED with the work of wives. would
find means through education in part
and In part by the compulsion of right
public sentiment, also perhaps by COM
pulsory legislation. to hold women ac-
countable to the economic laws govern
ing household affairs as these pertain to
money gain and loss. That would tend to
eliminate the household shirk. American
women would be, made to give up the
idea that to get married is to quit work
Capital. finding that the work of
wives in the home has economic value,
would find means better to equip that
work and to improve all it's conditions in
view OF the increased efficiency and con-
sequent gains SO to be realized, and
where the promised gains were SO little
that capital lacked incentive organized
labor would find themeans OF compel
ling capital to provide living wage and
the home the same as for 'womans work
in the shop. Sweating women in the
home would have as bad repute as
sweating them In a shop.
As to New Occupations
1.-THE petition for a bureau OF woman
labor points out that profitable service
to be undertaken is the development Of
new occupations for women in the home.
The objection may be raised that any
tendency to create work for women in
the home by taking it back from the
factory ,as canning or preserving, for ex-
ample, is retrogression of industry.
1.-THE answer to that is this:
1T Is time that American labor was
studied in the light of the joy Of living
instead of solely with reference to the
greatest production. Progression OF in
dustry should be measured in the terms
of life which industrial conditions make
possible for the worker. That should be
the test Of whether all kinds of work
now done in factories might not in some
case be made the occupation of women
in the home. 1t is not even the profits
Of the wage Garner which alone deter
mine industrial progression.
THE kind OF life enjoyed by the fam
lily Is the test Of good or bad labor con-
ditions; that includes good wages and
something more, which is explicitly de-
fined in the conditions under which wom-
en- exercise the offices of maternity"