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UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR WOMEN'S. BUREAU Bulletin No. 148 THE EMPLOYED WOMAN HOMEMAKER IN THE UNITED STATES HER RESPONSIBILITY FOR FAMILY SUPPORT https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR FRANCES PERKINS, Secretary WOMEN'S BUREAU MARY ANDERSON, Director + THE EMPLOYED WOMAN HOMEMAKER . IN THE UNITED STATES HER RESPONSIBILITY FOR FAMILY SUPPORT By MARY ELIZABETH PIDGEON BULLETIN OF THE WoMEN's BUREAU, No. 148 UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON : 1936 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D. C. - - - - - - - - https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis - Price 10 cents https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Letter of transmittal______________________________ _________________ _ Introduction ___________ .____________________________ __________ ______ Summary of findings as to gainfully employed homemakers----------~---Statistical summary as to women in gainful occupations in the United States, 1930_____________________________________________________ _______ _ Occupations of gainfully employed homemakers__ _______________________ Ages of gainfully employed homemakers_______________________________ Homemakers who were the sole wage earners in their families_____________ Size of families of all gainfully employed homemakers_ _______ ____________ Gainfully employed homemakers with children in the family______________ Nativity of gainfully employed homemakers_____________ _______________ Heads of gainfully employed homemakers' families_______ _______________ Lodgers in gainfully employed homemakers' families________ _____________ Gainfully employed homemakers who lived in cities and in rural communities_ A statistical picture of the family responsibility of women 16 years of age and over in each occupation group in the United States______________ ____ __ Agriculture ___________________________________________ ______ ____ Professional work______________________________ _________________ Office work ___________ __________________________________________ Manufacturing and mechanical work_____________________ __ _______ Domestic and personal service__________________ _____________ _____ Trade _________________ ___________ ____ _____________________ ____ v 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 9 10 10 12 13 14 14 14 15 15 16 16 APPENDIX TABLES employed homemakers, by occupation and age--United Table I. Gainfully States, 1930 _____________________________________ ________ _ II. Families in which the gainfully employed homemaker was the sole wage earner, by occupation and selected age group of homemaker-United States, 1930 _______________________________ _ III. Families reporting gainfully employed homemakers, by size of family, occupation, and selected age group of homemakerUnited States, 1930 __________________________________ ____ _ IV. Families of 2 or more persons reporting gainfully employed homemaker&, by number of children under 10 and occupation of homemaker-United States, 193-0 ________ _________ ______________ _ V. Color and nativity of gainfully employed homemakers, by occupation-United States, 1930 _________________________________ _ VI. 2-or-more person families of gainfully employed homemakers, by sex of head and occupation and selected age group of homemaker-United States, 1930 _______________________________ _ VII. Families of gainfully employed homemakers having lodgers, by occupation and selected age group of homemaker-United States, 1930--------------------------------------------~-------VIII. Distribution of gainfully employed homemakers in urban and rural areas, by occupation .of homemaker-United States, 1930 _____ _ m https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 17 18 19 20 20 21 22 22 https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, WoMEN's BuREAU, Washington, September 16, 1936. MADAM: I have the honor to transmit a report on the family status of the employed woman homemaker, prepared by the Women's Bureau from unpublished data made available by the Bureau of the Census, which had responded in 1930 to urgent requests for the enumeration of homemakers as such. I extend my very grateful appreciation to the Bureau of the Census for its courteous and valuable cooperation. The Women's Bureau is asked very frequently by organizations and individuals, both in this country and abroad, for information as to the twofold responsibility of our more than 3¾ million employed women homemakers, approximately 1½ million of whom have no man at the head of the family. The statistical tables that form the basis of the facts presented were prepared by the Bureau of the Census, and they were analyzed and the report was written by Mary Elizabeth Pidgeon, chief of the research division of the Women's Bureau. It is planned that this report will be followed later by a discussion of material on the family responsibility of all gainfully employed women in certain large cities, compiled from original census data. Respectfully submitted. MARY ANDERSON, Director. Hon. FRANCES PERKINS, Secretary of Labor. V https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis ~ https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis THE EMPLOYED WOMAN HOMEMAKER IN THE UNITED ST A TES HER RESPONSIBILITY FOR FAMILY SUPPORT INTRODUCTION As women have done in all times in the past, and in all countries, the women of today contribute their full share to the economic life of this country, thou~h now their way of doing so must fit the needs of a complex industrial society rather than those of more primitive ages. This places upon many a woman a responsibility of a twofold type, requiring that she provide for the home needs of the family and that she supply by her labor part, in many cases all, of its financial support. Going day after day to factory, st ore, office, laundry, and restaurant millions of women are doing their bit in building the ordered life of their communities. Returning to their dwellings at night, they then must assume home cares that often run their work.in~ day into overlong and fatiguing hours. In many cases a woman is the sole wage earner in the family, often with young children1 an incapacitated husband, or aged parents dependent upon her for livelihood. In 1930 the Bureau of the Census collected a new type of information; for the first time having instructed its enumerators to designate, on the schedule for each family visited, not alone the person who was the head --of the family but the woman who was the homemaker, that is, the woman member who was responsible for the care of the home and family. Thus it has become possible to know how many women in this country are both homemakers and wage earners, and certain further facts concerning the women who are under the necessity of carrying these double responsibilities. In order that the Women's Bureau might develop the available information in regard to these women who work and who also have the care of their homes, the Bureau of the Census very generously furnished correlations on the families of employed homemakers in the United States, which it had not yet been able to publish in full. This report presents an analysis of these data for the United States as a whole. It shows in what occupations employed homemakers are enga~ed, their ages, nativity, the extent to which they are city dwellers, the sizes of their families and the number of young children, the extent to which they are taking lodgers, the number who are the sole family wage earners, and the number whose families are headed by an employed woman. This information covers employed homemakers and does not show the similar facts for all employed women; nor does it show, except for those who are the sole wage earners in the family, another very 1 https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 2 THE EMPLOYED WOMAN HOMEMAKER important type of information-the full extent to which wage-earning homemakers are supporting dependents. To obtain a further _picture, therefore, the Women's Bureau was enabled to consult the Census schedules and to discover what are the family responsibilities of all employed women as well as of employed homemakers. For this purpose it was decided to make a sampling of a few cities, since it was hnpossible to cover all the more than 10¾ million women employed in the United States. The results of this further study will be made publi" at a later date. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS AS TO GAINFULLY 'EMPLOYED HOMEMAKERS [Based on Census figures for 1930] The fact has been referred to that in 1930 it was possible for the first time to obtain for the entire United States information as to the situation of the women whose duties included a paid job as well as the responsibility for the homemaking for their families. It is these women who are considered in this report. There are more than 3¾ million (3,882,143) of these women in the United States, which is well over one-third of all women in gainful employment. Nearly I million 1 of these wonien are from families that have no man at the head, a larger proportion than is the case with all families in the United States. In very many instances the woman head of the family undoubtedly is also the homemaker and a wage earner besides. The families of these employed homemakers are city dwellers to a considerably greater extent than all families, since nearly 70 percent of them but only about 58 percent of all families dwell in urban districts. Well over one-eighth of all the employed homemakers, somewhat more than 45Q,000, are the on(y wage earners in their_families.1 Though the families of these women tend to be smaller than is the case with all families in the Unitea States, practically one-third of them are making homes for four persons or more (including themselves) and 132,000 represent families of at least eight persons. Occupational data for the homemakers who are in gainful work show that 80 percent of them are employed outside their homes and that over one-half of those in paid work at home are in agricultural pursuits. Practically one-fourth of all the women are in domestic and personal service (servants, waitresses, laundresses, or some allied occupation), just under one-fifth are in manufacturing, about one-eighth in clerical occupations, practically one-tenth each in the professions and in agricultural pursuits, and a smaller proportion in sales occupations. Larger proportions of these homemakers than of all employed women are in agriculture and in industry; smaller proportions in every other occupation. Practically one-sixth of the employed homemakers' families, some 614,000 of them, have lodgers. Since the urban population was in the ascendancy among employed homemakers, it is not surprising that relatively more of their families than of all families in the country have lodgers. Of homemakers at work at home in other than 1 Exclusive of 1-person families, that is, women living alone, of whom there were 570,757 in 1930. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 3 THE EMPLOYED WOMAN HOMEMAKER agricultural pursuits 40 percent h ad lodgers, but the great majority of those who had lodgers were homem akers employed outside the home. Lodgers are taken by the families of 18 percent of the homemakers in domestic and personal service, 16 percent of those in the professions, and about 11 percent each of those in industry, in offices, and in sales occupations. Personal data concerning gainfully employed homemakers show that they tend, on the whole, to represent a more mature groupthat is, more of them are older, fewer very young- than is the case with all employed women. A third of them are 45 years of age or older. Many of these older homemakers are in paid work at home or in agricultural pursuits at home. Gainfully occupied homemakers in the United States are native-white women in a considerably smaller proportion and Negro women in a larger proportion than is the case with all women who have paid work. In only about one-tenth of the native-white and foreign-white families, as compared with almost 40 percent of the Negro families, are the homemakers employed. Homemakers are not likely to leave young children and take jobs unless their economic situation requires it. A smaller proportion of their families than of all families in the United States have children under 10 years of age. In only about 8 percent of all families in the United States that have little children is the homemaker gainfully employed, and in more than 60 percent of these she is in agricultural work, domestic and personal service, or manufacturing. The homemaker with children under 10 in the family is more likely to be in agricultural work at home, in a factory, or working in domestic or personal service, and less likely to be in professional work or in an office, than the homemaker without small children . STATISTICAL SUMMARY AS TO WOMEN IN GAINFUL OCCUPATIONS IN THE UNITED STATES, 1930 GAINFULLY EMPLOYED WOMEN A ll gainfully Gainfu lly employed employed homemakers w omen 16 years of 16 years of age and over age and over i Percent of all employed women ___________________ _____ 100. 0 Occupations of employed women: P ercent TotaL ____ ___ _____ _______ _______ ____ __________ 100. 0 i~~:~~;li;:t:==================================== ClericaL __ ____ _____ ______________________ ---- --- Manufacturing _________________ __ ______ - __ -- - ---Domestic and personal_ __ ______ ______ _____________ Sales ______ __ ___ ______ ____ ___ ___ - _- _- - - - - - - - - - - Work in own home (other than agriculture)_____ ____ Ages of employed women: Percent under 25 years _________________ - - - - - - - - - Percent 45 years or over_ _______ __ __ -- -- ------- -- Nativity of employed women: Percent who are-Native white______ __ ____ ___ ___ ________ _____ _ Foreign-born white_ __ ____ ___________________ _ Negro ______ ___ ________ ________ __ ___ ____ __ __ 1 Includes a negligible number of girls 12 and under 16 years of age. a These data not available. 96533 °- 3 6 -2 https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 11 ~ 18. 9 17. 5 29. 7 9. 1 (3) 36. 1 P ercent 100. 10. 10. 12. 18. 0 1 0 9 8 24. 4 7.0 9. 2 36. 1 20. 7 11. 6 33. 8 72. 2 11. 0 16. 7 60. 6 14. 2 25. 2 4 THE EMPLOYED WOMAN HOMEMAKER FAMILIES IN THE UNITED STATES Familiea of All familiea A woman the sole family wa.ge earner: (8) Percent of all families of 2 or more persons------ :- --Families having a woman head: Percent of all families of 2 or more persons _________ _ 12. 7 Sizes of families: Percent that are of 4 or more persons ______ __ _____ __ 47. 8 Families with small children: Percent having children under 10 _______________ __ _ 41. 0 Families urban and rural distribution : ___ _________ __ City of __________________ __ ___ _______ 58. 2 Rural-farm _____________ ____ ___ _____ __ __ _______ _ _ 22.0 Rural-nonfarm __________________ ____________ __ __ _ 19. 7 Families that have lodgers: Percent of families that have lodgers ______ _____ ____ 10. 0 gainfull11 emplo11ed homemaker, 13. 7 30. 1 31. 8 29. 6 69. 7 13. 9 16. 4 15. 8 • These data not available. OCCUPATIONS OF GAINFULLY EMPLOYED HOMEMAKERS Of the 10,752,116 women 10 years of age and older who were gainfully employed in the United States when the· census was taken in 1930, 10,443,370 were at least 16 years of age. 4 Of these, 3,882,143, ,or well over one-third, were homemakers as well as wage earners. 6 Of the gainfully occupied homema~ers 80 percent were employed outside their homes. 6 (See appendix tabl9 I.) Larger proportions of the "emfloyed homemakers than of all employed women were agricultura and industrial workers, and smaller proportions were in every other chief occupational group as the following summary shows: Gainfully employed homemakers 1 Occupation All occupations All gainfully employed women 16 years of age and overJ Percent distrlbu• tion Occupation Percent distribu• tion 2• . . . . ~. . . . . .. '100. 0 All occupations......... . ..... ... ....... ' 100. O Employed at home: Agricultural occupations ••• . ... 10. 1 Agriculture •••••••••.•.••••••• . .••.. . •.•.•.••• • 7.3 10. 0 12. 9 18. 8 Professional service .••••••••.••••••• . ••••••••. Clerical occupations •••.•. •. .••...•......••••.• Manufacturing and mechanical industries •. ... Domestic and personal service .••. •..•••.••.•. Trade••••• ••••••••. ••......•...•.•••.•••••••.. 18. 9 17. 5 :Jgr~e~i~~:....... Em~~Jr:!fo~:i Office workers •••.••••••••••••• Industrial workers •••. •••..••.• Servants, waitresses, etc.•••.... Saleswomen ••••••••. •...••••••• 24. 4 7. 0 14. 5 29. 7 9.1 1 Source: U. 8. Bureau of the Census. Unpublished data. White and Negro only. Includes a neg• ligible number of girls 12 and under 16 years of age. 2 Source: U. S. Bureau of the Census. Fifteenth Census, 1930, Population vol. V, General Report on Occupations, pp. 118, 374. The smaller number in races other than white ana1 Negro are excluded. • These occupation classes are not Identical with those used for all women. Office workers Includes all clerks in offices, stenographers, typists, bookkeepers, cashiers, and "other" office workers; also all telephone and telegraph operators and ticket clerks In railroads, etc. Industrial workers Includes all industrial operatives and laborers employed outside of the home. Servants and waitresses, etc., includes all servants and other persons engaged in personal service! housekeepers and stewards, and laundresses (not in laundry). Saleswomen includes all saleswomen, clerks n stores, canvassers, and commercial travelers. ' Total exceeds details, as all groups are not shown. • This figure includes workers employed away from home. ' In the tabulation of homemakers, races other than white and Negro-a negligible number-were omitted; therefore, to validate comparisons, in the discussion of all employed workers this group 1s omitted also from the total. 1 In reality 3,311,386 families, if the 570,757 census "families" consisting of only one person (one woman living alone)-15 percent of the total-be eliminated. o A sample study of one city Indicates that of the women at work in their own homes 43 percent were taking boarders and/or lodgers, 22 percent taking in washing, and 27 percent doing sewing or millinery or knitting for sale on their own account (that is, not on work given out by a factory). The remainder were in scattered jobs. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 5 THE EMPLOYED WOMAN HOMEMAKER AGES OF GAINFULLY EMPLOYED HOMEMAKERS An analysis of the ages of gainfully employed homemakers indicates that very many were mature women whose wage probably was needed for the support of their families, while the younger women upon whom rested the double job of homemaking and assisting in the family support represented smaller proportions. (See appendix table I.) Jmt over one-third of these employed homemakers were 45 years of age or older. While such a figure does not show the length of time they had been at work, nevertheless it does strongly indicate that these women need continuation of their jobs and have not entered the labor market as mere transients. Moreover, much larger proportions of employed homemakers were 45 and over and much smaller _proportions were under 25 than was the case with all women gainfully employed, as the following shows: Percent of women whoa, age wcuUnder t6 45 and over All women in the population 16 years of age and over_ All gainfully employed women 16 years of age and over_ Gainfully ~mployed homemakers 16 years of age and over ___________________________________________ 24. 4 36. 1 11. 6 32. 7 20. 7 33. 8 As a rule, women tended to go into employment at a fairly early age, well over one-third of those 16 r,ears of age and over who were in gainful work being under 25, while only about one-fourth of all women 16 years of age and older were so young. However, only a little over one-tenth of the gainfully employed homemakers were less than 25 years of age. Among the various occupations of employed homemakers, the oldest women were found in largest proportions in agricultural pursuits and in other occupations carried on at home. More than half the homemakers employed in each of these groups were at least 45 years old. In all other occupations except the clerical at least 40 percent of the women were 40 years old or more, nearly half the servants, waitresses, and allied occupations being at least 40. The office workers were the only ones whose largest group was very young, more than one-fifth (21.5 percent) of their number being under 25 years of age, and a larger proportion (22.7 percent) 25 and less than 30. Just over three-fifths of the homemakers at work in offices were under 35 but about three-fifths or more in every other occupation group were 35 or older. (See appendix table I.) From the following summary it may be seen that in every occupation group larger proportions of the ~ainfully employed homemakers were 45 years of age and older, especially in agricultural work and in the professions, and very much smaller proportions were under 25 years, than was the case with all employed women. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 6 THE EMPLOYED WOMAN HOMEMAKER Occupation 1 Percent of gainfully employed homemakers whose age was- Occupation 2 Under 45and over 25 Under 45and 25 over All occupations a_____________ Employed at home: Agricultural occupations _______ Employed away from home: Professional workers ___________ Office workers ___ _______________ Industrial workers. __ __________ Servants, waitresses, etc _______ _ Saleswomen ___ ___ _________ _____ Percent of all gainfully employed women 16and over who were aged- -- 33. 8 All occupations _______________ 36.1 20. 7 10. 8 50.3 31. 2 14. 8 26.3 9. 6 11. 2 35.0 27. 6 Agriculture ___ --------------------- - '32. 1 Professional service __ ____________ ___ _ 33.0 Clerical occupations ________ _____ ____ · 50.1 Manufacturing and mechanical industries . . ..... -- . - --. - -- -- -- -- -- -- 42. 2 Domestic and personal service ___ ____ 25. 9 Trade . . __ ___ . . -- -- ------ -- -- -- -- -- -- 32. 4 '34.5 9. 9 21. 5 14.5 11. 6 ---- ---- 17. 8 6. 9 17. 9 30. 1 21.8 1 Source: U. S. Bureau of the Census. Unpublished data. White and Negro only. Includes a negligible number of girls 12 and under 16 years of age. 1 Source: U. S. Bureau of the Census. Fifteenth Census, 1930, Population, vol. V, General Report on Occupations, p. 118. The small numbers in races other than white and Negro are excluded. a For description of occupation classification, see footnote 3, p. 4. ' This figure includes workers employed away from home. Testimony as to the difficulty of finding jobs for older people is likely to show, especially in some occupations, that many women have such trouble at a relatively early "old age." Since the employed homemakers tended on the whole to be rather older than all gamfully occupied women, many of them would be likely to find it hard to get work. HOMEMAKERS WHO WERE THE SOLE WAGE EARNERS IN THEIR FAMILIES Many homemakers are kept very busy with the tasks involved in the care of the family. When paid work, usually outside the home, is added to this, it is obvious that the demands of such a double job must be heavy. But still another responsibility, that of actually being the only wage earner in the family as well as its homemaker, is borne by 452,106 women 7 in the United States, well over onetenth of the gainfully employed homemakers in this country .. Practically half these women were the sole wage earners for families of three or more persons. · Table II in the appendix shows for the various occupations and by selected age groupings the proportions of women who not only were both homemakers and wage earners but who were also the sole wage earners in families of two or more persons. The proportions of these in the chief occupations were as follows: 7 This excludes 570,757 families consisting of only one person (woman living alone); see p. 8 for information as to these. Of all the families in the United States, 62 percent had but one wage earner. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 7 THE EMPLOYED WOMAN HOMEMAKER Occupation All occupations __ ______ ___ _____ ______ ______ _ Percent of gainfullv emploved homemaker, who were aole wage earners in families of Sor more persons Employed at home: Agricultural occupations_ ______ _________ _______ Other than agricultural occupations _____________ Employed away from home: Professional workers ____ ___ __ ___ _______________ Office workers ___ __ _______ __ _____ _____________ Industrial workers_____ ____________ __ __________ Servants, waitresses, etc_ _______ ______ _________ Saleswomen___ ___ ________ ___ __ _________ ______ Other_ _ _____ ______________ · ____________ _____ 13. 7 14. 2 18. 5 13. 2 10. 4 10. 9 -15. 9 10. 5 16. 7 The foregoing summary shows that in each occupation group a tenth or more of the gainfully employed homemakers were the sole wage earners in their families, and for the occupations at home other than agriculture the proportion was 18.5 percent. Sixteen percent of the homemakers who were employed as servants and waitresses or in allied occupations and 14 percent of those in agricultural pursuits at home were the sole wage earners in their families. It is scarcely surprising to find that the older rather than the younger homemakers were the sole support of these families. (See appendix table II.) In each occupation group smaller proportions of the homemakers under 25 than of those 45 and over were the sole support of their families, though 12 percent of the homemakers under 25 in gainful occupations at home other than agricultural pursuits, and about 9 percent of those employed as servants or waitresses, had no other wage earner in the family. In the other occupation groups only 5.1 percent or less of the homemakers under 25 years of age were the sole family wage earners. SIZE OF FAMILIES OF ALL GAINFULLY EMPLOYED HOMEMAKERS The families of gainfully employed homemakers were by no means all of small siz , though they tended to run sma1ler more often than was the case with all families in the pnited States.8 It is apparent that a large family would entail more effort and planning on the homemaker's part, even though somewhat more likely than a smaller family to have other members who could assist the homemaker. Just under one-third of the employed homemakers' families (more than a million of them) had at least four members, and somewhat over 130,000 of these had at least eight members. Table III in the appendix shows the sizes of families by occupation and age of the s Sizes of families of employed homemakers compared to sizes of all families in the United States were as follows : Percent ofA ll Nu mber of persons infamil11 fa miliea All families ______ _____ _________ _______ ___ ____ _________________ ---- 100. O 1 person____ _____________________ _______ ____ __________ ______ ____ ________ 2 or 3 persons____ _______________________ _______________________ _____ ____ 4 to 7 persons____ ____________ ___ __________ _______ _______________ ___ ____ _ 8 persons or more_____ _______________ _____________ __ ___________________ _ https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 7. 8 44. 4 41. 7 6.1 Gainfullg emploued homemaker,• familiu 100. 0 14. 7 53. 5 28. 4 3. 4 8 THE EMPLOYED WOMAN HOMEMAKER homemaker. The following proportions had four members or more (including the homemaker herself): Gai11full11 emplo11ed homema1'er, with familie, of ♦ "' more per,0111 Ocett.pation Numbar All occupations: ----- - ---- -:.--- - ----- 1,233, 160 Employed at home: Agricultural occupations_______________ Ot her than agricultural occupations_____ Employed away from home: Professional workers_____ ____ __________ Office workers_ _______ ___ __ ___ ___ ____ _ Industrial workers ____ ___ __ ______ ______ Servants, waitresses, etc______ __ ___ _____ Saleswomen_____ ____ _____ ____ ___ _____ Other__ __ __ ___________ ___ ______ ___ ___ P,rc~nt of total 31. 8 212, 838 123,683 li4. 3 34. 8 75, 609 85, 894 253, 433 294, 692 78, 467 108, 544 19. 17. 34. 31. 29. 36. 6 2 7 1 0 2 The larger families were found in the greatest proportions among those whose honiemaker was engaged at home in some agricultural pursuit, somewhat more than 10 percent of these families having eight or more members. Smaller families-those of two or three persons-were found in largest proportiona among those whose homemakers were office workers or saleswomen. Though employed homemakers, as has been shown, tended to be found more among the older women than among those who were quite young, yet those under 25 constitutid nearly 450,000 and almost 6,000 of these were catering to families of eight persons or more. Picture a young homemaker less tjan 25 years of age who cares for a family of at least eight persons, and is a wage earner in some agricultural pursuit, or goes out daily to a factory job, or to service as a waitress or in a private home; in each of these three types of work there were more than 1,000 such young women in this country in 1930. The number of young women in each of these occupations and in office work who also cared for a family of four or more persons was over 13,000, considerably over in several cases. Another group that deserves mention, not so much because of their responsibility for others as · because of their lack in having anyone with whom any part of the burden of the living processes could be shared, is comprised of the women living alone and having no member of the family with them to call upon in emergencies. There were more t.han 570,000 of these unattached women, about 15 percent of the total, though of all families in the United States only 8 percent were reported as 1-person families. The unattached homemakers formed roughly one-fifth of the professional workers and of those in occupations at home other than agricultural, and smaller proportions of those in the other occupational groups. Those at home, whether in agricultural occupations or in pursuits other than agricultural, were not young women for the most part, 83 and 71 percent, respectively, being 45 years of age or older. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 9 THE EMPLOYED WOMAN HOMEMAKER Occupation All occupations __________________ _ Employed at home: AgriculturaJ occupations __ ________ ___ Other than agricultural occupations __ _ Employed away from home: Professional workers ________________ _ Office workers __________________ ___ _ Industrial workers ________ ________ __ _ Servants, waitresses, etc _______ ______ _ Saleswomen _________ _______ _______ _ Other _______________ ________ ___ ___ _ Number of qalnPercent of all /ttll1J empln11ed homemaker, qalnfull11 emplo11ed living alon, homemaker, 570,757 14. 7 31,846 70,050 8. 1 19. 7 86,017 71,578 74,039 164,187 28,213 44,827 22. 2 14. 10. 17. 10. 15. a 1 8 4 0 GAINFULLY EMPLOYED HOMEMAKERS WITH CHILDREN IN THE FAMILY . Many gainfully employed homemakers had young children .in their families. Though they were not necessarily the mothers, in many instances they undoubtedly were, and in any case they bore the full responsibility for those phases of the home life that were affected by the children's presence, since if there had been any other woman member of the family at home the census count would have reported her rather than the employed woman as the homemaker. In practically three-tenths of the 2-or-more-person families of gainfully employed homemakers there were children under 10 years of age, and 187,333 (about one-twentieth) had at least 3 such young children. This is in contrast to 41 percent of all such families in the United States that had children under 10. The type of work most usual for these women shows clearly their need of the job to assist with their economic problems, since in three-tenths of these families with three or more small children the homemaker was an agricultural worker, in almost one-fourth she was classed as a servant or waitres..!'.J and in practically a sixth she was employed in industry. Table Iv in the appendix shows the number of families having children under 10, and the occupation of the employed homemaker. The proportions of employed homemakers' families of two or more persons having small children were considerably smaller than the corresponding proportions of all families in the United States, as the following shows: Percent of- With children under lQ________________________ With 3 or more children under 10_______________ All 'amiliea 41. 0 10. 0 Gainfull11 empto11ed homemakera' f amiliea 29. 6 5. 7 While so many homemakers had the responsibility of helping to support families with children under 10, yet on the other hand there were more of the employed homemakers' families without than with small children, and those that did have them constituted only 8 percent of all the families in the United States having such young children. The fact that in so many more families with small children the homemaker was not ~ainfully employed, is further evidence that the small proportion contmuing at work are likely to be doing so from necessity. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 10 THE EMPtOYEn WOMAN HOMEMAKER Of especial interest is the familv of two persons, one the wageearning homemaker, the other a cluld under 10 years of age. There were 38,686 such families. In well over one-thir,d of them the homemaker was reported as a servant, a waitress, or in some allied occupation; in about one-sixth she was an industrial worker; in nearly onetenth she was an office worker; and in one-ninth she was employed at home in other than an agricultural occupation. NATIVITY OF GAINFULLY EMPLOYED HOMEMAKERS 9 Just over 60 percent of the gainfully employed homemakers were native white women and about 25 percent were Negroes, the remainder being foreign-born whites. These homemakers were found to be native white in smaller proportions, and Negro in greater proportions, than was the case with all employed women, as the following shows: Percent who were- All women in the population 16 years of age and over __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ______ _____ _ _ All gainfully employed women 16 years of age and over ____ _____ __ ____ ____ __ __ ___ ____ _ Gainfully employed homemakers 16 years of age and over ____ ___ __ ____ _____________ _ All families (nativity of head) __ ___________ _ Native white Foreignborn white 75. 7 14. 7 9. 6 72. 2 11. 0 16. 7 60. 6 71. 1 14. 2 19. 4 25. 2 9. 6 Negro Considering the occupations of employed homemakers in the various nativity groups it is found that industrial workers formed the largest groups of both native and foreign-born white women, though they constituted only one-fifth of the native but just over one-third of the foreign-born women. (See table Vin the appendix.) The next occupation group for native white women was that of office workers, who formed something less than one-fifth of the total. For foreign-born whites the second group was servants or waitresses, who constituted nearly one-fourth of the women born outside the country. The largest group of Negro women- nearly one-half of them-were servants or waitresses and practically one-fifth were in agricultural pursuits at home. · The proportions of the various nativity groups who were professional workers and saleswomen were greatest among the native whites. HEADS OF GAINFULLY EMPLOYED FAMILIES HOMEMAKERS' It may be surprising to many persons to learn that there was a woman at the head of each of nearly 1 million (996,350) of the families of two or more persons in this country in which the woman homemaker was employed. 10 This is three-tenths of all such employed homemakers' families though only about one-eighth of all families of two or more persons in the country had a woman head. Table VI in the appendix shows the sex of the heads of these families by occuv The reader is reminded that this report is limited to white and Negro homemakers, the small number of other races having been excluded . 10 More than 1½ million, if the 570,757 census "families" consisting of a woman living alone be included (see table III). Obviously, no "families" consisting of only one man are included in the 3,882,143, since those under discussion are families of employed homemakers, all of whom were women. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 11 THE EMPLOYED WOMAN HOMEMAKER pation and age of the employed homemaker. · The following summary shows how the ages of homemakers in families with women heads compare with ages of other groups of women and with ages of men }yeads of families: \I Percent whose age was- Under £5 All women 16 years of age and over ___________ ____ _ All employed women 16 years of age and over ______ _ All employed homemakers 16 years of age and over __ _ Employed homemakers in families of 2 or more persons with a woman head __ __________ _____ ______ ____ _ Employed homemakers in families of 2 or more persons with a man head ____ __________________________ _ Men heads of all 11 families ______ ______ _____ ______ _ 11 45 and over 24. 4 36. 1 11., 6 32. 7 20. 7 33. 8 3. 6 49. 4 16. 2 4. 8 22. 3 45. 6 All families having a man bead, whether or not homemaker employed. The woman head of the family may not in all cases be the employed homemaker, though it is probable that in most cases they are one and the same person. The age groupings in the summary just given show that nearly half of the gainfully employed homemakers whose families 12 have a woman head are 45 years of age or older, and only a very small proportion (3.6 percent) are under 25. On the other hand, where a man is head of the family, a larger proportion (16.2 percent) of the employed homemakers are found among the younger women, and less than one-fourth are 45 years of age and older. In the case of all employed homemakers 13 more than one-tenth were under 25 years of age and about one-third were 45 years and over. The largest numbers of families 14 with a woman head were those in which the homemaker was employed as a servant, waitress, or in allied work, some 266,800 of such families having a woman head, and there were over 175,400 such families where the homemaker was in some agricultural pursuit at home, about 156,000 in industry, and more than 112,400 where she was in other work at home. In some 81,200 families where the homemaker was an office worker, there was a woman head, as in about 64,500 of those where she was in a pro~ fession, and over 47,500 families where she was in a selling job. (See table VI in the appendix.) Where the homemaker was employed at home in agricultural pursuits practically one-half of the families had a woman head, as was the case with almost two-fifths of those where she was in other work at home, about one-third where she was employed as a servant, 12 Exclusive of I-person "families." (In the nature of the case, no families with a man head and a gain• fully employed homemaker can be I-person families .) ia Considering for the moment all families in the United States, not just families of employed homemakers, it is of interest to note from other census figures the extent to which all 2-person families with men and women heads have children under 21 years of age: Percent of families of 2 or more persons that have children under 21 with- Marital statu, M arried, spouse not present_ ___ __ ________________ _______ _______ __ ____ ___ __ _ Widowed ____________ ___________ ___ ___ _____ ___ - -- -- - --- -- -- - - --- -- - ---- -- -Divorced _________ ___ __ ___ ____ _________ ____ ___ ______ ______ _______ _________ __ Single ________ -- -- -- --- - -- ---- -- -- -- --- - -- -- ---- -- -- -- - - -- - --- -- -- -- -- -- -- -" I-person families excluded throughout this occupation discussion. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Man head Woman head 66. 7 60. 6 60.1 78. 2 57.• 79.2 25.8 25.1 12 THE EMPLOYED WOMAN HOMEMAKER waitress, or in allied occupations, and practically one-fifth or more in each other occupation .group. The following summary shows these proportions: Percent of gainfull11 em• plo71ed homemakers' families of ~ or more persons lhat had a woman head Occupation All occupations ____________________________ _ Employed at home: Agricultural occupations_______________________ Other than agricultural occupations_____________ Employed away from home: Professional workers_____ ____ ____________ ______ Office workers________________ _______________ _ Industrial workers_______ ______________________ Servants, waitresses, etc________________________ Saleswomen__________________________________ Other____________________________ _________ ___ 30. 1 48. 7 39. 4 21. 18. 23. 34. 19. 36. 4 9 8 1 6 3 The information in regard to women heads of families in which the homemaker was employed shows that the great majority of them were widowed or divorced, but well over one-fifth of the women heads were single. Their marital status, compared with that of men heads of families, was as follows: Percent distribution of gainful/71 emplo71ed homemaker, f a.mllies hav• ,no- Marital atatu, of head of famil11 Total _____________________________ _ Married, spouse absent ___________________ _ Married, spouse present ___________________ _ Widowed and divorced ____________________ _ Single __________________________________ _ Man head Woman head 100. 0 100. 0 .9 12. 4 91. 6 5. 1 2. 4 65. 0 22. 4 LODGERS IN GAINFULLY EMPLOYED HOMEMAKERS' FAMILIES Besides having the wage-earning responsibility, many employed homemakers had lodgers. There were lodgers in 614,400 families, nearly 16 percent of all those whose homemakers were in gainful employment, 15 though of all families in the United States onl_y about 10 percent had lodgers. Of the employed homemakers' families, over 157,000 had at least three lodgers. Table VII in the appendix shows the families whose homemakers were employed in the various occupations correlated with the number who had lodgers. There were more than 172,500 families in which the employed homemaker was a servant, waitress, or in an allied occupation, and also took lodgers. It is not surprising that nearly 40 percent of the families whose homemaker was employed at home in other than agricultural pursuits had lodgers, since the taking .of lodgers is one of the types of home employment included in this category. At least 3 lodgers were taken by more than one-fifth (22.9 percent) of the women so employed, over 81,000 of them, more than the number of those in 11 It bas been found for I sample city that about I percent of the gainfully employed homemakers were taking lodgers as their sole occupation. If this proportion applied in the country as a whole, it would mean that 38,821 homemakers were making this their entire business. If these be subtracted from the total of 614,399 homemakers (or famillea) having lodgers, there are left 575,1578 homemakers who take lodgers other than as their sole business, or about 115 percent of the total number of homemakers. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 13 THE EMPLOYED WOMAN HOMEMAKER any other occupation group (except servants, waitresses, and indus!. trial workers) that took even a single lodger. Roughly one-tenth of the homemakers employed in industry, of those at work in offices, and of those who were saleswomen, had lodgers, as had about one-sixth of the professional women and nearly one-fifth of the servants, waitresses, and those in allied occupations. GAINFULLY EMPLOYED HOMEMAKERS WHO . LIVED IN CITIES AND IN RURAL COMMUNITIES The census tabulations indicate the extent to which gainfully employed homemakers lived in the city or in the country. Practically 70 percent of them were city dwellers; the remainder lived in the country, 14 percent on farms, and a. slightly larger proportion were classed as rural-nonfarm population. It was only to be expected that a larger proportion of employed homemakers' families than of all families in the United States lived in the city, as the following shows: Percent of- Area All famllle, Total_____________ ____________ ____ _____ 100. 0 City______ ___ _______________________ _________ Rural-farm___________________________________ Rural-nonfarm________________________________ 58. 2 22. 0 19. 7 All oainfullv emplo11ed homemakera' f amilie, 100. 0 69. 7 13. 9 16. 4 Table VIII in the appendix shows the occupational distribution of these various groups, and may be summarized as follows: Percent distribution of qainfullv emplo11ed homemaher, living inOccupation Urban c1mters All occupations _________________ 100. 0 Employed at home: Agricultural occupations___________ 0. 2 Other than agricultural occupations_ 9. 4 Employed away from home: Professional workers______________ 10. 4 Office workers__ __________________ 16. 1 Industrial workers________________ 22. 3 Servants, waitresses, etc_________ __ 27. 6 Saleswomen_________________ _____ 8. 1 Other __ _____ ___________________ _ 5. 8 Rural-farm Rural-non/arm diatricta diatricf, 100. 0 100. 0 69. 9 2. 8 1. 4 13. 6 5. 1. 2. 6. . 11. 12. 9. 18. 26. 7. 12. 1 0 0 6 9 8 3 2 1 0 1 3 It is not surprising that the large groups of employed homemakers living in cities were servants or waitresses, or industrial workers, with considerable proportions as office workers, one-tenth in the professions, and somewhat less than one-tenth in sales occupations and occupations at home other than a~ricultural. Nor is it unexpected that the employed homemakers livmg on farms were mostly in agricultural pursuits, with only small proportions employed as servants or waitresses, and in professions (chiefly, no doubt, teachers). The largest numbers of rural-nonfarm homemakers who had paid jobs were employed as servants or waitresses, the next largest were the country dwellers engaged in manufacturing, either in a nearby city or in other plants located in the country. Roughly one-eighth https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 14 THE EMPLOYED WOMAN HOMEMAKER o'f them worked at home at other than agricultural pursuits and in the professions, and almost one-tenth were in offices. The proportions servants and waitresses formed of all workers in the respective diRtricts were similar for city dwellers and ruralnonfarm homemakers, as was the case for saleswomen. The proportions of all workers in the several districts in professional work and m other occupations at home predominated in the rural-nonfarm districts, and the proportions of those in office and industrial work predominated in the city. A STATISTICAL PICTURE OF THE FAMILY RESPONSIBILITY OF WOMEN 16 YEARS OF AGE AND OVER IN EACH OCCUPATION GROUP IN THE UNITED STATES [Based on Census figures for 1930] The data available on all employed women and on employed homemakers have been brought together for each occupation group in order to give a general picture of the women engaged in each specific type of occupation. For all employed women, the proportion at that particular kind of work, and their ages and marital status can be shown. For employed homemakers, the proportion in any employment and their ages are available, and for each occupation group the following additional data of great interest and importance can be obtained: Families having an employed woman homemaker as the only wage earner; size of ~9:mily? number of young children in the family; and number of families with a woman at the head. · Agriculture. Agriculture employs 7 .3 percent of all gainfully occupied women 16 years of age and over and 10.1 percent of all gainfully employed homemakers in the United States. 111 Of all single women working, 4.6 percent are in agriculture, as are 9 percent of all married women, and 14.4 percent of those widowed · and divorced. 17 Of all women in agriculture, 32.1 percent are under 25 years of age, while of all gainfully employed homemakers so occupied 10.8 percent are in this younger group. Of all agricultural workers, 34.5 percent are 45 years or over, while 50.3 percent of the homemakers in agricultural work are in this oldest group. Of the gainfully employed homemakers in agriculture, 14.2 percent are the sole wage earners in families of two or more persons; 48. 7 percent of these homemakers' families have a woman head; 54.3 percent of the homemakers are in families of four or more persons; and 41.3 percent of them are in families having children under 10. Professional work. Of all ~ainfully employed women in the United States, 14.5 percent are m professional occupations, and 10 percent of the gainfully employed homemakers are in such pursuits. M In the tabulation of homemakers "other races"-a negligible number-are omitted; therefore only white and Negro workers are included here lo the figures for all employed workers. IT Data on marital status of homemakers not available in tabulated form for the United States. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis THE EMPLOYED WOMAN HOMEMAKER 15 Of the single women 19.5 percent, of the married women 9.7 percent, and of the widowed and divorced women 6.4 perc~nt, are working for a livelihood at professional occupations. 17 Of all women pursuing professional work, 33 percent are under 25 years of age, while of gainfully occupied homemakers in the professions 9.9 percent are so young; 17.8 percent of all professional women are 45 years and over, compared to 31.2 percent of the homemakers in the professions. Of the gainfully occupied homemakers in professional work, 13.2 percent are the sole wage earners in families of two or more persons; 21.4 percent of the homemakers are in families having a woman head; 19.6 percent are in families of four or more persons; and 20.2 percent are in families with children under 10 years o]d. Offife work. Clerical workers form 18.9 percent of all gainfully occupied women in the United States, and 12.9 percent of the gainfully occupied homemakers are office workers. Of the single women working for a livelihood, 26.3 percent are in clerical occupations, of the married women working 11.9 percent are so occufied, and of the divorced and widowed 6.9 percent. 17 Of al women clerical workers, 50.1 percent are under 25 years old, but only 21.5 percent of the homemaking office workers are so young; 6.9 percent of all women working in these occu:pations are 45 years and older, and 14.8 percent of the homemakers m offices are in that age group. Of the gainfully employed homemakers in office work, 10.4 percent are the sole wage earners in families of two or more; 18.9 percent are in families having a woman head; 17 .2 percent of the homemakers in office work are in families of four or more persons; and 15 percent of them are in families having children under 10. Manufacturing and mechanical work. Manufacturing and mechanical industries employ 17 .5 percent of all gainfully occupied women and 18.8 percent of all the gainfully occupied homemakers in the United States. Of all employed single women 17.7 percent are working in factories, of the married women working 19.7 percent are so employe9-, and of all divorced and widowed women gainfully occupied 13.9 percent are in industrial work. 17 Of all gainfully occupied women in manufacturing and mechanical establishments, 42.2 percent are under 25 years, in contrast to 14.5 percent of the homemaking industrial workers in that age group; of all women so employed 17 .9 percent are 45 years and over, compared to 26.3 percent of the homemakers at work in factories. Of the gainfully employed homemakers who are industrial workers, 10.9 percent are the sole wage earners in families of two or more persons; 23.8 percent of them are in families having a woman head; 34.7 percent are found in families of four or more persons; and 30.7 percent of them are in families having children under 10. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 16 THE EMPLOYED WOMAN HOMEMAKER Domestic and personal service. These occupations employ 29.7 percent of all gainfully occupied women 16 years of age and over in the United States, and 24.4 percent of the ~ainfully e1;llplo:yed homemakers in this country are "servants, waitresses, or m alhed work." · Of all employed single women 20.5 percent, of the married 36.1 percent, and of the widowed and divorced 47.9 percent are in domestic and personal service. 17 Of all women in these employments, 25.9 percent are under 25 years of age, while only 9.6 percent of the homemakers thus employed are so young. Of all women in this occupation group 30.1 percent, but of the homemakers 35 percent are 45 years of age or older. Of the gainfully employed homemakers who are servants, waitresses, or in allied work, 15.9 percent are the sole wage earners in families of two or more persons; 34.1 percent are in families having a woman head; 31.1 percent are in families of four or more persons; and 30.7 percent are in families having children under 10 years of age. Trade. Trade employs 9.1 percent of all gainfully occupied women in this country, and 7 percent of all gainfully employed homemakers in the United States are saleswomen. Of all employed single women 8 percent are in trade, as are 11.1 percent of the married women, and 8.9 percent of the widowed and divorced. 17 Of all women in trade, 32.4 percent are under 25 years old, while 11.2 percent of the homemakers employed as saleswomen are in this age group; 21.8 percent of all women in trade and 27.6 percent of the homemakers who are saleswomen are 45 years old or more. Of the gainfully occupied homemakers employed as saleswomen, 10.5 percent are the sole wage earners in families of two or more persons; 19.6 percent are in families having a woman head; 29 percent have families of four or more persons; and 22.6 percent are in families with children under 10. u Data on marital status of homemakers not available In tabulated form for the United States. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis APPENDIX-GENERAL TABLES TABLE !.-Gainfully employed homemakers, by occupation and age--United States, 1930 1 Numbers of gainfully employed homemakers in each occupation All ages Occupation Number Percent Under 25 25 to 29 distriyears years but ion 30 t o 34 years 35 to 39 years 40 to 44 years Percent ' in each occupation group who were- Un~ years Under 25 to 29 and over known 25 years years 100. 0 448,982 508,336 516,513 588,081 35 to 39 years 40 to 44 45yeara and yea.rs over - - - - - - - - - - - - --- --- --- --- -----All occupatiom._ _______ 3, 882,143 30 to 34 years 5,163 11. 6 13. 1 13. 3 15. 2 13.1 33.8 197,190 205 10.8 8.0 8. 3 11. 3 11. 3 50.3 4. 0 7. i) 9. 3 13. 5 13. 7 52. 6 9. 9 21. 5 14. 5 9. 6 11. 2 7. 0 15. 9 22. 7 14. 0 12. 3 13. 0 8.1 15. 0 17. 4 14.8 13. 3 15. 2 10. 7 15. 1 13. 8 16. 8 16. 2 17. 7 14. 9 12.8 9.8 13. 6 13. 7 15. 2 14. 9 31. 2 14. 8 26. 3 35. 0 27. 6 4.4.4. 506,573 1,308,495 t - Employed at home: .Agricultnral occupations _______ occupaagricultural Other ______ ___________ ____ ____ tionsthan Employed away from home: Professional workers ________ Office workers_ _ _ Industrial workers. __ ____ _: Servants, waitresses, etc.... ___ Saleswomen___________ Other a 392, 196 355,731 386,652 500,298 729,847 947,375 270,244 299,800 10.1 9.2 10.0 12. 9 18. 8 24. 4. 7.0 7. 7 42, 324 31,234 44,232 4.7,912 48,~ 186, 864 372 58,465 69,018 122,672 153, 186 47,901 44,695 49,426 48,999 99,352 129,863 41, 064 «, 612 120,450 74,110 191,772 330,593 74,559 132,957 587 658 877 1,730 358 376 14,045 24,705 32,988 38,264 107,288 105,556 90,458 30,207 20,840 61,418 113,519 101,995 116, 117 35,010 24,338 58,042 86,706 107,623 125,428 41, 145 31,982 t Limited to white and Negro homemakers, excluding the small number of "other races." 1 Percents based only on total reporting age, not on grand total. «, 412 32,599 Includes a negligible number of girls 12 and under 16 years of age. a Includes a few homemakers returned as employed without information as to whether at home or away from home. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 18 THE EMPLOYED WOMAN HOMEMAKER II.-Families in which the gainfully employed homemaker was the sole wage earner, by occupation and selected age group of homemaker-United States, 1930 1 TABLE Total 2-ormore-person families with gainfully employed homemaker Occupation and selected age group o! homemaker Two-or-more-person families with only one gainful worker Number Percent All occupations ___ . ___ . ______ .. _. __ . __ . _________ ___ _________ . Under years __ ----------------------- ----- - -- ------45 years25and over _________________________________ ____ ___ -_ Employed at home: Agricultural occupations. ___________ ._. ________ ._. __ . ___ ._._._ .. Under 25 years ... _.---- -·------· -···-·-·-·--·.·-··--···· ... 45 years and over ... -·------·············-·······-·· ······ ·· 452,106 3,311,386 13. 7 5.4 22,296 411, 892 161,815 1,007, 625 16. 1 l===== l=====I==== 360,350 41,672 170,743 51,332 1,530 28,643 14. 2 3. 7 16. 8 Other than agricultural occupations ................ ........... . Under 25 years .. --··-·-------···· ......................... . 45 years and over .. ---··-----·····-····-···················· 285, 681 12,715 137,001 52,905 1,526 25,755 18. 5 12. 0 18. 8 Employed away from home: Professional workers .--···--·-···-······· ............. ·······-· Under 25 years ..... _. ____ ................................. . 45 years and over .......................................... . 300,635 30,909 81,876 39,578 1,583 15,742 13. 2 5.1 19. 2 Office workers ...... •··- ---- ····-· .............. ·······-· ... ··-Under 25 years .... _______ ....................... ...... . ··-· 45 years and over·--·---································~--- 428,720 98, 770 53,631 44,424 3,510 9,360 10. 4 3. 6 17. 5 Industrlal workers .. ------·····-···· ... -· .... ................ . . Under 25 years ............................................ . 45 years and over .......................................... . 655,808 101,345 151,349 71,300 4,028 19,080 10. 9 4. 0 12. 6 Servants, wait resses, etc ..... .......... - ................ ······-· Under 25 years ... ·····-·········· ......................... . 45 years and over·-··-·····-·······-···················-·-·· 783,188 78,450 240,012 124,579 7,322 38,712 16. 1 Saleswomen ................................................... . Under 25 years .. . ·-·-········ ........ ... .................. . 45 years and over. .... ·--·········· ·········-··············· 242,031 28,420 61,387 25,314 1,073 6,996 10. 5 3.8 Other·------- ---···-·· _______ -· __ .. _.·-._. ___ ·- __ . ____ ........ . 254,973 42,674 16. 7 15. 9 9. 3 11. 4 1 Limited to white and Negro homemakers, excludmg the small number of "other races." Includes a negligible number of girls 12 and under 16 years of age. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis TABLE III.-Familie• reporting gainfully empk,yed homemakers, by size of famU.y, occupation, and seleded age grcrup of homemak<r-United" ' States, 1930 1 Percent' of homemakers in each specified age group, families of- Number of families ofOccupation and selected age group of homemaker Total, all families 1 person 2 or3 persons 4 to 7 persons 8 or more persons All sizes 1 woman living alone 2 or 3 persons 4 to 7 persons 8 or more persons Percent of families of- All sizes 1 woman living alone 2 or 3 persons - - - - - - - ---- - - - - - - - - - --- - - - - - - - - - ---- - - All occupations ________________ __ 3, 882, 143 Under 25 years ___ _______ _____ 448, 982 45 years and over __ ___________ 1, 308,495 570,757 2, 078, 226 1,101,008 86, 662 319,510 37, 090 324, 627 642, 191 300,870 132, 152 5, 720 40, 807 100. 0 11.6 33. 8 100. 0 6. 5 52. 8 100. 0 15. 4 30. 9 100.0 7. 9 29.5 100.0 4.3 30. 9 53. 5 28.4 3. 4 100.0 8.1 37. 6 43.1 11. 1 100.0 19. 7 45.5 30. 5 4. 3 22. 2 58. 2 18.8 0. 7 100.0 14. 3 68. 5 16. 6 0. 6 100.0 10. 1 55.1 32. 0 2. 8 100. 0 17. 3 51.6 27.8 3. 3 100. 0 10. 4 60. 5 27.6 1.4 100. 0 15. 0 48. 8 32.1 4.1 ------- ---------- -------- -------- ------------ ---------- -------- -------- ------------ ---- 31,846 652 26,447 147,512 23,980 80,543 169,195 16,123 75,378 43,643 1,569 14,822 100.0 10. 8 50. 3 100. 0 2.0 83.1 100.0 16. 3 54. 6 100.0 9. 5 44.6 100. 0 3. 6 34. 0 Other than agricultural occupations_ Under 25 years ______________ ___ 45 years and over _______________ 355, 731 14, 045 186,864 70,050 1, 330 49,863 161,998 7,909 108,349 88,845 4, 583 42,766 15,334 223 5,390 100. 0 4. 0 52. 6 100.0 1. 9 71. 3 100. 0 4. 9 54.9 100. 0 4. 2 39.5 100. 0 1. 5 35.2 Employed away from home: Professional workers _____________ __ Under 25 years ___ ___ ___________ 45 years and over _____________ __ 386,652 38,264 120,450 86, 017 7, 355 38,574 225,026 26,743 60,944 72,850 3,940 20,056 2,759 226 876 100.0 100. 0 9. 9 31.2 8. 6 44. 9 100. 0 11. 9 27. 1 100. 0 5.4 27. 6 100.0 100.0 8. 2 -----· 31.8 ------- Office workers ___ _________ ________ __ Under 25 years ___________ ___ ___ 45 years and over _______________ 500, 298 107, 288 74,110 71,578 8,518 20,479 342,826 85,627 40,640 83, 094 12, 598 12, 470 2,800 545 521 100. 0 21.5 14. 8 100. 0 11. 9 28. 7 100. 0 25. 0 11. 9 100. 0 15. 2 15. 0 100. 0 19. 5 18. 6 Industrial workers_. __ _____________ Under 25 years __ _____________ __ 45 years and over ___________ ____ 729, 847 105,556 191,772 74, 039 4,211 40,423 402,375 77,972 100,645 233,274 22,050 46,295 20,159 1,323 4,409 100.0 14. 5 26.3 100. 0 5. 7 54. 7 100. 0 19. 4 25. 0 100.0 9. 5 19. 9 100. 0 6. 6 21.9 Servants, waitresses, etc____________ Under 25 years _________________ 45 years and over _________ ____ __ 947,375 90,458 330,593 164,187 12,008 82,581 488,496 59,959 160,562 263,313 17,269 77,562 81,379 1,222 9,888 100. 0 9. 6 35. 0 , 100. 0 7. 3 50.4 100.0 12. 3 32. 9 100.0 6. 6 29.5 100.0 3.9 31.6 Saleswomen ___________________ __ ___ Under 25 years __________ ___ ____ 45 years and over ___________ ___ _ 270,244 30, 207 74,559 28,213 1,787 13,172 163, 564 23, 814 43, 697 74,684 4, 398 16,729 3, 783 208 961 100. 0 11. 2 27.6 100. 0 6.4 46. 8 100. 0 14. 6 26. 7 100.0 5. 9 22. 4 100.0 5. 5 25. 4 Other _____________ ____ _____________ 299, 800 44,827 146,429 96, 249 12,295 https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis -- 14. 7 392,196 42,324 197,190 ------- ---------- -------- -------- ---------- Limited to white and Negro homemakers, excluding the small number of "other races." ' Percents based only on total reporting age, not on grand total. --- 8 or more persons 100. 0 Employed at home: Agricultural occupations ___________ Under 25 years __ ______________ _ 45 years and over _______________ 1 4to8 persons ------- ---------- -------- -------- ------------ ---------- -------- -------- ------ ------- ---------- -------- -------- ------------ ---------- -------- -------- --------------- -------- -------- --------------- -------- -------- ------ ------- ---------- -------- -------- ------------ ---------- -------- -------- ------ ---------- -------- -------- ------------------ ---------- -------- -------- ------ ------- ---------- -------- -------- ------------ ---------- -------- -------- ------------ ---------- -------- -------- ------------ ---------- -------- -------- ------ Includes a negligible number of girls 12 and under 16 years of age. 20 THE EMPLOYED WOMAN HOMEMAKER IV.-Families of f or more persons reporting gainfully employed homemakers, by number of chi ldren under 10 and occupation of homemaker-United States, 1930 1 TABLE Number of families of 2 or Percent more persons withTotal, all families of 2 or more Children 2 persons 3ormore Children 2persons 3ormore persons under 10 (1 acbild children under 10 (1 a child children (total) underl0) under 10 (total) underlO) under 10 Occupation of homemaker - - - - - - - - - - -All occupations: Number______ _____________ Percent__________ ___ _______ 3,311,386 100. 0 Employed at home: Agricultural occupations _________ Other occupationsthan __ ____agricultural ______ ___ ___________ 38,686 187,333 100.0 100.0 100.0 360,350 170,624 2,755 67,016 286,681 100,4-05 4,474 22,636 17. 4 7.1 30.4 10. 3 11.6 12.1 300,635 428,720 655,808 783, 188 242,031 254,973 60,703 64,258 201 , 479 240,634 64,699 85,950 2,608 3,768 6, 260 13, 587 1,751 3, 483 6,203 4, 398 29,766 43,902 5,539 18,874 6. 2 6.6 20.6 24. 6 6.6 8. 8 6. 7 9. 7 16.2 35.1 4.5 9.0 2.8 2.3 15. 9 23. 4 3.0 10.1 1. 2 29. 6 5. 7 --------- --------- ------·---- = - -- -· - - - - - - - - - = ;:g~~i-~-~:_________ Em~:~~\f~!i Office workers _________ ___ ______ _ Industrial workers ___ __ __________ Servants, waitresses, etc ____ ____ _ Saleswomen. _________ _________ __ Other __ ------------------------1 978,552 ------ Limited to white and Neifo homemarkers, excluding the small number of " other races." TABLE V.-Color and nativity of gainfully employed homemakers, by occupation. United States, 1930 1 Number Occupation Total Native white Foreignborn white Percent Negro Native Foreignborn Negro white white - - - - ---- - - - - - - - - - --All occupations: Number __________________ Percent_ ___________ _____ _ 3,882, 143 2,364,158 100. 0 60. 6 Employed at borne: Agricultural occ~atlons________ Other than agric tural oocupations __----------------------Em~oyed awal from home: rofessiona workers__________ _ Office workers ____ ______________ Industrial workers______________ Servants, waitresses, etc ________ Saleswomen. ___________________ Other __________ __ ______________ 1 ---- = = 561,545 14. 2 976,440 25. 2 = 100.0 ~00.0 = = - -- 392,196 180,286 21,643 190,268 7. 7 3.9 19. 5 355, 731 177,128 87,646 140,967 7.5 6.8 14.4 386,652 500,298 729, 847 947,375 270,244 299, 800 328, 346 443,088 470,287 852, 449 224,326 178,249 35, 189 53, 053 187, 022 130, 318 42, 887 44,287 23,117 4,157 72, 538 464, 608 3,531 77,264 13. 9 18. 8 20.0 15. 0 9.5 7. 6 6.4 9.6 33. 9 23. 6 7. 7 8.0 2.4 .4 7.4 47.6 .4 7.9 Limited to white and Negro homemakers, excluding tbe small number of "other races." https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 100. 0 --------- --------- -------- 21 THE EMPLOYED WOMAN HOMEMAKER VI.-f-or-more-person families of gainfully employed homemakers, by sez of head and occupation and aelected agB group of homemaker-United States, TABLE 1930 1 Total of Occupation and selected·age group 2-or-more~rson of homemaker amilles Number of 2-ormore-person families with a- Man bead Woman head Percent I distribution by age Percent of 2-orgroup of homemore-person maker-2-or-morefamilies with aperson families with aMan head Woman head Man he..d Woman head ---- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - All occupations. _____________ 3,311,386 2,315,036 Under 25 years ___________ 411,892 375,660 45 years and over _________ 1,007,625 1116,409 Employed at home: Agricultural occupations. ______ Under 25 years _____________ 45 years and over ___________ = 996,350 36,232 491,216 69.9 91.2 51. 3 80.1 8.8 48. 7 51.3 360,350 41,672 170, 743 184,891 39,229 48,667 175, 459 2,443 122,076 Other pations than agricultural occu___________________ Under 25 years _____________ 45 years and over ___________ 285,681 12, 715 137,001 173,235 10,597 71,532 112,446 2,118 65,469 Em~~<if~sfo::f ;g~e~~~~~------Under 25 years ___ __________ 45 years and over __________ 300,635 30,909 81,876 236,155 28,742 49, 952 64,480 2,167 31,924 Office workers.. _________________ Under 25 years _____________ 45 years and over ___________ '28,720 98, 770 53,631 347,536 91,812 30,410 81,184 6,958 23,221 Industrial workers _____________ Under 25 years _____________ 45 years and over___________ 655,808 101,345 151,849 Servants, waitresses, etc ________ Under 25 years----------- ~45 _years and over ____ _______ 100.0 16. 2 22. 3 100. 0 3. 6 49.4 48. 7 100. 0 21.2 26.3 100.0 1.4 69.6 60.6 39.4 100.0 6.1 41. 3 100.0 1. 9 58.3 78.6 21.4 100. 0 12. 2 21.2 100.0 3. 4 49.6 18. 9 100.0 26.4 8.8 100.0 8.6 28. 7 100. 0 19. 0 17. 7 100. 0 4. 3 40.5 -------- ----------------- ----------------- ----------------- --------------------------------- --------81.1 --------- --------- 499,831 94,718 88,328 155,977 76.2 6,627 --------63,021 ------iii-- --------- 783,188 78,450 248,012 516,404 66,750 131,504 266,784 11,700 116,508 ------------------------- --------- Saleswomen ___________ _________ Under 25 years _____ ________ 45 years and over ___________ 242,031 28,420 61,387 194,508 26,712 42,595 47,523 1,708 18,792 --------- ----------------- --------- Other_------------------------- 254,973 162,476 92,497 --------- --------23. 8 --------- ---= 65.9 34. 1 100. 0 12. 9 25. 5 100. 0 4. 4 43.8 80.4 19. 6 100. 0 13. 7 21.9 100.0 3. 6 39.6 63. 7 36.3 --------- --------- 1 Limited to white and Negro homemakers, excluding the small number of "other races." Includes a negligible number of girls 12 and under 16 years of age. 1 Percents based on total reporting age, not on grand total. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 22 · THE EMPLOYED WOMAN HOMEMAKER TABLE VII.-Families of gainfully employed homemakers having lodgers, by occupation and selected age group of homemaker-United States, 1930 1 Percent having lodgers Number having lodgers Occupation and selected age group of homemaker All families Total with lodgers With 3 or more lodgers Total with lodgers With3 or more lodgers - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - --1-----1- --- - - - - - - - - - - - All occupations ____________________________ _ 3,882,143 15. 8 4. 0 614,399 157,056 Under 25 years_ __ ____ _______ __ ________ _ 9,824 2. 2 448,982 54,670 12. 2 45 years and over ________ __ __ ____ ______ _ 1,308,495 238,012 74,913 18. 2 5. 7 l=====t====l====l=====t==== Employed at home: Agricultural occupations __________________ ___ _ 392, 196 31,039 1,776 .5 7.9 Under 25 years ____ ___ _______ ___ __ ____ ____ _ 42,324 1,873 89 45 years and over __ ______ ________________ _ 1,133 197,190 18;486 Other than agricultural occupations __________ _ Under 25 years ______________________ ___ __ _ 45 years and over--- ---- - ----------------- 355,731 14,045 134,036 4,360 22.9 76, 738 81,427 2,713 47,754 37. 7 186,864 Employed away from home: Prolessional workers _________________________ _ Under 25 years ________________ ___________ _ 45 years and over ________________________ _ 386,652 38,264 120,450 61,828 6,308 21,150 9,213 913 3,540 16.0 2. 4 Office workers ____ ______________ -------------Under 25 years __ ____ _________ ____________ _ 45 years and over ________________________ _ 500,298 107,288 74,110 57,233 11,041 10,738 6,907 1,294 1,503 11. 4 L4 Industrial workers _____ _________________ -- __ -Under 25 years __ _________________________ _ 45 years and o~r ________________________ _ 729,847 105,556 191,772 83,371 10,215 23,303 11,459 1,444 3,192 11.4 1. 6 Servants, waitresses, etc ____ ________ _________ _ Under 25 years _______________ __ ___ ______ __ 45 years and over _____ ______ _____________ _ 947,375 90,458 330,593 172,560 16,081 55,961 32,139 2,707 10,839 18. 2 3.4 ------------------------------Saleswomen Under 25___ years ___ ___ _____________________ _ 45 yea.rs and over _______________ __ _______ _ 270,244 30,207 74,559 31, 142 3,024 9,747 4, 289 423 1,430 11. 5 1. 6 Other _____________________________ --- --- _____ _ 299,800 43,190 9, 846 14. 4 3. 3 1 Limited to white and Negro homemakers, excluding the small numbers of "other races". Includes a negligible number of girls 12 and under 16 years of age. 1-person families not excluded. TABLE VIII.-Distribution of gainfully employed homemakers in urban and rural areas, by occupation of homemaker-United States, 1930 1 N umber of homemakers inOccupation All homemakers Urban areas Ruralfarm areas Ruralnonfarm areas Percent distribu tion Urban areas Ruralfarm areas Ruralnonfarm areas ---- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - All occupations: Number ________ ____ _____ _ Percent _____ ____ ___ ___ ____ 3,882,143 2,707, 305 100.0 69. 7 Employed at home: Agricultural occupations ________ Other than agricultural occupations __________ --------- ____ Employed away from home: P rofessional workers ____________ Office workers _______ __________ Industrial workers ______________ Servants, waitresses, etc ___ __ __ _ Saleswomen _______ __ __ __ _____ __ Other ___ ----------------------1 Limited ---- = 539,520 635,318 100. 0 100. 0 392, 196 5, 791 377,210 9,195 .2 69. 9 1.4 355, 731 254, 02Q 15,099 86,603 9.4 2. 8 13. 6 386,652 500,298 729,847 947,375 270,244 299,800 281, 069 436,515 604,401 747,057 220,548 157,895 27,498 5,243 10,762 35,377 4,726 63,605 78,085 58,540 114,684 164,941 44,970 78,300 10.4 16. 1 22.3 27.6 8.1 5.8 5.1 1.0 2.0 6. 6 .9 11.8 12. 3 9. 2 18.1 26.0 7.1 12.3 to white and Negro homemakers, exclu ding the small number of "other races." 0 https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 100. 0 13. 9 16. 4 --------- --------- ----------------- ----- https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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