The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1920-07-15
WOMEN POWER WASTED

The waste Of woman power is on
of the greatest menaces to the rural
life of the nation, according to de-
ductions that specialists of the United
States department Of agriculture draw
from farm-home survey conducted
in the SO northern and western states.
The survey was made under the direc-
ton of Miss Florence +. Ward. in
charge of extension work with women
of the northwest. The records cover
lO.O15 farm homes, averaged by tah
ing typical communities Of the coun-
ties in which the survey was made
Much of the information was gathered
personally by home demonstration
agents, who are the field representa-
tives Of the United States department
Of agriculture and the state agricul-
tural colleges.
Miss Ward points out, from the facts
shown by the survey, that reason
able amount Of planning and well-di
rected investment in modern equip
meme for farm homes would prevent
a large part of this wastage of the
energy of the nations rural home
makers.
This is a serious matter" she con
tinues, because we have live ma
tional problem now in working out
the economics of country living IN
-1tI 20 olyn f-Eg Il
, to stay on the land and help build il
up. Perhaps the greatest factor in
bringing this about will be the healthy,
alert, and expert home maker, who
will see to it that part Of the increased
income from the farm goes into i'm
provement of the home. At a time
like this, when the dearth of farm
labor is limiting factor in prodluc-
| ton, it is very doubtful business policy
for farmers to use increased income
to buy more land instead of using a
part Of it in raising standards of liv-
ing so that women and young people
will not want to go to the cities in
search of attractive living conditions
and amusement"
The survey discloses a number of
the reasons why many women do not
find farm life attractive. The work
ing day of the average farm woman,
as shown by the survey, is 11.3 hours.
the year round. In summer it is 1872
hours. And 81 out of each 100 women
have no regular vacation during the
year. On the average the farm woman
can find only 1.6 hours of leisure dur
ing the summer and only "a hours
in winter. Half of the farm women
are up and at work at o'clock in the
morning
Forty eight pei cent have water in
the kitchen, but 1he other So per cent
must go to the spring or the pump to
bring the water for cooking break
fast. Thirty-six per cent help with
the milking. On the average the farm
woman has a 7-room house to keep in
| order. Seventy-nine per cent have
kerosene lamps to trim and fill. Nine
| ty-six percent do the family washing,
about half Of them having washing
machines and the other half doing
the work with tub, washboard, and
boiler. Twenty-six per cent have gas
or electric irons to make home COM
Portable the task of ironing. Ninety
two per cent do some or all of the fam
| lily sewing. Garden work is done by
Sc per cent, "a per cent make all or
part of the family bread. and so per
cent have churning to do. Eighty-one
per cent of all poultry flocks are cared
for by women. One-fourth of the farm
women help to feed and bed the live
stock, and "a per cent Of them spend
over six weeks in the year assisting
with some part of the field work All
of this is in addition to cooking the
family meals and caring for the chill
dren.
This. of course, is the dark side of
the shield 1t does not take into con-
sideration the many compensations
| that come with the womans daily
round of work for the comfort of her
family, and anyone who has expert
enced the satisfaction of living IN the
open country knows that the average
farm woman is more fortunately
placed than her average city sister
But the task is sufficiently grinding,
as Miss Ward says, to send the farm
woman to bed breathing prayer that
her strength may be equal to tomor-
rows duties"
What is to be done about it? The
department suggests some very def
mite things. "The interest of the de-
partment OF agriculture in the re-
turns from these studies as to labor
working equipment, and compensa.