Evening star., 1938-03-06

general secretary of the Y. w. c.
the Public Affairs Committee, which
IS publishing the results in a PAM
phlet, commented on the salient points
Of the studies
Information regarding employed
women was gained through ques-
tionnaire sent to members of the Ma
tional Federation of Business and
Professional Women's Clubs in At
States and Hawaii and Alaska. The
12,043 women who repNed are en-
ployed in "a different occupations and
are in all but one of the industry
groups as defined by the United States
census. Half of them are under 40
years Of age.
Made on Smaller Scale.
The study made by the Y. w. C. A.
was on a smaller scale, only $50 young
women being included. and these had
typical age of 25, with 70 per cent
under 80. Workers in business and
the professions were included, as well
as some industrial workers and a few
household workers
OF the 1908 women who replied
to the Business and Professional Fed
eratlons QUESTIONABLE, l0,965 re-
ported dependents in their own house
holds and outside. Nearly one-fifth
are the sole support of their house
holds, practically the same number
have responsibilities outside of the
home and l3 per cent are partially
supporting households.
There isn't much of 'pin-money
idea back of their employment, you
may be sure said Miss White, in
commenting on the report. "A woman
with dependents, like man, feels she
must cling to her job whatever hap
pens. She doesn't dare take chances.
This fear of losing her job may ac-
count for many women remaining at
the dead end of employment"
Much Same Situation,
The picture developed by the Y. W.
G. A. survey shows much the same
situation. These are younger women
and earn smaller median salary
than the business and professional
group, and yet it was found that 80
of them are totally responsible for
families and are supporting 1874 per-
sons, II of whom are of the older
generation. Forty-four of these women
give practically everything they earn
toward the support of the family
with which they live. Support of
other persons besides themselves and
their immediate families was reported
by l25 workers.
"As have studied the figures, COM
piled from the Investigations, there
has taken shape before my eyes
picture of the typical working woman
in this country" said Mr. Stewart
She is middle-aged, hard working,
efficient, struggling along with dis
proportionate share of the world bur-
dens. Some of these responsibilities
might be reduced through an adequate
system Of social security. It is unfair
to expect women to assume the whole
burden of caring for their parents
end brothers and sisters All women
ask in most instances is wage equiv
alent to that which man would get
with similar duties and responsible
ties"
Increase With Age.
One of the challenging facts, de-
veloped by the survey, is that the
typical earnings of the business and
professional woman increase with
age, with maximum earnings in the
decade between so and so. Women
under 80 we're found to earn on an
average $3.50 year In the age group
between 80 and 80 the average is
$3.50. Women in the decade between
40 and so receive an average of $l,535,
and those between so and so earn the
maximum average of s1,615. There
Is slight decrease in the earnings
Of women over 60.
Half of the business and profess
sional women in the highest income
groups earn more than $4,000 year.
although the typical earning of even
this high income group is only $1,315
Physicians, surgeons and dentists are
among the best paid of the profess |
sional group. Owners and partners |
Of manufacturing establishments earn
q median salary of $2,400. Lawyers |
and judges earnings average $2,2eO. |
Executives and managers of social and
other professional agencies come next |
in the salary scale, with a median of |
$l,980, while interviewers and voca-
tional counselors earn around $1,810. |
Nine Get Public Funds.
Nine out of every twenty women, in
Nf
lie or tax funds. Seven are paid by |
commercial and industrial concerns
and three by professional, social and |
welfare agencies.
That wages tend to increase with |
age also was emphasized by the Y. w.
c. A. survey. OF the group studied |
IS per cent earn less than $22 a week |
or $l,144 year.
The study, made by the National |
Federation of Business and Profess
'sional Women's Clubs, was directed |
by Miss Hirth, and an Advisory Com
mittee consisting of DR.. Grace Abbott, |
professor of public welfare of the
University of Chicago; Miss Frieda
Miller, director of the Division of
Women in Industry of the New York
State Department of Labor; Dr. Ellen
C. Potter, director of medicine, of the
New Jersey Department of Institu-
tions and Agencies, and Miss Jessa-
mine S. Whitney, statistician of the
National tuberculosis Association of
New York City.
The Y. w. c. A. survey was made
BY Miss Elsie D. Harper, economic
research and program secretary, under
the Laboratory Division of the Ma
tional Board of the Y. w. G. A.
X X X X
Senator Rush Holt, Maj. Gen. Amos
A. Fries and Mrs. Mary Logan Tucker
were the speakers at the meeting Of
the Wheel Of Progress at the Wash
ington Hotel last Monday night. Miss
Irene Koehl sang.
Mrs. Margaret Hopkins Worrell is
the president of the organization,
which Is essential1v natriotic hit is