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State Teachers College Library UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR WOMEN’S BUREAU WOMEN IN ARKANSAS INDUSTRIES UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR FRANCES PERKINS, SECRETARY WOMEN’S BUREAU MARY ANDERSON, Director BULLETIN OF THE WOMEN’S BUREAU, No. 124 WOMEN IN ARKANSAS INDUSTRIES BERTHA BLAIR UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON : 193S For sale by the Superintendent of Document!, Washington, D. C. Price 5 cents CONTENTS Letter of transmittal_____________________________ Part I.—Introduction”"”1111111 ”” Scope and method of investigation___________ _ SummaryIIIIIIIIIII _ Part II—Earnings of white women_________ Earnings of women in factories, stores, and laundries __ _" Week’s earnings___________________________ Method of payment____________________ Week’s earnings and time worked________ Weekly rates______________________________ Part III.—Earnings of Negro women______________________ Week’s earnings_____________________ II.IIII.II Week’s earnings and time worked__________ ”~__ ”~_” Part IV.—Scheduled hours____________________ Daily hours_____________________________ Saturday hours_______________________ Weekly hours___________________________ Irregular hours and part-time work_________________” ~ Lunch period__________ ____________________ Part V.—Policies affecting earnings” "" Hours of work_________________________ Reduced rates_______________________________ Changes in employment policy ””” Supplements to wages______________________________ Part VI.-—Women in hotels and restaurants Earnings____________________________________ Hours"" Part VII.—Women in the telephone industry _ __ _ Part VIII.—Unemployment among 288 women workers in Little Rock" Facts about the women_____________________________ Employment status December 1, 1932__”I_ Extent of unemployment in year ended December 1, 1932 Duration of employment in year ended December 1, 1932 Extent of part-time employment in year ended December 1~ 1932__________________________ ____ Duration of unemployment in year ended December 1, 1932_ _ Average weekly earnings in 1932 compared with 1931 Facts about the households in which the women lived Composition of households______________________ Number employed December 1 in comparison with number nor mally employed_________________________________ Employment status of women and men in the households Effects of unemployment and decreased earnings on living standards___________ __________ Page v 1 1 2 4 4 4 8 8 10 12 12 13 14 14 15 16 17 17 18 18 18 19 19 20 20 23 27 29 29 30 32 32 33 36 36 39 39 40 42 45 TABLES 1. Number of establishments visited and number of men and women they employed, by industry, 2. Number of white women and their median week’s earnings, 1932 and 1931, by industry 3. Median week’s earnings of white women in Little Rock, 1932 and 193l" by industry 4. Week’s earnings of white women, 1932 and 1931, by industryiI~~I~"I m 2 5 g 7 IV CONTENTS Page 5. Time worked by white women in pay-roll week recorded, by industry, 1932 and 1931,-__________________ 6. Median earnings of white women by time worked, all industries, 1932 and 1931 7. Weekly rates of white women, 1932, by industry_________________ 8. Median earnings of Negro women by time worked, all industries, 1932 and 1931 9. Scheduled daily hours, by industry 14 10. Scheduled Saturday hours, by industry 16 11. Scheduled weekly hours, by industry 17 12. Week’s earnings of white women who worked 6 or 7 days or 54 or more hours, 1932 and 1931 13. Week’s earnings of Negro women who worked 6 or 7 days or 54 or more hours, 1932 and 1931 14. Scheduled weekly hours in hotels and restaurants, by occupation— 1932_______________________ 15. Length of workday, by occupation 24 16. Spread of hours, by occupation 25 17. Employment status of 288 women, December 1, 1932, by industry__ 18. Duration of unemployment of 103 women since last lay-off_________ 19. Employment status of 288 women, December 1, 1932, by age_______ 20. Employment status of 288 women, December 1, 1932, by relation to household 31 21. Duration of employment in year ended December 1, 1932, by indus try—260 women who had worked in one industry only__________ 22. Number of months employed, by number of months on part time— year ended December 1, 1932 23. Duration of full-time employment in year ended December 1, 1932, by industry—260 women who had worked in one industry only_____ 24. Time employed and time unemployed for industrial reasons in year ended December 1, 1932 25. Usual weekly earnings in 1932 and in 1931, as reported by 189 women, 26. Number of households with children, young persons, or adults not normally employed, by size of household---------27. Number of persons normally not employed, by size of household____ 28. Number and sex of persons normally employed, by size of household, 29. Number of persons employed December 1, by size of household____ 30. Number of households with normal number of persons employed December 1, by size of household____________________________ 31. Number of persons per household normally employed and number employed December 1______________ 32. Number of households with normal number of women employed December 1, by size of household 43 33. Number of households with normal number of men employed De cember 1, by size of household 43 9 10 11 13 21 22 23 30 31 31 32 34 35 37 38 39 40 41 41 42 42 LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL United States Department of Labor, Women’s Bureau, Washington, Oct. 10, 1934. I have the honor to transmit a report on the employment of women in Arkansas, made at the request of the Commissioner of Labor of the State, who required information on employment and earnings in connection with his work as relief administrator. I acknowledge with grateful appreciation the assistance of the employers, the workers, and the women interviewed in their homes. The survey was conducted by Ethel Erickson, industrial super visor, and the report has been written by Bertha Blair, of the editorial division. Respectfully submitted. Mary Anderson, Director. Hon. Frances Perkins, Secretary of Labor. Madam: v WOMEN IN ARKANSAS INDUSTRIES Part I.—INTRODUCTION In the last 2 months of 1932 and January of 1933 agents of the Women’s Bureau of the United States Department of Labor conducted the field work for a study of the wages and hours of women employed in factories, stores, laundries, hotels and restaurants, and telephone exchanges in the State of Arkansas. To make as complete as possible their report on the economic condition of the workers, the agents supplemented the data secured from the establishments with information from the women themselves as to the work they had had during the year, the amount of their earnings, the numbers unemployed in their households, and so forth. According to the United States census, 119,193 women were gain fully employed in Arkansas in 1930, a number that amounted to 17 percent of the woman population. Agriculture and domestic service employed 70 percent of the women workers. Less than one-fifth (18.4 percent) were in manufacturing, trade, transportation and com munication, and the clerical occupations.*1 Between 1920 and 1930 the proportion employed in agriculture de creased from 57.3 percent to 40.3 percent and the proportion in do mestic and personal service increased from 21.3 percent to 30.2 percent.2 Probably the serious farm situation was largely responsible for this exodus of agricultural workers, for large numbers of whom the only alternative was domestic service. For Negro women agriculture and housework were the two chief fields of service; they occupied all but 6 percent of the gainfully employed Negro women in the State.3 According to the census of manufactures,4 the number of manufac turing establishments in the State had decreased from 3,123 in 1919 to 1,731 in 1929, a decline of almost 45 percent. However, the average number of wage earners per establishment, which was only 16 in 1919, had become 26 by 1929. SCOPE AND METHOD OF INVESTIGATION An effort was made to visit a representative number of establish ments (including large and small plants) in the industries employing the most workers—factories, stores, laundries and dry cleaners, hotels and restaurants, and telephone exchanges. Fourteen cities and towns were covered, the list being as follows: Blytheville Camden Conway El Dorado Forest City Fort Smith Helena Hot Springs Jonesboro Little Rock Magnolia Malvern Paragould Pine Bluff i U. S. Bureau of the Census. Fifteenth Census: 1930. Occupation Statistics, Arkansas, pp. 5, 6. 1 Idem; and U. S. Bureau of the Census. Fourteenth Census: 1920. Vol. IV, pp. 54, 55. 1 U. S. Bureau of the Census. Fifteenth Census: 1930. Occupation Statistics, Arkansas, p. 16. * U. S. Bureau of the Census. Fifteenth Census: 1930. Manufactures, 1929. Vol. II, p. 18. 1 2 WOMEN IN ARKANSAS INDUSTRIES The time worked and the earnings of each woman for a representa tive pay period were copied from pay-roll records. For most of the establishments the week selected was in November 1932; for the others it was just before or just after that month. The choice depended on the advice of the management, which in each case was asked to desig nate a week when no unusual circumstances, aside from the depres sion, had increased or reduced the time worked. In the table following are given the industries surveyed, the number of establishments visited, and the number of men and women they employed: Table 1.—Number of establishments visited and number of men and women they employed, by industry Number of employees Industry Number of estab lishments Total Women Men Total White Negro Total White Negro All industries-------- ------- ------ 144 6,651 2,692 2,166 526 3,959 3,413 546 Manufacturing...... ................................. 37 3,049 1,537 1,443 94 1,512 1,310 202 Cotton goods.......................... ......... Food. ----- ----------------- 3 8 9 7 3 7 312 284 796 1,103 102 452 170 186 673 100 35 373 160 162 638 85 32 366 10 24 35 15 3 7 142 98 123 1,003 67 79 135 97 123 809 67 79 7 1 25 14 20 38 10 1,099 476 583 955 489 377 78 168 532 341 67 125 190 36 11 43 342 722 * 398 415 3 719 4 398 249 248 489 Garments......................................... General mercantile2........ ..................... Laundries and dry cleaners-----------Hotels and restaurants5----------------- 423 489 194 3 166 175 1 Printing, 3 firms; mattresses, awnings, and tents, 2; steel scissors, 1; and lamp chimneys, 1. * Includes specialty shops. * 159 of these were part-time or extra workers. 4 203 of these were part-time or extra workers. * Includes 8 lunch counters or soda fountains in stores. Of the 3,959 women included in the survey, more than a fourth (25.3 percent) were in some branch of the garment industry. Of the Negro women, who comprised 13.8 percent of all the women surveyed, 35.5 percent were in the garment industry, the others being almost evenly divided between laundries and hotels and restaurants, industries in which they find employment in all sections of the country. SUMMARY Date of survey November and December 1932 and January 1933. Scope Cities and towns visited, 14; establishments, 144, employing 3,413 white women and 546 Negro women. Industrial distribution of white women Manufacturing, 38.4 percent; mercantile, 32.7; telephone exchanges, 14.3; hotels and restaurants, 7.3; and laundries and dry cleaners, 7.3. Industrial distribution of Negro women Manufacturing, 37 percent; mercantile, 0.5; hotels and restaurants, 32.1: and laundries and dry cleaners, 30.4. 3 INTRODUCTION Earnings Factories, stores, and laundries: White women’s pay-roll records 2,303 Median of their week’s earnings 38. 45 Negro women’s pay-roll records________________ Median of their week’s earnings S5. 60 Hotels and restaurants: White women’s pay-roll records________________ Median of their week’s earnings $6. 40 Negro women’s pay-roll records________________ Median of their week’s earnings $6, 00 Telephone exchanges: Women whose pay-roll records were taken (ail white) _ Median of a half-month’s earnings$30. 90 1032 366 212 1031 1.791 $9. 25 145 $7. 40 172 175 $7, 20 169 $6. 90 489 491 $38. 60 Scheduled weekly hours The largest groups of women worked over 51 and under 54 hours in fac tories; 54 hours in limited-price stores; 51 in general mercantile establishments; 48 in telephone exchanges; and irregular hours in hotels, restaurants, and laundries. Employment and unemployment Employment experience of 288 women in Little Rock for the 12 months from Dec. 1, 1931, to Dec. 1, 1932: Percent Proportion at work Dec. 1, 193260. 4 Unemployed for industrial reasons 35. 8 Employed full time for 12 months__________________________ 6. 3 Employed full time for less than 6 months52. 1 Not employed full time at all 10. 4 Employment in the 234 households in which the 288 women lived: Men Women Total persons 16 years and over 255 440 Persons 16 and over normally employed 227 312 Percent Proportion employed Dec. 1, 1932 40. 5 60. 9 Proportion employed full time Dec. 1, 1932 25. 1 46. 2 Proportion of households of 2 or more persons with less than normal number employed Dec. 1, 1932 76. 7 Percent of households Outside assistance received (125 of 234)53, 4 Public relief received (79 of 125)63. 2 06249®—35-----2 Part II.—EARNINGS OF WHITE WOMEN The amounts received by workers in payment for their labor deter mine what standard of living they can have for themselves and their families. The struggle for higher wages continues to be made by labor in order to achieve a standard of living not only above the bare subsistence level but high enough to insure reasonable comfort and a larger share of the cultural advantages of the Nation. Wages are of as great importance to women workers as to any other group. Whether or not the earnings of women in Arkansas were adequate in 1932, when this study was made, can be judged by analyz ing a representative sample of those actually received in a week con sidered by employers to be normal for the times. One can see, also, the downward trend in wages during the depression that has meant extreme suffering for large numbers of workers. Records were secured for a pay-roll week in 1931 for comparison with 1932. The figures were copied from the pay rolls of the establishments visited. In all establishments the current figures were for a week in the latter part of 1932. In a majority (84) the week was in Novem ber; in the others it was in either October or December, except one plant where it was in September. The 1931 earnings also were for a selected week in the last few months of the year. The wage figures of white and of Negro women will be discussed separately in this report. For those of Negro women see part III. The earnings of hotel and restaurant workers and of telephone em ployees also are treated separately from those of other workers. Records of actual earnings in a week in 1932 were obtained for 2,303 white women employed as regular workers in factories, stores of various types, and laundries, for 212 workers in hotels and restaurants, and for 489 in the telephone industry. A week’s earnings in 1931 were secured for 1,791 women in factories, stores, and laundries, for 175 in hotels and restaurants, and for 491 in the telephone industry. EARNINGS OF WOMEN IN FACTORIES, STORES, AND LAUNDRIES Week’s earnings The week’s earnings taken off the records for 2,303 women (exclu sive of extras and part-time workers in stores) in 1932 had a median of $8.45. For the 1,791 women in 1931 the median was $9.25. It must be remembered that one-half of the women received less than these small amounts. The existence of different wage standards in the various industries is evident from the following table. 4 EARNINGS OF WHITE WOMEN 5 Table 2.—Number of white women and their median week’s earnings, 1932 and 1931, by industry Number employed1 Median earnings Industry 1932 1931 1932 1931 Total........................... Manufacturing........................ Cotton goods________ Food_______________ Furniture_______ Garments________ Paper products_______ Other____ __ __ General mercantile......... Limited-price stores_____ Laundries and dry cleaners_______ nrn 90 87 7.75 ___ 9.50 7. 55 397 12, 90 15.45 8. 75 7.95 1 Exclusive of part-time or extra workers. On the basis of median earnings, the general mercantile group had the highest wage standard. In both years, wages in limited-price were vei7 much less, there being a difference in medians of ■Sfi./O in 1931 and of $4.75 in 1932. In both types of store the median was less in 1932 than in 1931—60 cents less in limited-price stores and $2.55 m the others. .The garment industry, with the largest number of women among iacturing groups, showed a somewhat higher median in i$8 tlian 1931 be due to that the fact that 1931. figures werelnnot available for This three may establishments provided them for 1932; for example, the second largest of the seven garment factories, which had wage standards that might account for this difference. The rise in the median earnings in the furniture industry from $7.45 m 1931 to $9.35 in 1932 cannot be explained by increased rates, for these remained the same or declined in all establishments in the later year. I he figures obtained on time worked indicate longer hours or more regular employment—perhaps both—in 1932 than in 1931. 1 he laundry group had next to the lowest median earnings in 1932 ? o°,Ugi:eonrCmely low in 1931> tbey declined by more than -$1 in 1932—$6.80 as compared to $7.95. The facts presented show that about three-fourths (74.2 percent) of the women in 1932 and almost as large a proportion (72.9 percent) m 1931 were employed in industries where the median earnings were °r less; almost three-fifths (58.5 percent) in 1932 and one-half (50. b percent) in 1931 were in industries where the median was $8 or less. Little Rock, because it is the largest city in Arkansas, and because nearly one-half of the white women in the study were employed there is shown separately in some tabulations. As may be seen from the table following, the median earnings for all women in 1932 were 65 cents higher for Little Rock than for the State as a whole Three of the seven garment factories, employing nearly three-fifths of the 809 women in this industry, were in Little Rock but median earnings in garments were $1.50 less for the city than for the State. General 6 WOMEN IN ARKANSAS INDUSTRIES mercantile establishments and laundries showed slightly higher earn ings in Little Rock than in the State as a whole. The 1932 medians for Little Rock were lower than those of 1931 in every industry. Table 3.—Median week’s earnings of white women in Little Rock, 1932 and 1931, by industry Number employed * Median earnings Industry 1932 Total___________________ ____ -............. ........................... ....... Manufacturing.......................... 1------- --------------------------------------Garments.................................................................... .......................... Laundries and dry cleaners.................................. ............. ................. . 1931 1932 1931 1,113 844 $9.10 $9. 65 585 457 7.15 8.15 470 115 341 116 6.50 9.55 7.45 10.00 327 101 100 221 62 104 13.25 8.10 7.00 15.70 8. 65 7.90 1 Exclusive of part-time or extra workers. The median of earnings tells an important story about the economic condition of workers as a group, but an examination of the distribu tion of earnings is necessary to show the situation as to variations within the group. In all industries the proportions of women in the lower earnings groups were larger in 1932 than in 1931. Even so, the proportions getting less than $10 a week in 1931 were extremely large. In all industries combined, two-thirds of the women received less than $10 in the week for which pay-roll records were taken in 1932, and not far from one-half (45.6 percent) received less than $8. For more than one-fifth (22.3 percent) earnings were less than $6, and for one-tenth (10.3 percent) they were less than $4. Somewhat over one-fifth (21.3 percent) earned $10 and under $14 and about oneeighth (12.1 percent) $14 and over. In the week in 1931 for which pay-roll records were taken, though the proportions of women in the lower earnings groups were extremely large, with a few exceptions the percentages were smaller than in 1932 and more earned at least $10. Less than $8 was earned by 37.4 percent of all the women in 1931 and $10 and more by 42 per cent, in contrast to 45.6 percent and 33.4 percent, respectively, in 1932. Of the 809 women in the garment industry, most of whom were paid by the piece, practically 85 percent earned less than $10 in the week in 1932, and about 63 percent earned less than $8. Only 3 percent earned as much as $14. In i931 the proportion earning less than $10 was three-fourths (74.9 percent), and 55.7 percent earned less than $8. In the manufacturing group in 1932, cotton goods had the largest proportion earning less than $8, garments came next, paper products third, and food fourth. Not far from one-half (46.3 percent) of the women making paper products were paid less than $4. In 1931 the garment industry had by far the largest proportions of women who received less than $6 and less than $4, though similar proportions in the cotton goods industry, furniture, paper products, and limited-price stores were paid less than $10 in the week selected for that year. EARNINGS OF WHITE WOMEN 7 In limited-price stores in the week of 1932 all but 15 percent of the 239 women received less than $10, by far the largest proportion (78 7 percent) earning $6 and under $10. Almost half (46.9 percent) got less than $8. A somewhat larger proportion were paid at least $10 in 1931, though more than seven-tenths (72.4 percent) got less than that amount. Eighty-five percent of the laundry workers in 1932 received less than $10, 65.4 percent received less than $8, and 22.8 percent earned less than $4. The increase in the proportion of those in the lower earnings groups in 1932 was very marked in this industry, as may be seen from the accompanying table. Table 4.—Week’s earnings of white women, 1982 and 1931, by industry Percent of women in each industry who earned— Total number employed Industry Less than $4 $4, less $6,less $8, less $10, less than than than than $6 $8 $10 $12 $12, less than $14 $14, less than $20 $20 and more KEGULAE EMPLOYEES IN 1932 All industries 2,303 10.3 12.0 23.3 21.0 11.0 10.3 9.8 2.3 Manufacturing: Cotton goods................................. Food............................................ Furniture......... ............................ .. Garments. _____ Paper products.............................. Other___________________ 135 90 123 809 67 78 4.4 4.9 16.6 46.3 2.6 19.3 15.6 13.0 21.0 1.5 2.6 49.6 41.1 14.6 26.3 13.4 11.5 17.8 25.6 26.0 21.4 10.4 32.1 8.9 14.4 17.9 7.5 11.9 17.9 17.1 4.8 6.0 20.5 3.3 5.7 3.1 10.4 9.0 .8 .2 General mercantile.. _______ Limited-price stores......................... Laundries and dry cleaners 516 239 246 1.0 2.1 22.8 .8 4.2 13.4 2.9 40.6 29.3 11.6 38.1 19.5 15.5 10.5 7.3 26.9 2.9 4.9 32.2 1.7 2.4 9.1 4.7 3.8 .4 KEGULAE EMPLOYEES IN 1931 All industries..-......... 1,791 7.2 9.3 20.9 20.6 13.8 9.9 13.6 Manufacturing: Cotton goods................. Food______ ______ ____ Furniture____________ Garments____ ________ Paper products.............. Other________________ 139 87 116 470 53 88 4.3 1.1 9.5 16.2 1.9 5.7 17.3 6.9 16.4 15.7 1.9 5.7 23.7 19.5 35.3 23.8 56.6 12.5 34.5 31.0 17. 2 19.1 17.0 13.6 14.4 21.8 7.8 15.1 7.5 17.0 5.0 10.3 8.6 5.5 5.7 14.8 .7 9.2 3. 4 4.0 9.4 26.1 General mercantile________ Limited-price stores,..____ Laundries and dry cleaners. 397 174 267 1.0 2.3 7.9 .8 .6 12.4 1.0 25.3 31.1 5.0 44.3 24.7 11.6 17.2 12.4 21.2 6.3 5.2 41. 6 4. 0 4.5 17. 9 4.5 1.9 PART-TIME AND EXTRA EMPLOYEES IN 1932 1373 76.1 12.1 4.0 2.4 2.4 2.1 0.5 0.3 203 159 63.1 94.3 16.3 5.0 6.4 .6 4.4 4.4 3.9 1.0 .5 PART-TIME AND EXTRA EMPLOYEES IN 1931 All industries.. 2 239 General mercantile. _ Limited-price stores. 119 108 10.0 92.4 38.9 1.7 19.4 5.9 13.9 3.8 4.2 2.1 2.1 0.4 8.3 9.3 4.6 4.6 .9 1 Includes 8 women in factories and 3 in laundries, not shown separately, includes 6 women in factories and 6 in laundries, not shown separately. 8 WOMEN IN ARKANSAS INDUSTRIES In general mercantile stores in 1932, 83.7 percent of the women earned $10 or more and over two-fifths $14 or more. However, even in these establishments earnings were none too high when it is con sidered that only 9 percent earned $20 or more. In these establish ments almost three-fifths were paid at least $14 in the week in 1931. For the group as a whole, the proportion earning $10 or more was greater for Little Rock than for the State—41.3 percent as compared to 33.4 percent. . Part-time and extra workers.—Both in 1931 and in 1932 limitedprice and general mercantile stores had a good many part-time and extra workers on their pay rolls, many of whom filled in on Saturdays and received very small weekly amounts. More than nine-tenths (94.3 percent) of these women in limitedprice stores had earned less than $4, the great majority—137 of 159— earning $1 and less than $2. In general mercantile establishments not far from two-thirds (63.1 percent) had earned less than $4 and for nearly one-half (47.3 percent) earnings were only $1 or $2 in the week recorded. Though the number of regular workers in general mercantile was greater in 1932 than in 1931 by only 30 percent, the number of part time and extra workers had increased by 88 percent. A strong argument for minimum-wage legislation appears when the findings of this study are compared with those of the Arkansas study made by the Bureau in 1922 when such a law was in force. At that time the law, later declared unconstitutional, covered women em ployed in “any manufacturing, mechanical or mercantile establish ment, laundry, or by any express or transportation company.” Median earnings were considerably higher in 1922 than in 1932, and though this may be due in some measure to the depression, it is no doubt partly due to the fact that the law had been out of operation almost 5 years when the second survey was made. Method of payment In manufacturing establishments three-fifths of the women were paid by the piece. Cotton goods had the largest proportion of piece workers, about three-fourths (74.8 percent) of its women being on that basis. In laundries and mercantile establishments time rates were usual. Payment on the weekly basis, however, is not a guarantee that an employee will receive the same amount each week, earnings usually being determined by the number of hours or days worked. As there was a great deal of short time in 1932, a tabulation of earnings of those paid by the piece and those paid on a time basis was not considered significant. Week’s earnings and time worked This discussion of earnings has taken no account as yet of the time worked represented by the earnings. It was possible to secure the exact number of hours worked in relation to the earnings for less than one-half of the regular women employees. For more than one-third pay-roll records showed the number of days on which they had worked in relation to their earnings. _ . The accompanying tables show hours and earnings for regular workers in 1932 and 1931 for such of the industries as had figures available. EARNINGS OF WHITE WOMEN Table 5. 9 Time worked by white women in pay-roll week recorded, by industry. 1932 and 1931 [Only groups with 50 or more women shown in detail] A.—WOMEN WHOSE TIME WORKED WAS REPORTED IN HOURS Percent of women who worked— Industry Number of women 35, less than 48 hours 48, less than 54 hours 54 hours More than 54 hours 1932 All industries_______ Manufacturing: Cotton goods__________ Furniture.........-............__ Garments.......................... Other_________ _______ General mercantile............... Limited-price stores.______ Laundries and dry cleaners 1,100 15.6 25.3 34.3 19.3 5.5 135 61 198 1 137 8.1 26.2 9.6 32.8 66.7 18.0 12.6 35.0 1.5 14.8 77.8 10.2 1.6 23.7 39.3 19.7 2.2 222 166 181 .9 4.8 39.2 4. 1 7.2 45.9 85.1 1.8 3.3 9.9 86.1 10.5 1.1 728 19.9 23.2 32.1 20.1 4.7 138 * 151 205 84 150 46.4 27.8 3.4 3.6 19.3 28.3 29.8 3.9 7. 1 47.3 5.1 15.9 87.3 1.2 15.3 25.2 5.4 88.1 15.3 1931 All industries____ ... Manufacturing: Cotton goods...... .............. Other................................ General mercantile________ Limited-price stores...____ Laundries and dry cleaners. 20.3 1.3 2.7 B.—WOMEN WHOSE TIME WORKED WAS REPORTED IN DAYS Percent of women who worked on— Industry Number ol women Less than 5 days 5 days 5H days 6 days 1932 All industries............................. Manufacturing: Furniture......... ........................ Garments......... ........................... Other________________ General mercantile.. ................. Limited-price stores.. .............. Laundries and dry cleaners................. 64.0 19.4 9.0 64 3.1 4.8 60.3 1.9 2.7 10.9 46.8 21.7 86.5 93. 3 82.2 85. 9 1931 All industries.................................. Manufacturing. Food........................................... Garments......... .......................... Other.. ______ ________ General mercantile....... ............ Limited-price stores..... .................. Laundries and dry cleaners _______ \ }ncJu<Jes also 2 62 27.4 9.7 88 115 6.8 5.7 f00d and Paper products, shown separately, a ^c,udes also cotton goods, furniture, andnot paper products, not shown separately. * Jrracticaily aJi on 4 or 4H days. 4 Practically all on 2 days. 12.5 71.4 1.9 44.4 81.1 32.6 3.0 92.1 9.6 74.8 10 WOMEN IN ARKANSAS INDUSTRIES Table 6.—Median earnings of white women by time worked, all industries, 1932 and 1931 [Medians not computed where base less than 50] Women who worked the time specified in— 1932 Time worked Number Percent of women of women 1931 Median earnings Number Percent of women of women Median earnings A—WOMEN WHOSE TIME WORKED WAS REPORTED IN HOURS Women with hours worked reported 1____ ________ _____ Under 30 hours.................................... .. 35, under 40 hours. 40, under 44 hours.__________ Over 44, under 48 hours....... ........... .. 51 hours____ 54 hours____________ ________ _ Over 54 hours.............................. ........... . 1,100 127 103 95 73 179 106 212 61 100.0 $8.40 728 100.0 11.5 9.4 8.6 6.6 16.3 9. 6 19.3 5.5 2.80 6. 75 7. 50 7.15 13. 95 8. 85 9. 00 9. 05 87 42 60 39 185 12.0 5.8 8.2 5.4 25.4 8.10 <>) 15.85 146 34 20.1 4.7 « $9.60 5.40 (0 9. 95 B.—WOMEN" WHOSE TIME WORKED WAS REPORTED IN DAYS Women with days worked 841 100.0 $9. 35 618 100.0 56 181 538 6. 7 21. 5 64.0 6. 00 8. 25 10.30 28 77 441 4. 5 12.5 71.4 $9.80 (0 9. 50 10.50 1 Only time groups with 50 or more women in 1932 shown in detail. There were 1,100 regular women workers in 1932 for whom figures on both wages and hours worked were reported. Almost half of these were in manufacturing. In most of the cases groups were too small to determine a representative average (median) for comparison. Three-fourths of the women in cotton mills worked less than 44 hours, those working 35 and under 40 hours having a median of $6.90. Over one-fifth (21.5 percent) of the cotton-mill workers put in 60 hours or more. For 841 workers only the number of days on which they had worked was reported with their earnings. The great majority (85.5 percent) of these had worked on 5% or 6 days. The median earnings were highest for those who worked on 6 days, the higher earnings in general mercantile establishments, most of which had a 6-day week, no doubt affecting the median. However, in the garment industry, those who worked on 5% days earned appreciably more than those at work on 6 days—$8.15 and $6.60, respectively. Weekly rates Though the majority of workers in the manufacturing industries were paid by the piece, there were 378 for whom a weekly rate was given. Less than $10 a week was the rate for over four-fifths (83.3 percent) of these. As many as 92.4 percent of the timeworkers in the garment industry were paid a rate of less than $10. More than four-fifths (84.5 percent) of the workers in limited-price stores had a rate helow $10, half of these less than $8. For almost nine-tenths of the women in general mercantile establishments (87.7 percent) the rate was at least $10, though for only 10 percent was it as much as $20. In laundries seven-tenths of the workers received less than $10. 11 EARNINGS OF WHITE WOMEN _ Part-time and extra workers were a feature of mercantile estab lishments; only a very few were found on the pay rolls of other industries. For the majority of workers in limited-price stores the rate was $1.25 a day and for those in general mercantile it was $2. This was true of Little Rock as well as the State as a whole. Condi tions in Little Rock generally were somewhat better than in the remainder of the State. General mercantile Limitedprice stores Total-- 166 117 $0.75............... . $1.00—........ . $1.25_............... $1.33................. $1.50-........... $1.75............... $2.00 $2.25................ $2.50................. $3.00.-............ 1 1 1 1 22 105 Daily rate 11 1 109 6 24 1 Table 7.—Weekly rates of white women, 1932, by industry [Medians not computed where base less than 50] Women employed in— Weekly rate Total women with weekly rate re ported General mer cantile Manufacturing Total Food Gar ments Other Regu lar 146 455 $13. 25 2 17 4 4 3 11 2 2 1 7 49 67 133 87 43 25 28 16 298 $13.65 LaunLimit di ies Part ed-price and stores dry time cleaners and extra A.--THE STATE Median 3............. 1* ............. Less than $6........................... . $8, less than $10...... ................. . $25 and more............................. . 1,248 $9.70 378 $8.55 37 254 396 149 166 99 66 30 34 17 28 in 176 25 8 5 17 3 4 1 44 7 23 9 1 2 2 288 $8.20 28 102 136 12 3 4 1 2 2 21 10 239 $8. 40 100 102 26 7 1 155 $8. 95 *9 36 65 21 14 5 3 B —LITTLE ROCK Median 3......... ............. . Less than $6....................... ....... $6, less than $8........ ................. $12, $14, $16, $18, less less less less than than than than $14...... ................. $16...... ........... . $18...................... . $20.................... .. $25 and more............................... 611 $11.05 118 $9. 00 50 $6. 70 68 $10. 30 12 84 135 95 112 73 45 20 19 16 4 36 34 18 4 5 13 2 1 1 4 33 6 3 1 3 5 13 2 1 1 64 29 16 15 1 Includes also cotton goods, furniture, and paper products, not shown separately. * These are part-time or extra workers for whom weekly rates were reported. 3 Based on $1 intervals. * Includes 1 part-time worker. 96249°—35-----3 21 101 $8. 30 1 73 $9. 75 Part III.—EARNINGS OF NEGRO WOMEN Negro women comprised 45.6 percent of the gainfully employed women of the State in 1930, according to the census of occupations, but only a very small proportion of them were employed in industries other than agriculture and domestic and personal service.1 These two industries alone employed about 94 percent of the Negro women workers of the State. However, 1,235 Negro women were employed in factories and laundries, and Women’s Bureau agents secured their wage records in all establishments visited. They were in the minority in both factories and laundries, as a whole, though in one garment factory and in several laundries they were in the majority. It is essential in any discussion of earnings to review those of Negro workers separately from those of white workers. As is generally true, their earnings were appreciably less than the earnings of white workers in the industries in which both were employed, chiefly manu facturing establishments and laundries. Week’s earnings Pay-roll records were secured for 363 women employed as regular workers in manufacturing establishments and laundries in 1932. Only 3 were employed in stores. There were only 5 part-time workers, all in laundries. The median of the week’s earnings of all Negro women for whom 1932 records were obtained was a third less than that of the white women. A median of $5.60, to say nothing of the 50 percent who were paid less than this, and of the still lower median in the garment indus try, must be regarded as wholly inadequate and far below the amount necessary for living in conformity with American standards. For 161 laundry workers in 1932 median earnings were $6; $7.35 for 135 such workers in 1931. In this industry the earnings of white women were not much higher, $6.80 in 1932“and $7.95 in 1931.i Negro women in 1932 Industry Total................................................. Laundries and dry cleaners................... Number Median earnings i 366 $5.60 202 194 5. 45 5.45 2161 6.00 i Includes 3 women In general mercantile. For women in hotels and restaurants see pt. VI of report. ! Of 145 Negro women for whom 1931 records were available, 135, with median earnings of $7.35, were in laundries. i U. S. Bureau of the Census. Fifteenth Census: 1930. Occupation Statistics, Arkansas, p. 16. 12 EARNINGS OF NEGRO WOMEN 13 Week's earnings and time worked A majority of the 195 Negro workers in manufacturing in 1932 for whom hours were reported had worked 51 % hours in the week for which pay-roll records were copied. The median earnings for women who worked these hours were $5.70. The majority of the laundry workers for whom hours were reported had worked not more than 44 hourswell over two-fifths (44.9 percent) had worked less than 35; and all but 5 had worked less than 48. In 1931, more than nine-tenths of the women for whom days worked were reported had worked on 6 days, in contrast to only two-thirds in 1932. For women working on 5 days or more, the median earnings were very much smaller in 1932 than in 1931—$5.95 as compared to $7.80. Table 8. Median earnings oj Negro women by time worked, all industries 1932 and 1931 [Medians not computed where base less than 50] 1932 1931 Number of Median earnings women Number of Median earnings women A.—WOMEN WHOSE TIME WORKED WAS REPORTED IN HOURS With hours worked reported—Total 30, less than 35 hours........... 35, less than 40 hours___ 40, less than 44 hours______ 44, less than 48 hours............ 48, less than 51H hours......... 51H hours........ ................... .......... 54 hours________________ Over 54 hours.............. 310 44 26 19 7 58 20 128 3 5 $5.60 7.10 5. 70 60 9 8 4 19 6 6 4 4 B.-WOMEN WHOSE TIME WORKED WAS REPORTED IN DAYS With days worked reported—Total Less than 5 days________ 56 $5.75 6 50 5.95 83 $7.00 Part IV.—SCHEDULED HOURS The data on scheduled hours were obtained by interview with representatives of the firms and checked with plant records. They represent the normal working day and week for the women employed. These are not necessarily the hours worked in any one week by these employees, for overtime sometimes is required and during the period covered there was a great deal of short time. Daily hours The information on daily hours for all industries but hotels and restaurants is given in the table following.1 Table 9.—Scheduled daily hours, by industry 1 Regular hours Total Number reported 8 or less 8H Industry Estab Women lish ments 2 Laundries and dry cleaners.. Estab Women lish ments 3 Women Estab lish ments Women 87 2,765 100.0 16 643 23.3 14 637 23.0 37 3 8 9 7 3 7 1, 512 142 98 123 1,003 67 79 35 3 6 9 7 3 7 1,498 142 84 123 1,003 67 79 5 1 149 99 6 268 1 10 2 3 20 232 1 2 23 17 1 16 25 14 20 10 722 398 415 489 25 14 3 10 519 239 20 489 1 5 8 369 10 489 Part-time and irregular hours 10, 11, and 12 Estab lish ments Women Estab lish ments Women 55 1,437 52.0 3 48 1.7 41 768 1 21 1,033 3 2 48 43 1 11 1 3 6 5 4 2 4 84 88 771 44 46 1 11 1 3 17 14 3 145 239 20 14 9 17 203 159 395 1 1 For hotels and restaurants see pt. VI of report. 1 Details exceed total, as some firms bad more than 1 schedule. Estab lish Women ments Hours not reported Estab lish ments Percent distribution— Estab lish ments 3,536 9 14 8ZA 10G Regular hours—Continued Laundries and dry cleaners. _ and 5 Women 3 SCHEDULED HOURS 15 A maximum schedule of 9 hours a day for women is allowed by law in Arkansas in manufacturing, mechanical, or mercantile establish ments, laundries, and express or transportation companies. The only factories exempted are those making cotton goods. In 3 establishments the scheduled daily hours amounted to more than 9, but 2 of these, employing 43 women, were cotton mills where longer hours than 9 are permitted by law. However, many women were not required to work as many hours as the law allowed, for not far from half (46.3 percent) of those whose scheduled hours were reported worked a day of 8, 8%, or 8% hours. One factory had a 7-hour schedule. More than two-thirds (67.4 percent) of all the women working less than 9 hours were in telephone exchanges or stores. All those in the telephone industry were on an 8-hour sched ule, though for the girls on the morning-evening tour of duty the workday was divided into two periods. Almost three-fourths (72.1 percent) of those employed regularly in general mercantile stores worked 8K or 8% hours daily; the others worked 9 hours. All those in limited-price stores worked 9 hours. In the garment industry the scheduled daily hours were from 8% to 9. Most of the women (76.9 percent) were on a 9-hour schedule. Women in this industry comprised more than half (53.7 percent) of all those that had a 9-hour day. Saturday hours Saturday hours were long. For telephone operators Saturday hours were the same as those of other days, that is, 6 full days a week were worked. In stores hours were as long or longer on Saturday. Factories differed in the number of hours they expected their employees to work. Only 1 of the 87 establishments—a factory—had a 5-day week for its day workers, the other plant so tabulated employing a few women on 5 nights a week. The women in limited-price stores had a Saturday schedule of 9 hours, the same as on other days of the week. All but 6 of the 25 other stores had at least a 9-hour schedule, 1 small store working its women 11 hours. In the 6 exceptions the hours were 8)(. Five hours or less was the Saturday schedule in only about half the fac tories—17 of 35. Eleven had Saturday schedules of 9 hours or longer. 16 WOMEN IN ARKANSAS INDUSTRIES Table 10.—Scheduled Saturday hours, by industry Regular hours Total Total re ported None Less than 5 Over 5, less than 8 5 Industry EsEsEs EsEsEstab- Wom tab- Wom tab Wom tab- Wom tab- Wom tab- Wom lishlishlish lishlishlishen en en en en en ments meuts ments ments ments ments (■) (•) All industries............... Percent distribution. Manufacturing________ Laundries and dry cleaners. 106 3,536 87 2,765 100.0 2 15 0.5 8 202 7.3 8 184 6.7 5 739 26.8 37 1,512 25 722 14 398 20 415 10 489 35 1,498 519 25 14 239 3 20 489 10 2 15 8 202 8 184 5 739 Regular hours—Continued 8 8H Part-time and irreg Over 9 and ular hours including 11 9 Hours not reported Industry EsEsEsEsEsEstab- Wom tab- Wom tab- Wom tab- Wom tab- Wom tab- Wom lishlishlishlishlishlishen en en en en en ments ments ments ments ments ments All industries........ . Percent distribution 12 640 23.2 Manufacturing...................... 2 151 6 237 8.6 41 591 21.4 6 157 5.7 41 768 1 3 184 148 239 2 4 23 134 1 14 9 11 203 159 3 237 9 15 14 1 6 3 20 17 395 Laundries and dry clean10 489 1 Details exceed total, as some firms had more than 1 schedule. Weekly hours The length of the work week permitted by law is 54 hours. Only 57 women of the 2,779 for whom this was reported worked in places where more than 54 hours was the schedule, and 43 of these were in cotton mills, where such hours are legal. One-fifth (20.8 percent) of the women were on a 54-hour schedule and 3 in 5 of these worked in stores. A schedule of less than 54 hours was reported for the great majority of the women (77.2 percent). Just over one-fifth (21.7 percent) were reported as having a 48-hour week, 4 in 5 of these being in the tele phone industry. One cotton mill also had this schedule. Over 48 but less than 54 were the scheduled weekly hours of 53.6 percent of the women, a large proportion of these exceeding 51 hours. The 702 women in 3 garment factories who comprised the largest number working these hours were on schedules of 51% 52%, and 52% hours. Limited-price stores all had weekly schedules of 54 hours. Many of the general mercantile stores also had this schedule, but the larger stores worked 51 and under 54 hours. The length of the scheduled week is shown in table 11. 17 SCHEDULED HOURS Table 11.—Scheduled weekly hours, by industry 1 Regular hours 'Total Number re ported Industry Less than 48 Over 48, less than 50 48 Estab Wom Estab Wom Estab Wom Estab Wom Estab Wom lish lish lish lish lish en en en ments2 en ments2 en ments ments ments 106 3,536 89 2,779 100.0 4 50 1.8 12 604 21.7 7 271 9.8 Cotton goods........................ Food.......................................... Furniture................................ Garments. ........................ Paper products._................. 37 3 8 9 7 3 7 1,512 142 98 123 1,003 67 79 37 3 8 9 7 3 7 1,512 142 98 123 1, 003 67 79 4 50 2 1 115 99 7 271 4 3 39 232 General mercantile..................... Limited-price stores Laundries and dry cleaners. _. Telephone exchanges. _ ______ 25 14 20 10 722 398 415 489 25 14 3 10 619 239 20 489 Percent distribution____ 1 10 1 2 23 17 1 16 10 489 Regular hours—Continued Industry Over 51, less than 54 50 or 51 54 Part-time and irregular hours Over 64 Estab Estab Estab Estab Estab lish Wom lish Wom lish Wom lish Wom lish Wom en en en en en ments ments ments ments ments All industries.-............... Percent distribution___ Cotton goods......................... Food.. ............................ .. Furniture......... ................... .. Garments ....................... Paper products.................... General mercantile________ Limited-price stores Laundries and dry cleaners. 11 289 10.4 9 930 33.5 42 578 20.8 5 57 2.1 5 62 5 768 11 198 1 1 5 13 3 2 48 43 5 30 14 1 14 93 4 69 14 18 1 1 2 7 1 1 1 1 6 227 4 162 14 14 3 121 239 20 2 9 1 3 52 702 40 757 14 9 17 203 159 395 1 For hotels and restaurants see pt. VI of report. > Details exceed total, as some Anns had more than 1 schedule. Irregular hours and part-time work Part-time or irregular hours were worked in 9 limited-price stores, 14 general mercantile stores, and 17 laundries. Lunch period The lunch period was reported for all but three small establish ments. Eighty-five percent of the firms, employing 90 percent of the women, had lunch periods of at least 45 minutes, the majority allowing a full hour. Seven of the stores that gave an hour for lunch on other days of the week allowed an interval of 3 or 4 hours on Saturdays as compensation for work at night. Part V.—POLICIES AFFECTING EARNINGS Hours of work During the depression employees in practically all types of industry and occupation in the United States have been obliged to accept reductions in their earnings, and extreme hardship has been the result for many of them. In addition to those who have been out of work entirely, there are large numbers who have been affected by a reduced number of hours of work. In some establishments they have been affected by a shut-down either of the entire plant or of several of its departments, in others by a shortening of the hours of work for an indefinite period. Women covered in this survey had suffered these reductions as had women in the larger industrial sections of the country. Thirteen factories had been shut down in one or both years in some or all de partments for at least 2 weeks, some for much longer than others. Two or 3 weeks was common, but there were cases of much longer shut-downs, from 6 weeks to as much as.a year. Sixty-four of 134 firms reported having had short time, many of them in both years. Short time is not unusual for laundries and all but 3 reported it, as did 29 of 37 factories and 18 of 38 hotels and restaurants. Dividing the work, which amounts to a reduction of hours for the individual, was reported by 56 of 127 firms. Some of them used this method to avoid laying off part of their workers. It was used by 10 of 25 general mercantile stores that reported as to irregularity in hours. Twenty factories reported some division of work, as did 13 laundries and 10 hotels and restaurants. Fifty-nine of the 115 firms reporting had resorted to laying off some of their employees; 19 of these were factories, 11 were stores, 10 laundries, and 19 hotels or restaurants. Different methods were used from plant to plant in deciding what workers were to be dismissed. Twenty of the 46 reporting the special basis of lay-off stated that efficiency was the basis of selection; 13 reported that employees were retained or laid off according to length of service, the latest comers being the first to go; and the other 13 stated that the economic status of the workers was considered. Though a great many of the plants had had to curtail production at some time during the year, a large number reported overtime. Only 2 stores had had overtime for women but 30 of the 37 factories and 21 of the 31 hotels and restaurants for which this was reported had had overtime. All factories reported that overtime was paid for, 29 at the regular rate and 1 at a rate of time and a half; but in 19 of the hotels and restaurants there was no payment for overtime. Reduced rates In addition to the reduction in hours, the great majority of estab lishments reported some reduction in wage rates. Of 122 that re ported, the rates of all workers had been reduced in 88 firms and the rates of some in 8 firms, leaving only 26 with no reduction. 18 POLICIES AFFECTING EARNINGS 19 Changes in employment policy Employment policies had changed in comparatively few establish ments. Four stores had made changes, 2 reporting that they were now requiring graduation from high school as a prerequisite, 1 of these also fixing 20 years as the minimum age and requiring store experience. One had adopted a policy of hiring only single women and another was not taking on married women whose husbands were employed. In one of the smaller laundries Negro workers were no longer employed; they had been replaced by white workers. Supplements to wages Laundry and hotel and restaurant workers were practically the only ones receiving supplements to their wages. For the latter this is discussed in part VI. In 14 of the laundries work was done for the employees at a reduced rate, 5 doing the entire laundry free for their white employees and the work clothes free for their Negro employees. <0249”—35- Part VI.—WOMEN IN HOTELS AND RESTAURANTS Earnings The earnings of women working in hotels and restaurants are reported separately from the earnings of women in the other industries because in so many respects they are not comparable. The fact that these workers serve the needs of the public for food and shelter is the explanation for hours of work less standardized than those of workers in stores and factories. Generally the worker must be on duty for each meal, with free time in between, but her duties may be limited to only one or two meals. Usually the service of the employee extends over a very long day. Even though the hours of work may be only 8, an employee may go to work as early as 6 in the morning and not leave till 8 at night, having had several hours off duty during the day. Earnings also are affected somewhat by the peculiar type of service. Of the 212 white women for whom pay-roll records for a week in 1932 were secured, 144 were waitresses and bus or counter girls, 26 were kitchen employees, and 30 were maids, linen-room girls, or house keepers. Wage figures for these workers represent only the cash payments for the week. In addition to these amounts, some received board and 3 of the 15 housekeepers had both board and room. No attempt was made to get even an estimate of the amounts received in tips. These were said to be very uncertain and to vary considerably from one week to another. Additional compensation Total white women Occupation Board only ■KT Board and room 1932 212 $6. 40 Waitress, bus girl, counter girl—Number........................................ . 144 $4. 35 26 30 8 4 37 (2) 3 (2) 1 21 8 4 172 $5.40 13 (2) 141 $4. 30 25 6 3 1931 Median earnings.......................................... ................................... 175 $7.20 92 $4. 95 14 31 8 31 (2) c> 3 , 19 8 30 1 Housekeepers. 20 1 Not computed; base less than 60. 141 $6. 90 89 $4. 95 13 9 30 i3 (2) 3 21 WOMEN IN HOTELS AND RESTAURANTS Table 12.—Week’s earnings of white women who worked 6 or 7 days or 54 or more hours, 1932 and 1931 [Medians not computed where base less than 50] 1932 Week’s earnings > Total 1931 Wait ress, bus Kitchen girl, employee counter girl Total working full week____ Median 2................. 155 $7. 40 105 $5.05 Less than $4................. $4, less than $5_-_............ $5, less than $8_................. $8, less than $11............. $11, less than $14............... $14, less than $17 $17, less than $20_____ $20 and more...____ 42 14 32 51 8 3 M 31 42 10 26 25 1 1 Maid, linenroom girl, house keeper 25 25 3 6 13 1 2 1 Total 101 $6.65 Wait ress, bus Kitchen girl, employee counter girl 68 $4.90 13 Maid, linenroom girl, house keeper 20 13 13 6 34 3 1 24 10 2 35 32 3 1 32 ,,, Exclusive of meals. Practically all of the waitress groups and kitchen-employee groups and about onethird of the remaining groups were given meals. 2 Based on $1 intervals. 3 Housekeepers. Information was secured also for 39 women working at lunch counters or soda fountains in stores, 3 of whom were Negroes, but these are not included in the tabulations. The foregoing summary shows the medians of the cash earnings of the white workers in this industry and how generally they received additional compensation. The table that follows it shows the earn ings of women in the chief occupational groups who worked 6 or 7 days or 54 or more hours. The median earnings of the 212 women were $6.40, an extremely small amount even with additional compensation. Thirty-seven of these women had nothing in the way of a supplement to their wages; 21 of these were maids and other hotel employees and all but 4 who were housekeepers were paid less than $14; in fact, 13 of the 21 were paid less than $10. All but 3 of the 144 in the dining-room group had board in addition to cash wages, but more than one-third of them had only 2 meals. This is a very low wage when it is observed that the median of their earnings was only $4.35. Tips no doubt furnished something in addition, but the amount varies so that it cannot be relied upon. For all employees who got only meals in addition, the median of the week’s earnings was $5.40, this being slightly higher than that of the waitress group, due to the fact that kitchen employees are paid more than waitresses. Over half of the dining-room employees who were given meals got 3 meals, and a third got 2; a few were reported as getting “2 or 3” meals. All but 1 of the kitchen employees were given at least 2 meals and 15 of the 25 were given 3. None of the elevator operators or laundry workers in these establishments got additional compensation. Fifteen women were listed as housekeepers and they earned from $9 to $23, only one receiving the latter amount. Ten of them had no additional compensation; 3 had room and board, another 1 meal, and a third, earning only $9, was reported as being given lunch. WOMEN IN ARKANSAS INDUSTRIES 22 As in most of the other industries surveyed, earnings during the week in 1931 for which pay-roll records were copied were higher than they were at the time of the study. For waitresses the 1932 median was 60 cents less, and for all the women combined it was 80 cents less. In 1931 a larger proportion of the maids were given meals— usually only one—than was the case in 1932, which amounted to a reduction in earnings. Of the 36 white women serving meals in stores, all but 3 were wait resses. Most of these were given one or two meals, according to their hours on duty. Eighteen of the 36 were paid less than $8, 9 of them less than $6. There are presented also a summary of the earnings of all Negro women and a more detailed table for those working 6 or 7 days or 54 or more hours. Additional compensation Total Negro women Occupation Board only None 1932 172 $6.00 136 $5. 75 8 28 102 $5. 70 10 24 102 $5.70 10 24 169 $6.90 127 $6. 70 1 14 104 $6.60 9 21 20 2 95 $6. 65 9 21 36 .0) 8 28 1931 42 (>) 1 12 9 0) 20 i Not computed; base less than 50. Table 13.—Week’s earnings of Negro women who worked 6 or 7 days or 54 or more hours, 1982 and 1931 [Medians not computed where base less than 50] 1931 1932 Week’s earnings 1 Total Wait ress, bus Kitchen girl, employee counter girl Maid, linenroom girl Total Total working full Median 3................. - 119 $6. 25 6 26 91 17 5 1 10 16 87 $5. 90 11 76 Wait ress, bus Kitchen girl, employee counter girl Maid, linenroom girl 90 $6. 95 1 13 76 $6. 85 54 33 2 1 1 3 7 2 1 50 26 Li . i Exclusive of meals. All or practically all of the waitress groups and kitchen-employee groups, and none or practically none of the remaining groups were given meals. * Based on $1 intervals. 23 WOMEN IN HOTELS AND RESTAURANTS The largest proportion of Negro women—about three-fifths in each year—were maids or linen-room girls. Median earnings for the entire group and also for the maid and linen-room girls were 90 cents less in 1932 than in 1931. Like the white workers, few Negroes employed as maids received compensation in the form of meals in addition to their cash earnings. None did so in 1932, but in 1931 nine Negro employees were given their meals. Hours Of the 212 white women and 172 Negro women employed in 1932 in the hotels and restaurants visited in this survey, scheduled hours were reported for 193 of the former and for 164 of the latter. Table 14.—Scheduled weekly hours in hotels and restaurants, by occupation-—1933 Women whose scheduled weekly hours were— 1 3 1 1 1 6 3 3 38 6 4 17 1 2 6 3 34 W h ite N egro 16 8.3 23 14.0 1 W hite 10 18 105 24 5.2 11.0 54.4 14.6 9 10 More than 54 54 N egro W hite N egro 4 20 49 27 46 2.4 10.4 29.9 14.0 28.0 8 1 W h ite N egro More than 48, less than 54 48 15 7.8 13 W h ite 40, less than 48 N egro 164 Total—Number.. . 193 Percent_____ 100.0 100.0 Waitress, bus girl, counter 134 8 27 26 Maid, linen-room girl, 21 99 8 7 4 23 Less than 40 N egro N egro W hite Occupation W h ite Number of women reported 8 1 80 24 8 1 7 20 1 3 1 7 2 4 The differences in occupation have considerable effect on hours, more than three-fifths of the white women, in contrast to less than threetenths of the Negroes, having a schedule of 54 or more hours. Eightyseven of the 134 white women in the waitress group (only 8 Negroes were so employed) had a week of such length, as had all but 6 of the 53 kitchen employees. The 120 maids and linen-room girls, 99 of them Negroes, were 70 percent on a week of 40 to 48 hours; only 33 exceeded 48 hours. An order issued by the Industrial Welfare Commission in 1919 and still in force allows a schedule of work for hotel and restaurant em ployees of 54 hours, 6 days, a week. The study made by the Women's Bureau in 1922 revealed a large number of women working on more days than this order allowed. At that time almost three-fifths exceeded a 6-day week, but in 1932 not quite one-fifth did so. Number of women in 1932 with schedule of— Occupation 6 days a week 7 days a week Total...................................................... 293 52 Waitress, bus girl, counter girl................. . 123 49 88 13 20 5 4 38 Maid, linen-room girl, housekeeper Elevator operator______ ____ _________ 5 24 WOMEN IN ARKANSAS INDUSTRIES The number of hours of work required per day varied from less than 5 to 11, but days shorter than 7 hours or longer than 9 were com paratively rare. Contrary to the practice often found in hotels and restaurants of irregular daily hours, most of the women—91.8 percent of the white and 88.3 percent of the Negro—worked the same hours every day. Some did not, however, and for these it is impossible to tabulate satisfactorily daily hours or any facts relating to the day’s work by using the individual worker as a unit. For each woman, therefore, each day’s work has been taken as a unit, calling it an employee-day. Ordinarily the total is 6 or 7 times the number of women. There was a total of 2,146 employee-days for which the scheduled daily hours were known; 1,127 of these were worked by white women and 1,019 by Negro women. Only 3 percent of the white and 1.7 percent of the Negro employee-days called for more than 9 hours of work. A much larger proportion of the whites’ employee-days (71 percent) than of the Negroes’ (31.8 percent) exceeded 8 hours, due to the differences in occupation. For both white and Negro employees doing kitchen work, the great majority of employee-days were 9 hours long. However, more of the Negroes were employed as maids and linen-room girls than in any other occupation, and 87.1 percent of the employee-days of this group were of 7 to 8 hours. Waitresses and bus and counter girls, who com prised by far the largest group of white workers, were scheduled to work 9 hours in 68 percent of the cases. 15.—Length of workday, by occupation Table 20 8Over 8, less than 9 9_________________ _____ _ 10________________ _______ 11..................................................... 1. 8 19 1.7 79 7.0 209 18. 5 75 6.7 691 61. 3 21 1.9 13 1.2 i 7 0.7 16 1.6 34 3.3 286 28.1 352 34. 5 52 5.1 255 25.0 7 .7 3 .3 7 .7 779 48 20 1 24 102 75 530 14 13 1 12 36 6 7 — 156 166 36 42 22 9 2 11 6 6 144 23 132 7 18 18 36 11 N egro Elevator operators W h ite 7 31 83 3 7 19 217 324 33 18 N egro 621 W h ite 134 Laundry workers N egro Kitchen em ployees N egro Number of employeedays 1 reported_____ 1,127 100.0 1,019 100.0 S 3 £ Maids, linenroom girls, house keepers W hite P ercent P ercent Negro N u m b er White N u m b er Scheduled daily hours of work Wait resses, bus girls, counter girls N egro All occupations W h ite Employee-days 1 for— 142 2 7 15 33 7 63 3 7 | 1 Days on which work is done during the week, multiplied by number of women at work; for example, 10 women working 6 days would aggregate 60 employee-days. Though the majority of workers were on a uniform daily schedule, most of them had their working hours broken by 1 or 2 periods off duty. More than half the Negro maids worked on unbroken shifts, except for lunch, and the rest had one period of over an hour off duty. WOMEN IN HOTELS AND RESTAURANTS 25 Almost three-tenths of the waitresses worked unbroken shifts, but the rest of them, as well as the majority of the white kitchen workers and all the 4 white and 23 N egro elevator girls, had their work periods broken by time off during the day. This means that the spread of hours, the time between first going on duty and ending work for the day, may be considerably in excess of the number of hours actually on duty. The inconvenience of having a workday spread over an excessive number of hours is readily under stood, and most women prefer to do their work all in one stretch except for the usual lunch recess. Local practices and the needs of customers generally are responsible for the long spread of hours. The following summary shows the distribution of workdays by spread of hours. Employee-days for— Daily spread of hours White workers Number Total....................................................... Negro workers Percent Number Percent 1,115 100.0 1,006 100.0 54 102 263 259 437 4.8 9.1 23.6 23.2 39.2 113 286 340 150 117 11.2 28.4 33.8 14.9 11.6 Less than 8......................... .. 8, less than 9._................................ 9___________________ 10, less than 12....................... ........... 12 and more.......................................... On about two-fiftns (39.2 percent) of the employee-days of white women the spread of hours was 12 or longer. When the spread is considered for the various occupations, it is apparent that among the white workers in large groups the waitresses had the largest proportion of days with a spread amounting to 12 hours or more, and among the Negro women, elevator operators, and kitchen help had the largest proportions. Kitchen workers, both white and Negro, had by far the largest proportion of days with a long spread of hours. Table 16.—Spread of hours, by occupation [Percent not computed where base less than 50] Total-......... 767 100.0 Less than 8_......... 8, less than 9......... 9 10, less than 12. 12 and more........._ 31 4.0 34 4.4 177 23.1 156 20.3 369 48.1 134 100.0 614 100.0 42 6 12 8.9 44 32.8 44 32.8 13 9.7 21 15.7 53 8.6 244 39.7 310 50. 5 7 1.1 156 100.0 4 6 3.8 24 90 57.7 36 23.1 Elevator oper ators W hite, n u m b er 36 42 2.5 P ercen t 142 100.0 11 18 18 102 63.7 31 19.4 22 Negro N u m b er P ercen t 160 100.0 Laundry workers N egro, n u m b er Negro N u m b er White P ercen t P ercen t 48 Kitchen employees N u m b er Negro N u m b er White P ercen t P ercen t N u m b er White Maids, linen-room girls, housekeepers N u m b er Spread of hours N egro, n u m b er Waitresses, bus girls, counter girls W h ite, n u m b er Employee-days for— 36 4! 9 6 11 73 51.4 26 WOMEN IN ARKANSAS INDUSTRIES A comparison of the distributions of employee-days according to hours of work and spread of hours gives an indication of the differences between the two. For example, just over two-thirds of the employeedays of white dining-room workers had 9 actual working hours, but almost one-half of the employee-days had a spread of hours of 12 or more. Employee-days for white waitresses, bus girls, counter girls Number of hours 9............................................... ............... ............... .................... .......... .. With hours of work as specified With spread of hours as specified Number Number Percent Percent 779 100.0 767 100.0 177 630 14 13 5.8 22.7 68.0 1.8 1.7 31 34 177 4.0 4. 4 23.1 156 369 20.3 48.1 Part VII.—WOMEN IN THE TELEPHONE INDUSTRY For 489 operators employed by the one large telephone company in the State, earnings were secured for the last half of October 1932, and for 491 women earnings for the same half-month’s period in 1931 were reported. As is customary in this industry, employees (all white) were paid twice a month, a full half-month of work consisting of 13 days of 8 hours. In 1932, because of a decreased volume of work and for the sake of equitable distribution of the work available, shorter weekly hours were worked by the entire force of employees. As a result of this, the number of women who worked 13 and 14 days during the half-monthly period in 1932 was negligible in comparison with the proportion who worked such time in the corresponding half-monthly period in 1931. Conversely, a much larger proportion in 1932 than in 1931 worked on 8 and less than 13 days. The proportions who worked on less than 8 days were similar for the 2 years. Women Days worked in half-monthly period 1932 Median earnings 1931 1932 Number Percent 489 100.0 491 100.0 $30.90 $38.60 30 441 18 6.1 90.2 3.7 23 139 329 (0 31.05 (■) 0) 33. 65 40. 60 CO Percent N Total..................................... O Less than 8.......................................... 8, less than 13................... 13,13K, and 14 i...................... 1931 Number > Not computed; base less than 50. »A lew women worked on 15 days during this period in 1931; none worked so long in 1932. Though basic rates apparently had not been reduced, the reduction in hours of work naturally affected earnings. In 1931, before the reduc tion in hours took place, the median earnings were $38.60 for the half-monthly period for which these data were obtained, and they were $30.90 for the corresponding period in 1932. In the earlier year one-fourth (24.6 percent) of the women worked on 13 days, and their median earnings were $39.05; over one-third (34.8 percent) worked on 14 days, and their median earnings were $42.70. For those who worked less than 13 days, and they comprised about one-third of the total number, the median earnings were $32.45. For the women working on 8 but less than 13 days the median was $33.65. In comparison with 67 percent in 1931, only 3.7 percent in 1932 worked on as many as 13 days. The great majority worked on 9, 10, and 11 days, and for these workers the median earnings in 1932 were $27.60, $31.40, and $34, respectively. 27 28 WOMEN IN ARKANSAS INDUSTRIES However, even with the reduction in hours, which amounted quite generally to furloughs of from 4 to 6 days a month, earnings were higher than in any of the industries discussed in the preceding section. The semimonthly median earnings for all the workers converted into a weekly sum would amount to about $14.25, which is somewhat higher than the median of a week’s earnings in the industries discussed in the preceding section, where the highest, that in general mercantile stores, was $12.90. In Little Hock in 1931, where more than three-fourths (78.6 per cent) of the operators worked on 13 days or more, the median earnings for the entire group were $40.85; and in 1932, when none worked on as many as 13 days, the median earnings were $31.15, almost $10 less. Here also the median of the week’s earnings was higher in the tele phone industry than in any other of the industries included in this survey. It is the custom in this telephone company to pay time and onehalf for Sunday work, and in both years most of the workers were reported as doing some Sunday work. Part VIII.—UNEMPLOYMENT AMONG 288 WOMEN WORKERS IN LITTLE ROCK The industrial depression in the United States has caused severe hardship to all groups of wage earners and women workers have had their share of it. They have experienced unemployment in long weeks of idleness as well as in employment that is only part time or very irregular. Able to get jobs at times when the men in their fami lies could find nothing to do, they have assumed entire responsibility for the financial support of their households. The significance of unemployment to workers, whether it be complete idleness or part time work, is that a corresponding decrease in earnings results. To hundreds of thousands of persons the effects of such curtailment in earnings during the depression has had very serious results. Those whose incomes in better times were sufficient for something more than the bare necessities, during prolonged unemployment have lost the homes they were buying, have used up their savings, or have had to give up other types of security for old age, such as insurance policies. Others have had to scale down their standards of living to the very minimum. Retrenchments by many households in the amount and kind of food have seriously endangered their health, and moving into poorer or more crowded quarters, which has been a necessity in many families, has shattered the standard of living of which Americans always have been proud. FACTS ABOUT THE WOMEN To find out in detail to what extent women workers and their fami lies in Arkansas have been affected by unemployment and decreased earnings was one of the reasons for making this study. The information on earnings in another section of this report gives only a partial picture of the economic conditions of the workers throughout the State. The wage data represent only 1 week in the year in which, agents agree, very possibly more than the average amount of full time was worked, and as a full week the income cannot be considered average for the year. In other words, even if a woman was employed throughout the year, the actual amounts she received in wages week by week frequent y would be much less than the amount reported for the week for which pay-roll records were taken. There is no source to which to go except the women themselves to find out the full extent of their unemployment or the financial respon sibilities they carry. This part of the survey was confined to Little Rock, and to secure the facts that were wanted Women’s Bureau agents interviewed the women in their homes. More consideration was given to those whose jobs were or had been in manufacturing than to any other occupational group. Garments were the outstanding product of the factories in Little Rock, and therefore the majority of workers interviewed repre 29 30 WOMEN IN ARKANSAS INDUSTRIES sented that industry. Clerical workers and those in domestic service were interviewed only when they had done factory or laundry work or had been employed in stores earlier in the year. No one was interviewed who had not worked at some time in the year ended December 1, 1932, which was the period for which information was secured. Women were interviewed in a house-to-house canvass of the sections of the city in which they were known to be living. All told, 288 women were reached in this way, and including the 32 who lived independently they represented 234 households. In a few households more than one woman was interviewed. The women reporting ranged in age from 16 to over 60 years. A'most half (47.1 percent) were 20 and under 30 years, and just over one-third gave their ages as 30 and under 40 or 40 and under 50. Girls under 20 comprised on y a small proportion (11.2 percent), probably due in part to single women whose families lived elsewhere having gone home when they became unemployed, and even fewer women were as much as 50. More than three-tenths (31.6 percent) of the women were married and living with their husbands, and just over half of these had chil dren. About one-fifth of the total were mothers in households where there was no father. Almost three-tenths were daughters of the household, practical y all single. Only 32 of the 288 women were 1 ving independently. Employment status December 1, 1932 As expected, unemployment was a serious problem in the lives of these women. On December 1, 1932, a very large proportion (49.7 percent) either were unemployed for industria reasons or were em ployed only part time, that is, the short day or short week caused by slack business. Table 17.—Employment status of 288 women, Dec. 1, 1932, by industry Industry (present or last job) Manufacturing: Total number of women Not at work for industrial reasons 1288 100.0 174 60.4 103 35.8 s 177 2 <7 2 9 91 2 4 1 6 77 9 <36 6 37 4 3 31 4 28 4 6 4 1 9 Domestic and personal service: i ll were unemployed for personal reasons. *40 were part-time workers. At work *9 were unemployed for personal reasons. *1 was unemployed for personal reasons. 2 1 3 31 UNEMPLOYMENT IN LITTLE ROCK Table 18.—Duration of unemployment of 103 women since last lay-off Women w hose last job was in— Months unemployed since last lay-off Women unem ployed for indus trial reasons Domestic and personal service Manufacturing Gar ments Total Sales Laun dries and dry cleaners Total Total............................................................. 103 83 77 11 4 9 Less than 1____________ ______ __________ 1, less than 2....................... .................. .......... . 2, less than 3_____ ____ ________ ______ _ 54 31 5 47 27 4 2 2 45 25 4 3 1 2 3 1 5 3 3 1 1 4, less than 5........................................................ 5, less than 6........................ .............................. 11, less than 12___________ ____ ________ _ 1 1 1 Two-fifths (39.6 percent) of the 288 women were entirely without work, and of these only 11 were out of work for personal reasons. Of the 103 who were laid off 52.4 percent had been out of work less than a month and 30.1 percent 1 but less than 2 months. All but 2 of the remaining 18 had been out less than 6 months. Table 19.— Employment status of 288 women, Dec. 1, 1932, by age At work Age (years) 16, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, Total number of women Full time Total Not at work Part time Industrial Personal reasons reasons Total Total................................ 288 174 134 40 114 103 11 Total reporting.................... 278 168 131 37 110 99 11 31 72 59 49 45 18 4 21 46 37 29 22 11 2 16 38 31 18 17 9 2 5 8 6 1! 5 2 10 26 22 20 23 7 9 25 20 19 19 6 1 1 2 1 4 1 1 10 6 3 3 4 under under undei under under under 20..................... ............. . 25........... ..... ............. ....... '.0________ ______ ___ 40........................................ 50___________________ 60—........ ......... ......... .... Table 20.—Employment status of 288 women, Dec. 1, 1932, by relation to household At work Not at work Total number of women Full time Total—all reporting—...................................... 288 134 40 103 11 Wife 1___ _____ Mother 2________ _____ ____ _____ _____ __ Wife and mother 3_____ _________ ____ ______ Daughter_______ ______ _________ _____ __ 45 57 46 85 19 4 32 15 25 19 46 7 3 19 8 5 7 16 2 1 1 20 24 16 22 10 2 3 4 1 11 1 Relation to household No relation (adrift).......................................... ............. 1 With husband but no children. 2 With children but no husband. Part time Industrial reasons Personal reasons 3 With husband and children. 32 WOMEN IN ARKANSAS INDUSTRIES Somewhat more of the women who were out of work for industrial reasons than of those who had jobs at the time—26.3 percent as compared to 20.8 percent—were 40 years old or more. Also, daughters had a smaller proportion of their number unemployed than had any of the others. More than three-fifths (61.5 percent) of the women interviewed were garment workers. Almost half of these (48.6 percent) were unemployed, most of them for industrial reasons. Extent of unemployment in year ended December 1, 1932 For many of the women interviewed the year ended December 1 1932 was one of very little employment. All but 28 of them had worked in only one industry during the year. Only 13 of the garment workers had been in any but the garment industry, and all the laundry workers and all but 3 of the saleswomen had been employed in one industry only. For 10 of the 28 who had worked in more than one industry the lines were manufacturing and domestic and personal service. Table 21.—Duration of employment in year ended Dec. 1, 1982, by industry— 260 women who had worked in one industry only Women who worked in only one industry Manufacturing Number of months employed in year ended Dec. 1, 1932 Domestic and per sonal service Total Total Total-.................................... 8, less than 9...... .............................. 12_______ ______________________ Gar' ments 260 177 164 5 7 19 17 8 8 17 15 30 22 36 31 45 3 6 16 15 7 7 13 10 28 19 30 18 5 2 5 13 15 7 6 12 8 28 19 30 17 2 Laun dries and dry cleaners Total 45 Sales 36 Other 34 4 1 1 1 1 2 3 3 6 27 4 1 10 3 1 3 3 23 This report is concerned primarily with the employment conditions of women in the garment industry in Little Rock, and it includes a much larger sample of such women than of any others. This was done at the request of the commissioner of labor, one of the persons who requested that the study be made, for he was of the opinion that unemployment was especially serious among workers in the clothing industry. Though in the course of the home visiting some workers in laundries and stores were interviewed, they constitute too small a sample to be representative, and in making a comparison with the garment industry this should be kept in mind. Duration of employment in year ended December 1, 1932 Only 2 of the garment workers reporting on time worked had been employed in all 12 months of the previous year, and for 1 of these it UNEMPLOYMENT IN LITTLE ROCK 33 had not been full-time work. Of the 162 who had worked less than 12 months, only 5 had been out of work for personal reasons. Many of the women had had work during only a few months of the year. For 29.3 percent of them employment had lasted less than 6 months, and for 21.3 percent less than 4 months. Seven-tenths of them (70.1 percent) had been employed less than 10 months. Though the survey included so small a sample of laundry workers and saleswomen, the fact that 23 of the 36 laundry workers and 10 of the 34 saleswomen who reported were employed in 12 months of the year is indicative of the contrast in employment conditions between these and certain other industries. Extent of part-time employment in year ended December 1, 1932 In addition to the fact that their periods of employment were very short, for many women a large part of the time they were employed was irregular, the number of hours per day or per week being much curtailed. This must not be lost sight of in this discussion of duration of employment. Only 29 garment workers had had no part time during their em ployed periods in the past year. One of these had worked the entire 12 months, but 20 of them had been employed less than 6 months. Of the 116 women in the garment industry who had had work in 6 or more months of the year, all but 9 had had some part time. Half of them (50.9 percent) had had between 3 and 5 months of part-time work. Eighty percent (80.3) of the women who had worked 9 and less than 12 months had had 3 or more months in which they worked part time, and almost two-fifths (37.9 percent) had had between 4 and 5 months of part-time work. Even among the 48 who had worked less than 6 months of the year, more than half had had some part time. Eleven had had between 2 and 3 months of it. Though a much smaller proportion of the other workers than of those in the garment industry had been on part time, many women had done part-time work a good deal of the time they had been em ployed. Almost 40 percent of those who had worked 9 months or more had been on part time at least 8 months. Ten of the 43 who reported 12 months of work reported also that this was part-time work. Table 22.-—Number of months employed, by number of months on part time—year ended Dec. 1, 1932 CO £>Women reporting duration of part-time employment Months employed All women Women having no part time Total having part time Less than 1 month 1, less than 2 months 2, less than 3 months 3, less than 4 months 4, less 5, less than 5 than 6 months months 6, less than 7 months 7, less than 8 months 8, less than 9 months 9, less than 10 months 10, less than 11 months 11, less than 12 months 12 months Total_______________ Less than 3_______________ 3, less than 6_.......................... 6, less than 9 9, less than 12_______ ____ _ 12...................................... .......... 288 75 213 19 21 35 36 36 19 9 7 7 5 4 5 10 34 39 72 98 45 14 17 12 14 18 20 22 GO 84 27 10 3 1 5 4 5 5 6 1 6 10 11 7 1 4 18 13 1 10 26 9 9 1 1 5 3 4 3 i 3 3 2 3 3 1 2 3 10 WOMEN IN GARMENT INDUSTRY ONLY Total............................... 164 29 135 12 10 27 28 33 16 5 3 1 Less than 3—_____ ______ 3, less than 6________ _____ 6, less than 9______ ______ _ 9, less than 12_____ _____ 12.......................... ................. . 20 28 48 66 2 7 13 4 4 1 13 15 44 62 1 8 1 1 2 3 3 3 1 2 9 9 6 1 2 14 12 8 25 8 8 5 1 2 1 WOMEN IN OTHER INDUSTRIES 1 Total............................... 124 46 78 7 11 8 Less than 3................................ 3, less than 6............................ 6, less than 9.......................... 9, less than 12........................... 12................................................ . 14 11 24 32 43 7 4 8 10 17 7 7 16 22 26 2 2 1 2 2 5 1 4 1 2 1 3 includes a few garment workers having other employment. 8 3 3 4 4 6 5 4 6 10 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 3 1 2 3 2 3 3 1 2 3 10 WOMEN IN ARKANSAS INDUSTRIES ALL WOMEN 35 UNEMPLOYMENT IN LITTLE ROCK A slightly different but not so complete picture of the employment experience of these women is revealed in the number of months they actually worked full time, unrelated to the over-all period of employ ment. The summary following shows that only 18 of the 288 women, 13 of them in laundries or stores, had been employed full time for the entire 12-month period. Ten percent had had no full time during the year. Over one-half (52.1 percent) had worked full time for less than 6 months; about three-fourths (74 percent) had had less than 9 months of it. Number of months employed full time in year ended Dec. 1, 1932 Nwomm°* Total................................................ .................................... ........................ 288 Less than 1___ 1, less than 2_ _ 2, less than 3__ 3, less than 4__ 4, less than 5__ 5, less than 6_ _ 6, less than 7_7, less than 8_ _ 8, less than 9_9, less than 10 _ 10, less than 11 11, less than 12 8 19 23 '45 26 29 33 16 14 8 8 11 12__________ No full time 18 30 As already stated, only 1 of the 164 women in no employment but the garment industry had worked full time for the entire year and only 10 had had as much as 9 months of full-time work. Three had had no full time and 3 others had had less than 1 month. Of the 36 laundry workers, 14 had had no full time. Irregularity of hours is not a new situation in this industry, however, and it is not surprising that only 7 of the women had worked full time the year around. Table 23.—Duration of full-time employment in year ended Dec. 1, 1982, by industry—260 women who had worked in one industry only Women who worked in only one industry Number of months in which full time was worked in year ended Dec. 1, 1932 Total Sales Total Total............ ......................... . Domestic and per sonal service Manufacturing Garments 260 177 164 12 8 17 21 40 22 24 31 15 12 6 6 11 18 4 14 20 34 20 22 25 11 10 4 3 3 1 3 12 17 33 19 21 25 11 10 4 3 2 1 No full time___________ ________ 29 6 3 Less than 1 _______ ______ ____ 1, less than 2_ ________________ 2, less than 3__________________ 4, less than 5__________________ 5, less than G 7, less than 8_________ _______ 8, less than 9 __________________ 9, less than 10_________________ 10, less than 11________________ Other Laundries and dry cleaners Total 45 36 34 1 1 4 2 4 1 1 4 2 2 2 3 1 1 3 2 1 2 3 10 1 7 6 1 15 14 6 2 4 1 1 1 1 3 36 WOMEN IN ARKANSAS INDUSTRIES Of the 34 saleswomen with no other employment 6 had had only part-time work, but 6 others had had 12 months and 5 had had 11 and under 12 of full-time work. In this industry also the employ ment of part-time workers has not arisen for the first t me during the depression, Saturdays and special sales periods always calling for an extra sales force, but there are indications that more saleswomen than formerly are working short hours. In some cases this is resorted to as a way of avoiding lay-offs; that is, the work is spread so that it is shared by all employees. Duration of unemployment in year ended December 1, 1932 In addition to losing a great deal of employment through undertime and irregular hours caused by conditions in the industry, the amount of time actually without employment made the problem of reduced earnings a very serious one for many women. Eighty percent of all of them and practically 96 percent of the garment workers had been out of work at times for an industrial reason. For all women and for the garment workers the amount of time lost for industrial reasons is summarized in the following: Number of months lost for industrial reasons All workers Garment workers 288 164 230 157 23 45 37 35 31 14 10 12 4 10 5 4 8 39 30 27 22 7 5 7 58 45 13 7 2 6 7 4 1 Almost two-thirds (64.3 percent) of all the women and three-fourths (75.2 percent) of the garment workers had been idle for 1 and less than 5 months, 4 in 5 of them for 3 or 4 months. When it is realized that the employment experience of these women may have been duplicated by other persons in the same households, the extent to which total earnings declined and the reductions in living standards that must have been necessary are easily understood. Average weekly earnings in 1932 compared with 1931 As would be expected, earnings during the period under discussion were in line with the great amount of unemployment and part-time work experienced by these women, and they reported that they had earned less in 1932 than in 1931. This agreed with the comparison of pay-roll figures for a representative week in each of the 2 years discussed earlier in this report. On the whole, median earnings were less in 1932 than they had been in 1931. Table 24.—Time employed and time unemployed for industrial reasons in year ended Dec. 1, 19S3 Women reporting time unemployed for industrial reasons Months employed Less than 1 month 1, less than 2 months 2, less than 3 months 3, less than 4 months 4, less than 5 months 5, less than 6 months 6, less than 7 months 7, less than 8 months 8, less than 9 months 9, less than 10 months 10, less than 11 months 11, less than 12 months ALL WOMEN Total...... .........................................- 288 34 39 58 230 23 1 2 33 37 68 1 3 3 45 37 35 31 14 10 12 4 10 5 4 3 3 18 11 6 4 21 1 2 11 2 4 4 4 8 1 3 5 5 5 4 2 2 41 1 3 9 24 WOMEN IN GABMENT INDUSTRY ONLY Total...............................................- 164 20 28 7 157 1 2 19 26 47 65 39 30 27 22 7 5 7 7 4 1 5 3 14 1 2 4 1 2 2 2 5 2 5 1 2 4 35 2 2 15 8 4 2 1 3 8 18 7 5 5 4 3 1 3 1 2 2 2 3 1 3 3 1 3 8 UNEMPLOYMENT IN LITTLE ROCK Number losing Total All no time losing for in women dustrial time for indus reasons trial reasons WOMEN IN OTHER INDUSTRIES i Total............... ......................... ........ 124 51 14 5 43 73 14 11 21 27 15 1 1 1 12 6 6 7 i 6 8 1 1 3 3 9 1 1 7 7 03 i Includes a few garment workers having other employment. -•J 38 WOMEN IN ARKANSAS INDUSTRIES Reports of average weekly earnings in 1931 and in 1932 were not available for all the 288 women. Some of them had not been employed in 1931 and others were not able to recall their earnings. However, it was possible for 189 women, 109 of whom were operators in the gar ment industry, to report their usual earnings in the 2 years. The medians of the usual earnings of these 189 women were $8.70 for 1931 and $6.45 for 1932, a decrease of $2.25. Some women reported that they averaged less than $5 a week in both years, but in general the number whose average fell in the very lowest earnings groups was much larger in 1932 than in 1931. Over three times as many averaged less than $5 in 1932 as had such an average in 1931. Further, whereas only 12.7 percent averaged less than $6 in 1931, 40.2 percent reported earnings of as little as this in 1932. All but 10 of the women who had worked exclusively in the garment industry in both years had worked also in but one firm. For the 99 who had been employed in the same firm in both years, median earn ings had declined from $8.20 in 1931 to $6.15 in 1932. Inasmuch as the pay-roll records for the weeks taken as representative in 1931 and 1932 in garment firms throughout the State showed a slight increase in the later year, either the pay-roll week in 1932 was above the average or the interviewed women were somewhat below. Probably the representative earnings for women in the garment industry fell somewhere between the two figures. In the garment industry, as for the total number of women, there were more whose average earnings were in the lower wage groups in 1932 than in 1931. Almost three times as many averaged less than $5, and twice as many averaged $5 and under $6. The proportion whose usual earnings were below $7 was just over one-third in 1931, but was just over two-thirds in 1932. Table 25.— Usual weekly earnings in 1932 and in 1931, as reported by 189 women 1931 1932 Usual weekly earnings Number Percent Number Percent ALL INDUSTRIES Total.................................................................... ...................... 189 100.0 189 100.0 Less than $5_____________________________________ ________ 36 40 39 23 15 9 20 7 19.0 21.2 20.6 12.2 7.9 4.8 10.6 3.7 11 13 24 18 40 20 46 17 5.8 6.9 12.7 9.5 21.2 10.6 24.3 9.0 109 100.0 109 100.0 26 22 28 14 9 6 4 23.9 20.2 25.7 12.8 8.3 5.5 3.7 9 11 18 12 25 8 25 1 8.3 10.1 16.5 11.0 22.9 7.3 22.9 .9 $6, less than $7-.-______ _____________ _______ ____________ $7, less than $8----------------- ------------------------------------- ---------- $8, less than $9 _________________ ________________ _____ __ $15 and more-------------------------- ------- ---------------------- ---------- - GARMENTS Total_______________________________________ _______ Less than $5...... ..................... ................... ......... ----------- -----------$5, less than $6-. ----------------- ----------------------------------------$6, less than $7____________ _______________________________ $7, less than $8 - -------------- ------------- -------------------------------$8, less than $9 ___________ _----------------- -----------------------$9, less than $10__--------------------- ---------------- ------------------------ 39 UNEMPLOYMENT IN LITTLE ROCK FACTS ABOUT THE HOUSEHOLDS IN WHICH THE WOMEN LIVED Many of the women interviewed, were carrying heavy responsi bility for the rest of the household. In numerous instances the meager earnings of one woman were the only source of family income where normally the burden of supplying food and shelter was shared. Others were out of work and not able to pay their usual share of the family expenses. In many households the income was insufficient for the barest necessities, and a large number had been forced to accept assistance from some outside source for the first time in their lives. Composition of households In this survey only 32 women were interviewed who lived alone. Of the other households, some had as few as 2 members and 1 had as many as 14. Only 8 households had more than 8 members, 2-person and 4-person families being most common. Most of the households (69.2 percent) had some members who nor mally were not employed. In 125 cases (53.4 percent) there were children under 16; in 24 (10.3 percent) there were young persons of 16 or more who though able and desirous to work, had not succeeded in finding work after leaving school.1 In some there were adults not normally employed, wives or mothers who kept house or adults incapacitated for work. < Table 26. Number of households with children, young persons, or adults not normally employed, by size of household Households in which persons not normally employed were— Number of persons in household Total house holds House holds with with per sons not normally employed Children under 16 Young persons able Other per and desirous to work sons 16 and over Number of Number of Number of Number of Number households children households persons of persons Total.......................... 1....................... .. 2_................... .. 6_..................................... 7............................................. 9 or more 234 162 125 234 24 26 130 32 46 27 46 32 20 12 11 i8 17 21 43 30 20 12 11 8 6 16 30 25 18 12 10 8 6 17 46 38 36 29 31 31 4 3 5 5 1 3 1 2 4 3 5 7 1 3 1 2 7 8 24 22 27 14 14 14 1 9 persons, 2 households; 10, 2; 12, 3; and 14, 1. Besides the 32 women living independently, there were 40 house holds in which all the members normally were wage earners. Families with 1 or 2 persons normally not employed were most common (44.9 percent of all the households), and they were chiefly the smaller households. Almost one-tenth (9 percent) had 3 persons not normally employed and a slightly smaller proportion (8.1 percent) had 4 1 The information was asked for as of December 1. 40 WOMEN IN ARKANSAS INDUSTRIES members who normally did not contribute to the family income. The remainder (7.3 percent) had from 5 to 8 persons who were dependent for their support on the rest of the household. Table 27.—Number of persons normally not employed, by size of household Number of persons in household Total-_-l---................... 1 5 Total house holds House holds with persons normally not em ployed Households with specified number oi persons normally not employed 4 i 2 3 53 21 234 162 52 32 46 27 46 32 20 12 11 8 17 21 43 30 20 12 11 8 17 14 14 5 1 1 7 26 13 5 2 3 12 5 1 5 19 6 11 House holds with no persons normally not employed 8 5 1 72 32 29 6 3 2 7 8 4 2 2 4 3 1 4 1 In a fairly large proportion of the families there were no males of 16 years and over. Thirty of the households of 2 or more persons had no men, and in 41 all the persons normally employed were women. Number employed December 1 in comparison with number nor mally employed Each of the 234 households had at least 1 person who normally would be employed, but at the time of the survey there were 55 where no one at all was at work and 112 others where fewer than the usual number had jobs. In fact, there were only 67 households (28.6 percent) with the usual number of wage earners actually at work; only 47, if the women living alone are not included. In families of 2 or more persons with only 1 at work a woman was the worker in 61 cases and a man in 23. In addition to the 32 women living alone there were 29 households that ordinarily had 1 employed person, the majority of which were families of 2 members. House holds in which 2 persons were employed ordinarily were most numer ous, the majority of these having either 2 or 4 members. Disre garding the 32 women living independently, at the time of the study there were 55 more families with only 1 person employed than was the case normally. Further, whereas normally there were 91 households with 2 wage earners, at the time specified only 57 households had 2. In the 51 that normally had 3 wage earners to rely on, at the time specified 23 had only 2, 17 had only 1, and 7 had no one at work. In only 4 households were all 3 of the normally employed persons at work as late as December. 41 UNEMPLOYMENT IN LITTLE ROCK Table 28.—Number and sex of persons normally employed, by size of household Households with specified number of persons normally employed 234 61 32 46 27 46 32 20 12 11 8 32 17 7 3 2 1 60 1 32 16 7 3 2 ___ ....... 91 9 82 29 14 26 12 7 2 1 2 1 5 1 27 13 21 11 7 2 1 61 4 6 14 13 5 81 4 1 3 1 an d w om an 1 2 m en m an an d 2 w om en 1 only W om en T otal m an an d w om an 1 1 only W om en T o tal M en Total.-................. 1 2____________________ 3________ ___________ 4 5__________ ____ ____ 6________ ___________ 7____________________ 8____ _______________ 3 persons 2 persons W om en 1 person Totahouse holds T otal Number of persons in household 24 23 2 7 4 4 5 2 4 4 8 1 3 2 1 Households with specified number of persons normally employed—Continued Number of persons in household 4 persons 5 persons 6 persons Total___ Table 29.—Number Number of persons in house hold employed Dec. 1, by Total house holds household Number of households with specified number of persons employed Dec. 1 None Total. 9 or more. The 4 households of 8 persons each that normally had 3 persons employed, at time of survey had wage earners as follows: In 1 there was no one working, in another there was only 1 person em ployed, and the remaining 2 had but 2 wage earners each instead of the usual 3. 42 WOMEN IN ARKANSAS INDUSTRIES Table 30.—Number of households with normal number of persons employed Dec. 1, by size of household Number of households with specified number of persons normally employed Number of persons in household Total........................... _________ __ 1 2................ ....................... 3 4______ ___ _ 5...____ _________________ 6 7 8 or more_____________ All house holds Normally 1 wage earner With normal Total number Total em ployed Normally 2 wage earners Normally 4 or more wage earners Normally 3 wage earners 1 wage 2 wage earner earners Total Total em em ployed ployed Dee. 1 Dec. 1 234 67 61 38 91 23 51 32 46 27 46 32 20 12 19 20 17 9 14 2 4 1 32 17 7 3 20 9 6 2 29 14 8 3 6 3 wage All wage earners earners Total em em ployed ployed Dec. 1 Dec. 1 4 31 2 1 2 1 1 13 As would be expected, the larger the number of persons normallyemployed the smaller was the proportion of households with all their wage earners at work. Of the 61 households with only 1 person usually employed more than three-fifths (62.3 percent) still had 1 wage earner at time of survey, but only one-fourth (25.3 percent) of those that normally had 2 working, and only 7.3 percent of those that normally had 3 or more, were so fortunate as still to have all these employed. In a household of 14 persons with normally 4 males and 2 females at work no one at all was employed. The table following shows the numbers of persons at work at time of survey and the numbers that normally were wage earners: Table 31.—Number of persons per household normally employed and number employed Dec. 1 Number of persons normally employed Total........................................ 1 2._________________________ 3___________________________ 4____________________ 5__________________________ 6______________________ ______ 7______________________________ Total house holds Number of households with specified number of persons at work Dec. 1 None 1 2 3 234 55 104 57 61 91 51 19 7 3 2 23 24 7 38 44 17 4 23 4 11 1 5 4 3 ■ 1 Employment status of women and men in the households Of the 234 households, there were 73 in which none of the normally employed wage earners were men. Women have more opportunity than men for work during a depression period. This is due in part to the effort to reduce costs of production by paying as little as possible for wages. Many women are taken on in the place of men because usually they can be hired at a lower rate. In Arkansas the proportion of normally employed persons who had jobs at time of survey was considerably greater in the case of the women than of the men. Two households of 9 persons that normally had 4 employed—2 males and 2 females—at time of survey had only a woman working. 43 UNEMPLOYMENT IN LITTLE IIOCK Table 32.—Number of households with normal number of women employed Dec. 1, by size of household Number of households with specified number of women normally employed Number of persons in household Households with normal number of Total house holds em ployed Total. 1__................. 2........ 3............. 4__............. 5................ .......... 8 9 ........ or more. 6 7 ........... Normally 1 woman wage earner Total Normally 2 women wage earners Normally 3 women wage earners Normally 4 women wage earners 1 woman 2 women 3 women 4 women em em em em ployed Total ployed Total ployed Total ployed Dec. 1 Dec. 1 Dec. 1 Dec. 1 234 1127 174 103 32 46 27 46 32 20 12 11 8 20 24 17 21 20 12 6 5 2 32 44 24 29 22 11 5 5 2 20 23 14 18 14 9 2 3 43 18 2 3 12 7 6 5 5 3 1 3 3 3 3 3 2 15 5 5 3 3 2 3 2 1 1 1 2 154.3 percent of the households had the usual number of women employed. Table 33.—Number of households with normal number of men employed Dec. lt by size of household Number of households with specified number of men normally employed Total Total house Number of persons holds with in household men 16 and over 2__................................. 3__................................ 4__________ ______ 5...................................... 6..................................... 7..................................... 8 9 or more.................... holds with men who normally would be em ployed House holds with normal number Normally 1 man wage earner em ployed Total Normally 2 men wage earners Normally 3 men wage earners Normally 4 men wage earners 1 man 2 men 3 men 4 men em em em em ployed Total ployed Total ployed Total ployed Dec. 1 Dec. 1 Dec. 1 Dec. 1 172 1161 54 111 47 30 24 38 30 19 12 11 8 28 19 35 30 18 12 11 8 13 6 18 5 8 1 1 2 28 15 30 15 13 7 3 13 6 17 3 7 36 4 4 12 4 5 12 1 2 1 1 None 1 1 1 133.5 percent of the households that normally employed men had the usual number employed. In 127 of 234 (54.5 percent) of the households that normally had women wage earners were the usual number of women employed at time of survey, but in only 54 of 161 (33.5 percent) of the households that normally had men wage earners were the usual number still employed. Further, at the time the study was made, households where the only employed person was a woman were much more numerous than those where a man was the only one carrying the responsibility. There were 61 households of at least 2 persons where a woman was the sole wage earner. Forty-five of them were households with at least two persons in addition to the woman worker. In a few of these 44 WOMEN IN ARKANSAS INDUSTRIES there were as many as 5 to 7 persons in addition to the woman wage earner; in one there were 8. The following lists show the size of the househo ds in which the sole wage earner was a woman and of those in which only a man was employed December 1. SOLE WAGE EARNER A WOMAN Number of households Number of persons in household: Total families 1 (woman), 2 3 4..__________ 5____________________________________________________________ 6 81 20 16 12 15 7 6 7 ______________ 2 8 2 9______ 1 SOLE WAGE EARNER A MAN Total families 23 2................................................................................................... .............................. ..................................... 3_____ 4___________ ________ _____________ ______ -_______ ___________________ 5 ... 6 4 5 4 6 ... ..................................... ....................................... ........................ 2 7.._________ ___________________________________________________ ____________ -__________ ___________________ 8_______ _________ 1 1 The summary following shows that of 507 persons normally em ployed in the 202 households of 2 or more persons, only 262 (51.7 percent) had jobs on the first of December and only 182 (35.9 percent) of them were employed full time. Three-fifths (60.7 percent) of the women normally wage earners were employed on that date, but only two-fifths (40.5 percent) of the men. As to full-time work, only 44.6 percent of the women and as few as 25.1 percent of the men had full-time work. Persons Employment status Number Normally employed: Percent 507 100. 0 227 280 44. 8 55. 2 __ 262 100.0 ____ ______ 92 170 35. 1 64. 9 Employed at full-time work: Total _____ __ _____ _______ 182 100. 0 Male _-____________________ 57 125 31; 3 68. 7 Male __________ Female ____ ________ Employed Dec. 1: Total- __ ______ ____ Male Female __ __ UNEMPLOYMENT IN LITTLE ROCK 45 One of the serious problems of a depression period such as this is the difficulty and resultant lowering of morale experienced by young people just out of school who look in vain for work. Much publicity has been given to the way in which this group of unemployables is increasing. In the homes visited in Arkansas 40 percent of the per sons listed as not normally employed were at least 16 years old, and one-sixth of them had never had a job. Effects of unemployment standards and decreased earnings on living Reduced employment and the decreases in earnings 2 were making serious inroads on the standards of living of these Little Rock families, many of whose workers were or had been employed in the garment factories of the city. Families had, in many instances, moved into smaller and much less desirable quarters or gone into the homes of relatives. In many of the households visited there had been too little food much of the time. In 144 households of 227 for which it was reported, there never had been any savings, and of the 88 that had had savings, only 13 reported them as still intact. In 41 households, savings had been used up entirely. Seven families had lost part or all of them in bank failures, and in 18 others part or all were unavailable for some other reason. It is not to be wondered at that 125 of the households acknowledged having received some outside assistance during the year. * See Tenth Biennial Report, Bureau of Labor and Statistics, Arkansas, 1931-32, p. 7 Thirty-seven percent of the average number of persons employed in 1929 throughout the State were unemployed in the month ending July 15,1932, and the total pay-roll loss for the same period was 54 percent. O