, 1921-07-13

working opportunities equal to those
enjoyed by men.
, Miss Elsie Hin, q the national wom'
ans party. states IA a several OF the
government departments. which are
now reducing their ~payrolls, have IS
susd missionaries To their women en-
ploycs in order TO lind out which arc
: married and which are single. A
QUESTIONABLE sent out by the air serv-
, ice, OF which VIC hav a copy, Is evil
IDENTIFY designed ~ gain further in
, formation about the circumstances OF
, married women. II asks each Of these
to tell whether she is living with her
, husband: II not. whether she Is lcgally
separated from him. whether the nus
/ band is dependent upon her for sup
. port. and whether any members Of her
Immediate family are employed by
III government. n II sd how much
each earns.
Married Women Dismissed.
Following the issuance OF these
missionaries, Miss Hill states. a
large number OF married women have
been dropped from the rolls OF the
departments, without regard TO their
efficiency. In many cases. she says,
married women 1f long experience and
established value, have been dropped
for no other discoverable reason than
mat they are married. At tho same
time, she says. thu civil service is hold.
ing examinations for employees OF
similar grade and kind.
Tho object OF tho various depart.
ments in dripping married women
from their rolls is plain. They are
compelled TO drop some employees and
are g to drop those who will suf-
fer least hardship as a result. obyi.
ously the married woman who has an
employed husband is less apt TO suf.
fer from the loss Of her Job than the
single woman entirely dependent upon
her own resources.
Good Intentions.
The women recognize this motive
and practical Justification. They real.
izs that tho bueau chiefs nre moi
trying TO strike a blow at marriage.
But they claim that in effect it is n
blow at marriage, and also at the right
of a woman to work and be indepcnd-
ent.
1t is this latter phase of the qucs.
ton which chiefly interests the WON.
en- politicians. As far as the csfec,
on marriage is concerned. they simplv
point out that the same conservatives.
who contend that women's place is in
the home. are often keeping her ont
of it. when. by measures IKE This ono
they destroy her earning capacity.
For the modern American woman
generally works because she must.
She may also work because she wants
TO dc so. but IL is necessity far more
than choice that has brought women
into the working world. In American
cities the number of men who can
adequate way has been on the decline
for a long time. as both prices and
salaries and wages have climbed slow.
standards of living have risen while
ly after them. The departments at
Washington like the offices OF other
American cities, are filled with IN.
married girls between the ages OF 20
and 30.
The feminists will tell you that these
girls are working because they love
their independence, and that they
would want to continue TO work and
be self-supporting even though they
married. Unprejudiced observers. on
the other hand, have estimated that
an offer df marriage and support from
an attractive man with an assured
income OF ten thousand a year would
be rejected by only about one.tenth
or n per cent OF these bachelor
girls.
Work Because Have To.
Most of them are working because
they have to. and most of them have
not married because the good chance
has not come along. No doubt many
OF them do appreciate their independ.
enee n they probably appreciate it
more after they have made some prog
ress in their work and have become
accustomed TO the blessings of free
dom. But they are workers above all
oollar men but even five-thousand-
from necessity. Not only t~en-thousand
oohar men arc lamentably scarce.
They are quickly captured by the
more attractive girls, n usually by
girls with social setting and enough
money 10 dress in style. rather than
by stenoEraphers living on se5 a week.
"hat inc stenosrapher actually finds