Evening star., 1941-04-27
Working Daughters
Aid Families
BIZ Frederic J. HIsktn.

of bringing up a daughter have reason
to take heart. The Womens Bureau
of the United States Department Of
Labor through two surveys looked into
the worth of daughters to their fam
lilies after they have reached the self
supporting period. The surveys made
were not geographically extensive, but
it was felt that a sampling of families
in a comparatively large city and in
smaller communities of a single State
would afford a family croSs-section and
be representative.
Cleveland, Ohio where the industrial
structure affords broad opportunities for
women, and certain communities in
Utah, where an agricultural and mining
economy limits women's opportunities,
were designated areas for the interviews.
It was found that daughters contribute
more than sons to family support.
This does not mean that parents can
be sure of aid in old age from daugh-
ters earnings. Children still grow up.
have interests outside the home, and
acquire new responsibilities which oc-
cupy most of their time, but it seems
from the Utah and Cleveland surveys
that when going gets difficult for par
ents the sons and daughters particu-
larly the daughters, come to their rescue.
For example, in 302 Cleveland families
with both sons and daughters employed,
20 per cent of the daughters, in con-
trast to Is per cent of the sons, give
all their earnings to their families. Near
" one-third of the daughters, but only
one-fifth of the sons give two-thlrds or
more of what they earn TO their families.
While the daughters average monthly
earnings are SIS and the sons S86, the
daughters average monthly contribu-
tions are So greater than the average OF
the sons.
The same tendency is noted In 81
families in Utah, with sons and daugh-
ters employed. Almost 80 per cent OF
the daughters, but only 10 per cent OF
the sons, contribute from one-th1rd to
about tWo-thirds Of their earnings.
Although a slightly larger proportion OF
boys than of girls give all their earn
ings to their families, 80 per cent OF
them fail to give any part, whereas only
121a per cent of the daughters fail to
contribute. The sons are younger than
the daughters, and only between the
ages of 81 and 80 are there suffclent
numbers of both sexes to permit the
comparison of individual earnings. In
this group, although the daughters
average ST. for the month and the sons
average s88, contributions Of the daugh-
ters average SO a month more.
These figures do not tell all the story.
They only suggest the circumstances
which have brought many young women
into the business world, What nap
pened in each of these households and
the sacrifices made by the daughters lie
buried in the original records. In order
to find out these details it is necessary
to consider individual cases.
For example. there is Cleveland FAM
ily of nine, which is just barely making
ends meet The youngest member OF the
family is the grandchild and the Oldest
the grandfather. Although the family
lives on a modest scale and has practl-
callv no conveniences, all hands are
needed to keep things going. The TWO
daughters and the daughter-in-law from
their earnings in a manufacturing plant
we're supplementing contributions from
the son and Son-in-laW, but at the time
of the interview this factory had moved
away and only the unmarried daughter
was able to go along with it.
Another case concerns a Utah house,
hold of father and daughter. The father
is elderly and aside from small annuity
is dependent solely on the daughters
earnings A vegetable garden helps to
stretch the daughters 500 monthly SAL
ary which includes the living expenses
of her brother and his wife and child
who had been with them for about a
year.
The third case which the report re-
| veals involves father and mother, four
daughters and one son. The father is
not employed full time Two daughters
work and turn over almost all their earn
ings to the family which brings total rev.
enue to something over 500 month
when the father works.
Then there are two daughters, Utah
teachers. who make a home and support
their father and mother, and the family
of 10 with five sons and three daugh-
ters. This household would be definitely
up against it were it not for earnings
of the three daughters who work, each
earning a modest salary. One son also
contributes to the family support.
In another case, daughter in family
helps to support her father and mother
on a salary of $50 month In still an
other instance 29-year-old daughter Is
employed in county position. Her earn
ings are only 500 a month, but she has
made home for her mother and brother.
The brother is now employed and makes
occasional contributions.
There are many other cases similarly
illustrative of the financial responsible
tiles assumed by daughters. But there
are other phases of family support. For
instance, parents are not the only ones
to benefit from employed women's earn
ings. Other members of families have
had their bills paid and various other
needs met by women earnerS.
In over 1000 Cleveland families the
amounts contributed by the various earn
ers are reported. In one-third of these
families the women earnerS give all that
is contributed, and in we'll over half they
give so per cent or more. Virtually the
same situation is found in Utah. In over
tWo-flfths Of approximately 800 families