The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1922-06-10
CHILDREN or WAGE-EARNING
MOTHERS


Gainful employment of mothers OF
young children frequently means that
the children receive inadequate care
during the day, or no care at all, ac-
cording to a report entitled Children
of Wage Earning Mothers, A Study Of
a Selected Group in Chicago" just
made public by the u. S. Department
of Labor through the Children's Blu
reau other conditions found include
retarded school progress Of the chill
dren, over-fatigue and ill-health of
the mothers-with consequent loss to
to the children-and in some instances
overwork by children who had the re-
sponsibility for household tasks be-
yond their strength.
The report presents the results of a
study OF s43 families OF working moth
ers. in which were 2,o66 children under
the age OF IA years. The group includ-
ed families known to the Chicago
United Charities and to the day nur-
series, and included also a special
group OF PIP colored families. It was
found that the employment en- emf en-
found that the problem of the EN-
ployment of mothers had to do with
both normal and broken families.
Where the father was a member of
the family group and worked regularly
his earnings were, in the great ma
jority of cases, inadequate for the fam
lily support.
The As day nurseries in Chicago at
the time OF the study did not main
tain uniformly high standards with re-
spect to sanitation and child care and
training; many of them had not pro-
vided adequately for the care and
training OF the older children. Only
two nurseries, with capacity of 20
each, were available to colored chill
dren. OF the 1928 children who were
not care for in day nurseries. at least
a fourth were left with no provision
for their care aside from that made
in the schools.
The school attendance records of a
group Of 742 children were obtained,
and these compared unfavorably with
the attendance of all the children en-
rolled in nine selected schools in work
ers' neighborhoods. A large amount
Of retardation was found among the
children OF wage learning mothers,
over one-third Of whom were below
the standard grade for their ages.
The report emphasizes the skill in
planning and management shown by
many OF the women in carrying the
triple burden of wage Garner, house,
keeper. and mother, and states that
large proportion were doing their
without assistance. More
than half of $50 mothers whose house
hold arrangements were known were
doing all the washing and cooking;
the mothers in general showed ten
dency to sacrifice themselves in order
to save the children from tasks too
heavy for their years.
Measures for reducing the necessity
FOR wage earning by mothers of young
the report states. include
improved economic conditions that
will make the fathers earnings more
training of mothers in
household management and the care
Of children; preserving the normal
family group through movements for
the prevention OF accident and the
promotion OF health; and providing
for the fathers support
when he is dead or incapacitated, by
means OF mothers pensions and aid
rom social agencies. Special protec-
ton needed by children of wage-earn-
ing mothers, the report points out, |
include more adequate provision, |
through the nurseries or through the |
for the care Of school chill |
lren outside school hours; higher |
standards OF sanitation and care on
e part of the nurseries; and the pro- |
.actiop If the mother from over /
'atigue and ill-health. "Case-work |
agencies which include in their plans /
or certain families under care the |
yainful employment of the mother"
he report states, clearly have the re-
for making such arrange
nents that the mother will not have to
larry in addition to full-time employ
nent all the burden of household man
cement"