Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-04-23
MARRIAGE AND THE WORKWOMAN-By Frederic J. Haskn

own earnings for support. A girl who is support
ed by her parents can afford TO take job at four
dollars a week, which will pay for her cosmetics
and sodas, but no woman can be decently self
supporting such a wage.
For many years popular opinion has held that
a who lives at home should be willing and
fallacy that is the greatest menace to indus
trial women. Under its protecting influence many
charlatan concerns have lived and fourished reared
on the cheap labor of girls who were supported by
home subsidies. Now people are beginning to re-
alize that if a is worth hiring at all, she
should be paid self-SuppOrting wage, regardless OF
where she lives. If she is worth ten dollars
week, then she should demand and get ten dollars
a week for her labor, even if she happens to be
heiresS to millions.
In the District of Columbia investigation, also,
it shown that many young women we're handi-
capT I'd by home assistance. That is, they gave up
opportunities to better positions and larger
salaries to remain at home on a small wage be-
they believed that their services or compan-
ionship were needed. Women wage-earners never
do achieve the emancipation from home RESPONSE
bilities that men do. it appears. Many women who
work eight hours in business offices, stores and
factories, it has been shown, go home to another
two or three hours of housework. Thus 1t was
recently discovered by a city social worker that
girl of eighteen who worked for nine and half
hours in a large department store then went home
and cooked dinner for her father and three broth
esr after which she washed both the breakfast and
dinner dishes and put the rest of the house
order
This girl was making such low wage that
she could not have supported herself anywhere but
at home And this is often what the home subsidy
really is-a payment for equally arduous but less
Independent labor than that which the girl does
outside the home
Since the war the situation of women in in
dustry has improved. Wages have risen, new in
dutsrial opportunities have opened up, and the girl
who works for pin money has found other outlets
for her working instinct such knitting and for
eign relief work new valuation has been placed
on women's work. Many concerns are learning to
their own great establishment that in lines OF
work women may even excel men.
An aircraft firm employing large number OF
women in its factory on piece work that had for
merly been done by men admitted, few weeks
ago. that they getting better results from the
change There are certain lines of work in which
women cannot compete with at all, they
serted owing to physical unfitness, but where they
can do the work at all, they outstrip the men.
If this is So the end Of the will not very
likely see any great exodus of women from indus
try. Investigation has proved that they need the
jobs and they will doubtless keep them But
many of these women have won their present places
employers have had to take the time to train
them In Europe this training has been given in
technical schools; here it has been done at the
expense of the employer in the factory.
When the war is and the next generation
grow I'D and begin to enter the industrial world,
again will come the demand for trained workmen;
there will be little patience with the inexperienced
girl
Thus the future of the industrial woman lies in
traning-technical training that will fit her for
specific trade or job. Already the trade schools
of Massachusetts, have proved their value by show
ing that the trade school graduate does better
work and earns higher wage in the same occupa-
tons than the unframed girl Fortunately, the
government has insured this future in establishing
a federal board for vocational education which
will provide for the training of women as well as
men.