Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-07-14
Letters TO the Editor
Married Women


,,,o. y, the Bver.no Public Led0er:
" ne ss ,s.u. Of July 9 carried some re-
bh-i i.r,ortIne TO answer carrier conr
esfks, a. 10 why married women. ace
aunicsnonss al by their husbands or by
orsug ',,Ssnt income. should not Dc EN-.
- ~ suitable the home, Tne eseence v'
y@assv's.marks were: First. tna. suon nna,,, wo
Shcud 'ass s,,nr employment, .they take work
nat 2, actually dependent upon tneir
dom uos .,,v, and finally. that unless
swn eai s.sire TO have children they should
women desno " fssf
~ -. foresoins objections may be
Tne ns,deYed in the ordsr abovs ind'-
-, ring for the home. especially
arc no children and when serv-
ynsn often engaged to 90 the real wo,N;
en.sGs, ~ ~ we'll be asked, What Is mere 70 90
snSriy ths housewife was rea, v..,a,y ~
Eop o. ,n,,nr m work which nnde her almoa
,,,,h the husband In the economic
eeueI - ,bs home. Today, however. those
Evport - thanks to the machine IN the
Eeo.r have gone by the board. The rae
s.s taken from the home most OF
.,.,ns Industrial processes. such ,.,ns
,vsavins, knitting. sewing. prewn.'
sE curing and preserving. In aonI.
plupns. s.ols nd hospitals have flehed moM
pen soS IS,,.a tior nj and medical core OF tue
ne ya,n an IA but follovins her former
ems, an she goes outside her home
an. tab,pg of work from persons
~ Asnendent for their support upon
k.ss earnings may be considered Inis 10
nsu, tbs strongest objection. howoveI
= |. soubtfui II this would resun 70 ~
n,.M. e1tent The entrance OF married
oppI.0,t s,nto industrial and professional oo-
w. wm.n during the World war. merely
ss ".sn IN the labor held. since then
sllsc go. rsmained there. Their entrance
-s,rfvi employment In time OF peace
.srnsily 70 gradual and imperceptiolo
n be almost unnoticed. Furfhermore.
"a the expansion OF inaIs..' n,. r.~sr wr ths %
s's,rs promises they VIII pus answer INV
xs,snd for the needed call. ,.H .
,"..,. thar, Ia another oogcnt reason
III mentally and physically capable
~ vben not engaged In child-oearins
~ rsild rearing. should be usefuliy EN-.
$3.50 There are given NUMBER OF
ys,.h. IN feed. and II part OF mankind
sssSasss nothing others must support them,
X thsre wore no parasites tns srea'er
mid bs the leisure for all
v..,d.s womsn's added productivity must
:. ,smsmbored her riEht TO and need OF
~,fHgvsiopnent and creative enort. ino
s",sss. normal human beink positively re-
49, some useful occupation for his or her
49, W.. Ana ooutsntment OF mind. Moreover.
4 .s.,Id mot be forgotten that, Historically,
rsn has always been economically oc-
-s,sS IN addition 10 the rearing OF her
~rIiy. Formerly. TOO, families were much
;rrsr than those Of today. Doubtless ma
inns production has rendered larger mum
n, AZ women parasitic or seni-parasitic
80, than anything slso since the human
- has been In oxigtonee, slavery not ex-
Suasd
v,r,ilv. Il must be suggested tnat. though
/. WY Important function Of marriage. the
s,ora ration Of the race IN not the only rea-
~, for entering the marital condition.
sos,obogy and Psychology today recognise
raay sdss to conjusai life. Of which the
Searing and rearing OF children II but one.
M any one to make tho child-rearirig. and
SiId,Osarins part tho sole function Of mar
naSs 10 TO degrade matrimony to the po-
Ition Of breeding arrangement. Not even
~ most enthusiastic and unrestrained
sussnic friends do that.
Ia conclusion, should like TO remark
Cat TO one at all freed from the tradi-
uons pssjudicss and conventionalities OF
lhe, Il seems remarkably strange for any
sbls-bodisd, mentally competent adult to be
supported by another. For married
woman to be willing to live parasitioally on
hsr husband appears to indicate a lack OF
{wu Independence and true womanhood
nat such condition exists merely shows
ns tremendous power Of the past over the
present.. but that many defend such an ar
nnssmsnt as right and proper simply re-
walls how fully We become entansled In the
hldltlons, prejudices and conventionalities
4 manfind's yesterday.
lgNa- Z. ID. g. PUNKE. A. NJ.
hfrson Fellow In Sociology. University of
Pennsylvania.
Philadelphia, July Z. 1921.