The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1939-08-17
ResPonsibi!i+yof

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2 in 5 of the familiesof persons, and
approximately in S of the families
of 8 or more persons, included work
ing woman.
While the burden of support for de-
pendents fell heaviest on the widowed
and divorced women, in many cases
married women especially the Negro
women were the sole support of fami-
lies of considerable size, and these
families very often included small
children. In a number of cases single
women supported dependent parents
and at times, small children.
One-third of the $4,000 women
whose records were studied combined
the job of breadwinner with the many
tasks and responsibilities of home
maker, the report points out. This is
approximately the same proportion as
in the United States as whole though
the percentage was somewhat lower in
Fort Wayne and Bridgeport and some
what higher in Richmond. Well over
nine-tenths of these home makers were
at work away from the home-in the
northern cities most often in factories,
and in Richmond as domestic workers
in private homes. In such types of
work the home making wage earners
are employed in much larger proper
tions while in clerical or professional
field in much smaller proportions, than
are other gainfully occupied women.
The report shows that home makers
in the three cities were an older group
than the other employed women. Only
about tenth of the home makers, as
compared to approximately four-tenths
Of all gainfully employed women, were
under rs. A correspondingly larger
proportion of the home makers were
women Of at least as years of age.
In general, married women, just as
home makers, were found in those
jobs offering less chance for advance
ment or display of initiative than were
the single women, the study indicates.
For example, while the percentages
of single women in managerial and
professional jobs in Fort Wayne.
Bridgeport, and Richmond were II, 16.
and 1S respectively, corresponding per-
centages for married women in these
cities were 8, 5, and Gin each case
the latter being less than half of the
former. A percentage more than
twice as high for single than for mar
ried women was found for clerical
jobs. On the other hand, much high
er percentages of married than of
, single women were found in the ser
vice industries and in occupations
within their own homes. In each city
the percentage of married women was
higher in factories and in selling than
that of the single women, especially
for factories in Bridgeport and for
selling in Fort Wayne.
White-collar clerical jobs in Fort
Wayne and Bridgeport were found tc
be filled with women somewhat young
er than those who worked in factories
and considerably younger than those
in domestic and personal services: In
Fort Wayne 81 per cent Of the clerical
workers were 16 and under 25 years
Of age and As per cent were 25 and
} under 55. On the other hand So pei
cent of the women in domestic and
personal jobs were 25 and under 5s
and 16 per cent were IS and over. A
very similar condition prevailed ir
Bridgeport.
} The section of the report dealing
l with Richmond contains an important
contribution to the limited data or
. problems Of Negro women workers
In Richmond almost half Of all Negro
r women are gainfully occupied as com.
pared with 3 in 10 native white womer
and 2 in 10 foreign-bor women. While
l more native white women were in
, clerical occupations than in any other
only | in 100 Negro women had such
, jobs. Nlne-tenths Of Negro factory
r workers were in cigar and tobacco
plants. OF all Negro women workers
two thirds were doing some sort OF
domestic and personal job and three
l fourths of these were in private homes
The Richmond data show that or
every point the weight Of response
l bilty for family support was accentu.
/ ated in the case of Negro women, as
9 a much larger percentage of Negro
women, both married and single, were
l in families with no men wage earners
7 While rs per cent of the families Of al
r Negro women with jobs were support,
l ed entirely by women, this was true
of 10 per cent of the employed native
= white women. The serious problems
of Negro women who must leave then
, wages in the homes of other women
: frequently leaving small children alone
, or with inadequate care-are clearly
F., indicated in this city.