The Washington times., 1915-11-30
Would Place
Vices Upon
Sound Basis
Working Conditions She Suf-
fers Under Reduce Her
Share in Married Part
. nership to That of
Sweated Employe.
.HAT married women. especially

"HAT married women. especially
those who do their work,
i should be entitled TO member
ship In unions In addition TO
those listed as being In gasnfui occu-
pations and that women of this class
should be given a more definite eco
non,ic position. arc two conte ntions
made by Alice Henry In discussing
the working woman and marriage
In her latest book, The Trade Union
Woman"
The fact that modern improve
nents are simplifying the manage
n1ent of the home in many COM
niunities. does not materially affect
the condition of those who cannot
AFFORD them. hence an Investigation
Sf domestic service is suggested
MISS Henry says 1T Is Of the
utmost Importance to society. as vel!
as to the woman, that the whole
economic status of the married
woman. performing domestic duties,
should be placed upon sornder
basis. 1t is not as If the unsa tisfac-
torv POSITION Of the sverage wife
and mother could contine Its results
70 herself. COMPARED with other oc-
cupauons. hers fulnlls none OF the
conditions that the self-respecting
Waze.earner demands. Tho twenty
four hour day. the seven-day week,
no legal claim for rcmun~ration.
these are her common working con-
ditions. | leave unnotlced the un-
questioned claim Of her children upon
Der time and strength.
The poor WORKING conditions she
suffers under. reduce her share in
the married partnership TO that OF
an employe in sweated trade.
This. hike all other swested trades.
tends to lower the market value OF
WOmens work. II the woman were
an ordinary wage-worker. we should
say of her that her occupation was
an unstandardized one and that In
dividually she was too dependent
versely. Cicely Hamilton I'm Mar
riaSe as Trade. points out that
the Improvements in the economic
position OF the married woman.
which have come about in recent
years. are partly at least due to
the successful effort of single wom-
On to make themselves Independent
and sclf-saipporting.
Let US compare factory occupa-
tons with the domestic arts. There
IL no dcupt that in cooking, for eX-
ample, the housewife finds scope for
. tar higher range of qualifications
than the factory girl exercises in
preparing tomatoes for "A cannery.
There Is scarcely any division Of
housework which does not call for
resource and alertness. The house
wife'S versatility Is attained at the
price of having no standards OF
comparison established and worse
than all at the pric. OF working In
isolation and so never having an
fnklinS as to what organized effort
means.
Further. women saying that they
are engaged in domestic duties not
being paid employees. are listed as
not Gainfully employed. Yet 1t Is
impossible to believe that compared
with other ways Of employing time
and energy the hours women spend
IN cooking and cleaning for the
family. even II on unavoidably
primitive lines. have no value to the
community. A woman publicist re-
Gently expressed regret that organ-
izations like the National Woman's
Trade Union League confined their
attention so exclusively to women
and girls employed In factories and
stores. Every movement follows the
Iine of least resistance. and a move
ment for the industrial organization
or women must frst approach those
In the most advanced and highly or
ganiZed industries
The league recently urged upon
the Secretary for Labor the recog-
milton. as an economic factor, Of
the work of women in the household
trades; the classification Of these
trades. whether paid or unpaid, on
a par with other occupations, and
lastly Government investigation Of
domestic service