New Britain herald., 1915-06-03
Marriage Factor Makes Average
Woman an Inefficient Worker
Miss Martin Frankly Admits That Some Women Make
Poor Business Investments Advises Them to Think
More of Their Tasks and Less of Themselves

do that. I'm too tired When was
brought up l was taught that it was
shameful to be tired, and now ] have
got SO that / would never acknowledge
that I was tired" And yet Miss Mar
tin is responsible for about $1,000
900 advertising a year; goes to par
ties at night. il she has had no other
time during the day, reads from IL
at night until o'clock in the morn
ing.
Trained Fatherllood.
She has space too, for many out
side activities. She is secretary and
treasurer of the League of Advertis-
ing Women. and thinks that women
are better fitted for such work than
mon because they understand the field
and because IS per cent of the pur-
chasing power of the world is held by
women. She feels strongly the value
of the present movement for birth
control and is deeply interested in
tho subject of trained fatherhood.
What do you do in hebalf OF the
latter?'' she asked. II advertise it,
she smiled. II talk about it, and
thereupon she explained that everey
activity, that the fundamental func-
tions Of tho world, are made pos
sible through advertising.
you have always been greatly in
terested in the equal pay for equal
work movement Of women 1 said,
land perhaps you can explain why
there should be a necessity for such
movement and why it has not sue
ceeded more MARKEDLY
"Of course I have been interested,
and l. do wish that there would be
equal pay for equal work. But and
she paused in exaggerated emphasis.
there must be equal work. The fault
lies most with the women. They apply
for position and take what is Of
fered to them, and do SO much work
for their money. If they demand a
good, high wage, they will get it.
Their employers will respect them for
asking it. And if they ask for lot
of money and get it they will take
the trouble to be worth it. That is
all there is to the question. Why do
stem ographers receive such low wages?
Why do men offer them about one
half, more or less, than do men
stenographers? Because they know,
and the women they employ know,
that women are inefficient, that there
is a tremendous surplus of poor work
ers in the stenographic field. How
many men are satisfied with their
stenographers? Not many. They ac-
cept what they get, and seem pleased
1t they escape the negative qualities
But thy don't look for initiative or
even common sense. That is the real
reason for low wages for women.
The Marriage Factor.
"Of course, there is the factor of
marriage, too. A man trains in a
worker; she naarries and leaves, and
that is added expense to him. But
women shouldn't stop working. be-
cause of marriage. 1 wouldn't give
up my job for the best man on earth.
But the little picayune stenographer.
who will never get more than $40 IL
week, might just as well give it up.
She will be just as eff1cient--or in
efficient-as a mere housekeeper
And the girl who works for frills
and fancies is a very bad factor in
the situation, for she is working for
something she doesn't need, and doing
work that she doesn't want, doing it
poorly, and by cutting down the wage
keeps out a worker who really needs
the position. She is the biggest para
site of ALL
But Miss Martin is not at all clear
III Her NINA DIS TO. the IuluFe WOHlCH.
She believes that they should work
and stop feeling their pulse for emo
tional symptoms. But they don't like
to work for member of their own
sex, because they won't stop thinking
about themselves and putting a per-
soral construction upon impersonal
events They think less about the
task than about themselves. But in
the mean time she will go on doing
that which is the basis of all achie-
yement, absorbing herself completely
in her departing from the practices
of the tired business man, she will
continue to help at any outside job
that comes to her hand; showing what
the exceptional woman, at least, can
accomplish.