Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-05-04
WHY WOMEN WORK

WASHINGTON, May 1:-Most wo-
men work BECAUSE they need the
money. Such il the conclusion reach
ed az n result of a survey made by
he Women's Bureau OF the Depart
ment OF Labor
Women whdYare working may
greet this report with derisive laugh
ter and comment on il sarcasticaiiy
to the effect that it must nave re-
ouired an extremely exhaustive IN
y~estigation to establish a fact n Is
as obvious as the noses on the IN
~yestigators. They may even question
| the sanity OF the person or persons
who suggested that such an inquiry
be made.
However, there is a reason Tor II:
The rapidiy increasing number Oh
women in industry, III business anu
lin professions is creating
uroblems that are not to be soIVeo
lof-hand nor dismissed with a ees-
tuse. For instance. what Will De tne
effect of this tendency upon mar
rage, the family and the future ol
the race? And. again, what wiz po
lthe ultimate effect of the competition
hatween men and women in similar
9clds of work and endeavor?
Ia IL DOSSlDlt Itldl AN a
there are who wark the more there
viii he of the succeeding generation
Who will have to work? Is 1t all due
n the high cost of living. and Is n
world fast approaching a SITUATION
lin which il will b. impossible LOT
.be average family man to earn
enough or produce enoug 10 sup
mort the average family wlthout as
ststance from those who should De
his dependents?
Are women lured into the money
making game primarily by a ueslle
To assert and establish their
ic Independence, or are they leu ineo
II nv modern standards of living
hat are unduly nigh? Is 1t the
cost of high living rather thar the
high cost of living that Is at inc
bottom of the trouble? Or again.
has Woman gone ou-, Oh ner nay,
ural sphere" because she mas Iopho
housework and domesticlty ols'aste1
full and unsatisfactory OF peeil w
en- out by mans insistence upon con- ~,
trolling the purse strings ana ms
6elflshness in the d~lS'iioo'i0"
family income? ,
These are some of the questions
~,rowingT out oil the real proplenl
That Is recognized as sufficiently reai
and i'm portant, to call for study by d
governmental agency. 1t - possiple'
eiso that these questions were sup
,nIemented by Il masculine grow u
Inc feet that most women Work Ioi
mn. or lust to have.soInething to 90
or 60 thew will av9 an excuse &c
i. etrav from under the family tret
md get out where they Will meet oi
/, he associated with men constantly
and that the women were lmpelie,
Ito demonstrate that such ls hoe aI a.
the case.
World War Contributed
II is undoubtedly true that tn
World War contributed larseiy u
} the problem and complicated II u
forcing women into industrial occup
atoms never before undertaken o.
49, ..;The Industrial Code" a re
cent work on Industrial relatiohs' J.
discussing this says; =
nJjnder stress OF national necesslt
=, was found tina woman could q
Almost any kind of work tina ma
can do. Handicaps heretofore &C
rented as insurmountable were over
conoe ouickly and easily. was II
o Question of clothing; hamperln
. rkirts. p~etticoats and the likeE me
& the inipedimenta We're dlscarue
rromptly and the overalls OF IN
= male warkers were adopted. was 1t
matter of inferior physical strengti
Then inventive genius came tol
ward with a machine. or a metho'
IL that minimized the physical demand
made upon the worker. Was 1t
r question OF environment: OF NOR
and sex hazards to which. under Ut
f old order, common acceptance rule
that omen should not be subJe'
e ted? Then society immediately real
cd around the women
a protective wall of sentiment ar
public opinion that guaranteed the
r an immunity never before enooye
by any of their sex. IL was four
Ie that many occupations had bee
closed to women for no reason 9th
,e than tradition or custom. and 1t vi
4 also found that women exceiled
n tasks at which it had been believe
only men could be proficient. Coz
70 trary to expectations. it was four
that standards of productivity
many cases were raised instead
lowered as a result of the introdu
ltion OF women workers in industri
1theretofore reserved to men,"