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U. S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
JAMES J. DAVIS, SECRETARY
WOMEN’S BUREAU
MARY ANDERSON, Director
BULLETIN OF THE WOMEN’S BUREAU, NO. 17
WOMEN’S WAGES IN
KANSAS
*
I
WASHINGTON
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
1921
[Public—No. 259—66th Congress.]
’
[H. R. 13229.]
An Act To establish in the Department of Labor a bureau to be
known as the Women’s Bureau:
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled, That there shall be
established in the Department of Labor a bureau to be known as the
Women’s Bureau.
Sec. 2. That the said bureau shall be in charge of a director, a
woman, to be appointed by the President, by and with the advice
and consent of the Senate, who shall receive an annual compensa
tion of $5,000. It shall be the duty of said bureau to formulate
standards and policies which shall promote the welfare of wage
earning women, improve their working conditions, increase their
efficiency, and advance their opportunities for profitable employ
ment. The said bureau shall have authority to investigate and
report to the said department upon all matters pertaining to the
welfare of women in industry. The director of said bureau may
from time to time publish the results of these investigations in such
a manner and to such extent as the Secretary of Labor may prescribe.
Sec. 3. That there shall be in said bureau an assistant director,
to be appointed by the Secretary of Labor, who shall receive an
annual compensation of $3,500 and shall perform such duties as
shall be prescribed by the director and approved by the Secretary
of Labor.
Sec. 4. That there is hereby authorized to be employed by said
bureau a chief clerk and such special agents, assistants, clerks, and
other employees at such rates of compensation and in such numbers
as Congress may from time to time provide by appropriations.
Sec. 5. That the Secretary of Labor is hereby directed to furnish
sufficient quarters, office furniture, and equipment, for the work of
this bureau.
Sec. 6. That this act shall take effect and be in force from and
after its passage.
Approved, June 5, 1920.
U. S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
JAMES J. DAVIS, SECRETARY
WOMEN’S BUREAU
MARY ANDERSON, Director
BULLETIN OF THE WOMEN’S BUREAU, NO. 17
WOMEN’S WAGES IN
KANSAS
WASHINGTON
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
1921
WEEKLY
EARNINGS
ALL
INDUSTRIES
BUT
RESTAURANTS
NUM9ER
OF
WOMEN
AVERAGE
49 110 411 412 413 414 415 416
Less S3 44 355
than but net but not but rat bulnof but net but ns but id tatrff but not talwt but ml but ml but ml but ml
49
410 411
11? 413 >14
415 416 *17 *18 *19 420 421 422 423 *24 425 426 427 m U9 t30 uvei
CONTENTS.
Page.
Letter of transmittal................................................................................................
Scope and method of investigation.........................................................................
Wages and earnings..................................................................................................
Summary of wage figures..................................................................................
Nativity.............................................................................................................
Age.....................................................................................................................
Weekly earnings................................................................................................
Wages and ago...................................................................................................
Experience........................................................................................................
Weeks worked in present employment...........................................................
Hourly earnings..............................................................................
Hours.................................................................................................................
Time lost and overtime....................................................................................
Annual earnings................................................................................................
Conclusion.........................................................................................................
Dependents and home responsibilities...................................................................
Summary...........................................................................................................
Living conditions..............................................................................................
Conjugal condition...........................................................................................
Composition of families.....................................................................................
Total dependents..............................................................................................
Proportion of earnings contributed..................................................................
Reasons given for working...............................................................................
Amount of contribution....................................................................................
Age and amount contributed...........................................................................
Length of time contributing.............................................................................
Conclusion.........................................................................................................
Appendix A. Forms of schedules.........................................................................
Appendix B. General tables.................................................................................
5
7
16
16
19
20
23
29
33
40
42
43
46
48
51
53
54
54
57
59
67
69
71
75
78
79
82
83
87
TEXT TABLES.
Table 1. Number of establishments studied and number of persons of each sex
employed therein, by industry..........................................................
2. Number of establishments and number of women for whom pay-roll
and no pay-roll data were secured, by industry.............................
3. Nativity of the employees scheduled, by industry.............................
4. Number of women in each age group, by industry.............................
5. Average weekly earnings in cities and towns of first, second, third,
and fourth classes. All industries but restaurants..........................
6. Average weekly earnings in cities and towns of first, second, third,
and fourth classes. Restaurants........................................................
7. Number of women earning each classified amount, by age...............
8. Median weekly earnings for each age group, by industry...................
9. Number of women earning each classified amount, by years in the
trade.....................................................................................................
10. Median weekly earnings according to years in the trade, by industry.
11. Per cent of women who had been in their present employment for
the full period of their time in their trade, by industry..................
3
9
11
20
21
23
24
29
30
34
40
40
4
CONTENTS.
rage.
Table 12. Per cent of women earning each specified amount per hour worked,
by industry...........'..............................................................................
13. Length of the normal working week of the establishments reporting
hours actually worked, by industry..................................................
14. Number of women averaging each specified number of hours worked,
by industry..........................................................................................
15. Annual earnings of women who worked 50 or more weeks during the
year, showing per cent of women in each income group, by industry.
16. Number of women living at home or with relatives, and number
living independently, by age group..................................................
17. Conjugal condition, by age group.........................................................
18. Composition of the families of 4,748 women interviewed who reported
complete data, according to persons at work and persons not at
work.....................................................................................................
19. Per cent of women contributing earnings to family, arranged in
descending scale, by industry...........................................................
20. Number of women contributing to the home each classified amount
per week, by average weekly earnings.............................................
21. Number and per cent of women contributing to the family each
classified amount per week, by age group. All industries............
22. Length of time contributing all earnings and length of time at work
for women who had worked continuously since starting work.........
42
43
44
49
55
58
*
60
70
76
78
80
GENERAL TABLES.
Table
I. Weekly earnings in cities and towns of first, second, third, and
fourth classes, by industry.............................................................
II. Number of women earning each classified amount per week, by
industry and by age.......................................................................
III. Number of women earning each classified amount per week, by
industry and by years in the trade...............................................
IY. Number of women earning each classified amount per hour
worked, by industry.......................................................................
Y. Number of women whose average weekly hours exceeded or fell
below the normal hours for the establishment, by industry and
by number of overtime hours worked and time lost....................
VI. Annual earnings of women who worked 50 or more weeks during
the year, by industry.....................................................................
VII. Living conditions of the employees scheduled, by industry.........
VIII. Conjugal condition of the employees scheduled, by industry........
IX. Relationship of the women to their families, by industry.............
X. Number of women earning each classified amount per week, by
number of total dependents. All industries...............................
87
90
95
101
101
102
103
103
103
104
CHARTS.
Chart 1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Average weekly earnings. All industries but restaurants......................
2
Average weekly earnings......................................................................... 14-15
Median weekly earnings, by industry....................................................
26
Median weekly earnings, by age group.................................................. 31-32
Median weekly earnings, by years in the trade.................................... 38-39
Per cent of women working undertime and overtime...........................
47
Annual earnings.......................................................................................
50
f
'
.
LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL.
U. S. Department
of Labor,
Women’s Bureau,
Washington, May 12, 1921.
I have the honor to submit the accompanying report giving
the results of a survey of hours, wages, and conditions of work of
women in selected industries from 31 cities in the State of Kansas.
This investigation was made at the request of the Industrial Wel
fare Commission of the State. The field work was done by investi
gators of the Women’s Bureau, the Kansas Industrial Welfare Com
mission, and the Kansas Department of Labor.
The survey was conducted by Miss Agnes L. Peterson and Miss
Caroline Manning, of the Women’s Bureau staff, in conjunction with
Miss Linna Bresette, secretary of the Kansas Industrial Welfare
Commission. The material secured was tabulated by the Women’s
Bureau and the report written by Miss Mary N. Winslow. Manu
script copies have been submitted to the industrial welfare com
mission.
Respectfully submitted.
Mart Anderson, Director.
Hon. James J. Davis,
Secretary of Labor.
Sir:
5
WOMEN’S WAGES IN KANSAS
SCOPE AND METHOD OF INVESTIGATION.
This survey of wages paid to women in the industries of Kansas
was made at the request of, and in cooperation with, the Industrial
Welfare Commission of that State. The field work was done during
several months of the summer of 1920. Investigators from the
Women’s Bureau directed the survey and worked in cooperation
with Miss Linna Bresette, secretary of the Industrial Commission of
Kansas, and investigators of the Industrial Commission and of the
Kansas Department of Labor. The material secured in the course
of the investigation has been compiled and the report written by the
Women’s Bureau.
The investigations for this report were made in 31 cities of the
State. Three of these cities had a population of 50,000—Kansas
City, Wichita, and Topeka; 11 had a population of from 10,000
to 50,000—Atchison, Leavenworth, Hutchinson, Independence,
Lawrence, Parsons, Chanute, Fort Scott, Arkansas City, Eldorado,
and Emporia; 6 had a population of from 5,000 to 10,000—Newton,
Winfield, Iola, Ottawa, Junction City, and Manhattan; and 11 had
a population under 5,000—Marysville, Olathe, Colby, Oakley, Wakeeney, Hays City, Ellsworth, Earned, Great Bend, Osage, and Wash
ington.
Material was secured by the investigators through personal inter
views with the employees at their places of work, and additional data
on hours and wages were obtained wherever possible from the em
ployers’ office records.1 These records were taken for individual
workers for the total period of their employment with the firm during
the year beginning in June, 1919, and ending in June, 1920.
This period probably covers as high wage rates as have ever been
paid in the country. The index numbers of union wage rates and
hours of labor published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the
U. S. Department of Labor 12 show a steady increase in the wage
rate for full-time weekly earnings from 1915, when the index num
ber was 102, to May, 1920, when it had increased to 189. These
index numbers are general figures computed for a large number of
1 For form of schedules, see Appendix A, pp. 83-86.
2 XJ. S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Monthly Labor Review, February, 1920, p.
117: “Changes in union wage scales, 1907 to 1919.”
women’s
8
WAGES IN KANSAS.
industries, but a more detailed analysis of wage and employment
changes in certain industries only emphasizes the same condition
which is illustrated by the index numbers.
Changes between January, 1919, and January, 1920, in the num
bers employed and the size of pay rolls in a number of industries are
shown in another report of the Bureau of Labor Statistics3 to be
as follows:
Per cent of increase (+) or decrease ( —) between January, 1919, and January, 1920.
Industry.
Silfc............... ".....................................................................................................................................
Number Amount
of
on
pay roll. pay roll.
+37.7
+ 9.7
-24.9
- 4.3
+54.2
+24.3
+ 4.2
+11.3
-8.7
+ 16.7
+ 4.2
+ 18.6
+51.0
+ 73.0
+ 25.7
- 21.5
+ 25.5
+ 149.5
+ 64.9
+ 33.2
+ 46.3
- 6.6
+ 37.4
+ 25.2
+ 53.0
+ 125.8
These figures show that all but three of the industries considered
had increased both the number of their employees and the size of
their pay roll very considerably during the year 1919. During a
one-month period in December, 1919, and January, 1920, nine of
these industries increased the number of their employees in amounts
ranging from 0.6 to 2.4 per cent, and nine increased their pay roll
in amounts ranging from 0.2 to 13.7.
Comparison of these figures with the change during a one-month
period in July and August, 1920, shows that, after the close of this
survey of wages in Kansas, wage rates began to drop and the present
depression to set in. During that one month, in July and August,
1920, only two of these industries show any increase in their number
of employees, and in those two cases the increases amount to only
9.8 and 1.4 per cent. Only six industries show any increase in pay
roll, in one case the increase being very considerable (30.2 per cent
in car building and repairing), but in the other five ranging from
0.7 to 6.7 per cent.4
.
.
Undoubtedly, then, the wage rates during the period for which
figures were taken in the present survey can be considered unusually
high, as there is no reason to suppose that Kansas did not share m
the general movement toward increased wages which is indicated in
the foregoing figures.* *
3 Ibid., 1920, p. 147: “Employment in selected industries in January, 1920.”
* U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Monthly Labor Review, December, 1920, p. 175: “Employment
in selected industries, August, 1920.”
women’s
WAGES- IN KANSAS.
9
The establishments investigated included a large and representa
tive proportion of the women-employing industries of the State, the
aim of the investigators having been to survey in each locality the
industries which employed the largest number of women. Table 1
shows the extent of the investigation, both as to number of estab
lishments and employees and as to kind of industries studied.
Table 1.—Number
of establishments studied and number of persons of each sex employed
therein, by industry.
Industry.
Number
of
establish
ments.
Number of employees.
Total.
Men.
Women.
9
14
22
32
97
35
54
80
27
7,579
1,175
' 793
4,304
2,604
445
1,285
923
1,002
(l)
6,608
918
128
3,548
720
65
353
418
64
0)
971
257
665
756
1,884
380
932
505
938
C1)
370
20,110
12,822
2 7,288
(0
1 Offices, as such, not investigated. The office workers entered in the various tabulations were employed
in the offices of the industries studied.
2 Of this number, individual schedules were secured for 5,651 women (77.5 per cent), a proportion large
enough, it is thougnt, to be considered representative of the entire number employed.
In the industrial classification of the material in this report the
group designated as “miscellaneous food manufacturing” includes
all food factories except those packing meat or poultry. Among
those factories are listed confectionery, cracker, bakery, cereal, and
salt establishments. Clothing manufacturing includes the manu
facture of overalls, shirts, caps, and gloves. “Miscellaneous manu
facturing” comprises all factories not specifically enumerated, and
includes several soap, box, and cigar factories. The mercantile
establishments have been divided into two groups, the 5-and-10-cent
stores being separated from the other stores on account of the differ
ence in wages and in the experience of the employees. The mercan
tile employees include the entire sales force and the general service
workers. In this group the higher wages paid to assistant buyers
are generally balanced by the lower wages paid to bundle girls.
The restaurant group includes the kitchen and dining-room help of
cafeterias, lunch counters, tea rooms, cafes, restaurants, and the
dining room of one small hotel. In the telephone group are included
only telephone operators.
The investigation did not cover establishments employing only
an office force, such as banks and insurance companies. The office
workers scheduled arc those interviewed while working in one of the
other industrial groups; elsewhere in the report they are tabulated
separately and are not included with the factory workers or sales
10
women’s
WAGES IN KANSAS.
people. Similarly, the laundry workers in the packing plants have
been classed with the laundry group; restaurant workers in stores
have been classed with the restaurant industry and not with the
mercantile group; telephone operators on private branch exchanges
in stores or factories have been classed with the telephone operators
on the commercial exchanges.
How representative the figures are which have been secured for
these various industrial groups can only be estimated, as there are
no recent figures available giving the numbers employed in the in
dustrial activities of the State. The Thirteenth Census of the United
States gives the most recent comprehensive figures which can be used
for comparative purposes.5 According to that report, in 1910 there
were 80,694 females over 10 years of age gainfully employed in
Kansas. Of this group almost 30,000, slightly over 37 per cent,
were engaged in manufacturing and mechanical, trade, transporta
tion (which includes telephone operating), and clerical occupations.
These are the main occupational groups in which the women were
engaged who were studied in this survey, which covered 7,288
women, or more than one-fourth of the number listed in similar
industrial groups in the 1910 census.
The figures which are obtainable for individual occupations show
an equally large proportion of women included in the survey.8
Women telephone operators, according to the census of 1910, num
bered 2,306; this survey includes data for 938 telephone operators,
over 40 per cent of the 1910 total. The number of saleswomen and
clerks in stores amounted in 1910 to 5,999, while the mercantile estab
lishments covered by this survey employed 2,264, considerably more
than one-third of the 1910 number. Laundry operatives numbered
1,067 in the 1910 census and 932 (87 per cent) in the survey.
It is unfortunate that there are no State figures available to show
the trend in industrial development for the past decade, so that the
validity of 1910 figures as a guide to present conditions can be
estimated. The United States Census of Manufactures, however, in
its report for 1914 shows that between 1909 and 1914 there was a
decrease of 8.7 per cent in the number of manufacturing establish
ments and a decrease of 6.7 per cent in the number of wage earners
in the industries of Kansas.7 Figures given in the 1910 census may
be considered, therefore, to be fairly valid as a means of estimating
the extent of this survey, for there would have had to be a considerable
increase in numbers between 1914 and the present time to offset the
decrease which occurred between 1909 and 1914. Judging from the
stimulation of industry which has occurred throughout the entire* i
& IT. S. Bureau of the Census, 13th Census, 1910, vol. 4, Population, Occupation statistics, p. 37.
«Ibid., pp. 110-120.
i U. S. Bureau of the Census, Census of Manufactures, 1914, vol. 1, p. 445.
women’s
WAGES IN KANSAS.
11
country, there has probably been a considerable increase in the
industrial population of Kansas, but even if this be the case it can
be assumed safely that the figures given in this report are for a group
adequate in size and proportionate distribution through the industries
to represent actual conditions in the State.
Naturally with such a large and diverse group of workers there is
not absolute similarity in the information which was obtainable con
cerning them. Table 2 shows the number of establishments and the
number of women for whom information of the two broad classes—
pay roll and no pay roll—was obtained.
Table 2.—Number of establishments and number of women for whom pay-roll and no
pay-roll1 data were secured, by industry.
Pay-roll data.
Industry.
Number
of estab
lish
ments.
9
14
15
26
50
30
42
Sr
24
230
No pay-roll data.
Number Number Number
of estab
of
of
lish
women.
women.
ments.
694
187
485
476
765
237
599
191
382
8 313
4,329
7
6
47
5
12
60
3
2 65
225
51
49
355
50
179
254
128
3 166
140
1,322
1 For explanation soe text immediately following.
2 Employed in firms supplying pay-roil data, but not employed long enough at time of investigation
to have a record on thopay rolls.
3 Employed in the offices of the various industries.
When the investigators visited an establishment, they secured
their first information through personal interviews with the, women
workers. The information secured in this way was then supplemented
by additional material taken from the employer’s pay rolls. In
order to avoid possible errors and misinterpretations no information
is included here as “pay roll information” unless it was copied by
the investigators personally.
Table 2 shows that from 140 firms no pay-roll data were secured.
There were several different reasons for the failure to secure this
information. In a number of small stores and restaurants pay-roll
data could not be secured for the simple reason that no pay rolls
were kept. Sometimes only a few persons were employed and they
were paid by the month or semimonthly, and their wages were
entered in the accounts in a lump sum as “salaries.”
In other establishments a less simple reason was given for not
making available pay-roll figures. This was a feeling on the part of
the management in several places that wage records were secrets and
12
women’s
WAGES IN KANSAS.
that it would be disastrous to have each employee know what the
others were getting. One woman when asked for her books replied
to the investigator that she did not keep any because “they would
be kept right out there where the girls are working and they would
see them. And if they should see that some were getting more than
others it would mean, well, nothing less than a strike. They would be
furious, so it’s just between the girl and me, how much I pay her,
and if she works extra hard I tip her, and if she doesn’t I don’t.”
Another typical attitude toward the keeping of pay rolls was that
of the manager of a small restaurant who said that he could not keep
a pay roll because his employees changed so constantly. He found it
sufficient to mark his employees “present” or “absent” each day for
a week, payoff at the end of the week, and then it was “all settled.”
Another employer said he could not keep hooks because he had not
enough room.
Lack of pay rolls was, in the large majority of cases, the reason for
failure to secure pay-roll information. In 14 establishments it was
impossible for the investigators to obtain information which was
known to exist. In the meat-packing industry pay roll records for
the office workers were not secured because at the first plant visited
access to the records for the office workers (the only unorganized
group of workers in the industry) was refused. For this reason
similar information was not requested at other plants in the same
industry. A very few plants absolutely refused to give any infor
mation. A number of others copied their own pay rolls and sent
them to the investigators, but, as already explained, material secured
in this way was not used. On the whole, the cooperation and assist
ance given the investigators by the employers in the establishments
investigated was invaluable, and the few instances where a cordial
reception was not given serve only to emphasize the value of the
attitude of most employers in the State, and to prove that without
their help the facts included in this survey would have been very far
from complete.
Throughout the investigation and during the compilation of the
material the utmost care has been used to insure that only perfectly
representative material should be included. If, in copying a pay
roll, the amount recorded as a full week’s pay at the beginning of the
period of employment was so small compared with the pay for subse
quent periods as to indicate that only a part of the pay period had
been worked, this sum and this period wore not considered in com
puting the average weekly earnings for the year.
For instance, where a girl’s earnings fluctuated around $10 and $11
for each of 51 weeks in the year, but for the first week of employment
amounted to only $5, the average weekly earnings were computed
from the 51 weeks for which earnings of $10 and $11 were reported,
women’s
WAGES IN KANSAS.
13
as it was felt that the $5 weekly wage probably represented less than
a full week of work and would pull down the average wage unfairly.
The wages reported in this survey, therefore, may be considered
representative of conditions in Kansas at their very best. They
were taken at a time of high wage rates and steady employment, and
schedules which might be considered unrepresentative were carefully
eliminated. The people of Kansas can accept as just this portrayal
of the wage conditions for the women in the industries of the State, but
in accepting it they should remember that these conditions are prob
ably the best that have ever existed in the State. The peak has
been reached and passed and a survey taken now would probably
show a standard of wages for women even less satisfactory than that
which existed between June, 1919, and June, 1920.
AVERAGE
WEEKLY
EARNINGS
4^.
70
6 0
535
than
but
but
but
and
$9.00
not 112.00
not $1500
not 1.15-00
over
50
4^.(?
40-Z
40
30
20
10
4.0
0
Percent
Meat
Packing
t
Sail
Poultry
Packing
Other
Clothing
Other
General
Food
Manufacturing Manufacturing Mercantile
lanufactiinng_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
WOMEN'S WAGES IN KANSAS.
Less
ZZ2 $9.00
S i 12.00
$ 15.00
# 18.00
80
A V E RAGE
WEEKLY
EARNINGS
-ercent
5 & 10
cent
Stores
Laundries
Restaurants
Telephones
than #9.00
Dut not #12.00
Dut not $ 15 DO
but not % 18 00
and over
Offices
W O M EN 'S WAGES IN KANSAS.
Less
v/\ #9.00
#12.00
#15.00
r~~l #15.00
All
Industries
Oi
WAGES AND EARNINGS.
Summary of wage figures.
The chief facts disclosed by this survey are presented in the follow
ing summary. The alarming number of women who have, at this
time of highest compensation, been receiving far less than a living
wage should challenge the attention of every citizen of the State.
Weekly earnings:
Less than $9 a week was earned by—19.3 per cent of the women in all industries.8
79.7 per cent of the women in 5-and-10-cent stores.
35.5 per cent of the women in poultry packing.
32.5 per cent of the women in restaurants.
31.6 per cent of the women in miscellaneous food manufacturing.
26.8 per cent of the women in clothing manufacturing.
18.9 per cent of the women in laundries.
17.8 per cent of the women in general mercantile.
15.7 per cent of the women in telephones.
14.7 per cent of the women in offices.
10.1 per cent of the women in miscellaneous manufacturing.
0.3 per cent of the women in meat packing.
Less than $12 a week was earned by—
50.6 per cent of the women in all industries.8
97.0 per cent of the women in 5-and-10-cent stores.
76.4 per cent of the women in restaurants.
75.6 per cent of the women in laundries.
72.3 per cent of the women in telephones.
67.9 per cent of the women in miscellaneous food manufacturing.
64.4 per cent of the women in poultry packing.
52.2 per cent of the women in clothing manufacturing.
50.6 per cent of the women in general mercantile.
41.2 per cent of the women in miscellaneous manufacturing.
40.6 per cent of the women in offices.
2.3 per cent of the women in meat packing.
Less than $15 a week was earned by—
70.0 per cent of the women in all industries.8
99.6 per cent of the women in 5-and 10-cent stores.
95.6 per cent of the women in poultry packing.
93.5 per cent of the women in laundries.
93.2 per cent of the women in telephones.
90.4 per cent of the women in miscellaneous food manufacturing.
89.0 per cent of the women in restaurants.
83.2 per cent of the women in miscellaneous manufacturing.
73.6 per cent of the women in general mercantile.
72.6 per cent of the women in clothing manufacturing.
57.2 per cent of the women in offices.
6.3 per cent of the women in meat packing.
B Exclusive of restaurants; not combined with other industries because of the custom of giving meals.
16
women’s
WAGES IN KANSAS.
17
Less than $18 a week was earned by—
86.9 per cent of the women in all industries.8 9
100.0 per cent of the women in 5-and-10-cent stores.
97.9 per cent of the women in miscellaneous food manufacturing.
97.6 per cent of the women in telephones.
97.5 per cent of the women in laundries.
95.6 per cent of the women in poultry packing.
95.4 per cent of the women in miscellaneous manufacturing.
94.8 per cent of the women in restaurants.
88.2 per cent of the women in general mercantile.
87.6 per cent of the women in clothing manufacturing.
74.1 per cent of the women in offices.
59.8 per cent of the women in meat packing.
Annual earnings:
Less than $600 a year was earned by 28.6 per cent of the women in all industries.8
$600 to $900 was earned by 42.2 per cent of the women in all industries.
$900 or more was earned by 29.2 per cent of the women in all industries.
It is not possible to get general wage figures for women employed
in many industries throughout the country, but even the limited
figures available show that the Kansas wages are far lower than those
prevalent elsewhere. They are not only lower than in communities
where the rates are known to be high, but they are lower than the
average rate for the country as a whole.
In a nation-wide survey of wages in certain industries the Bureau
of Labor Statistics, of the United States Department of Labor found
that the average weekly wage paid to women in the men’s clothing
industry in 1919 was $14.82,“ while the wage paid to the women in
clothing manufacturing in the present survey of Kansas was $11.75.
In a group of miscellaneous manufacturing industries throughout
the country the Bureau of Labor Statistics found the average weekly
wage for women to be:10
Chemicals........................................ $12.70
Leather.......................................... 13.43
Paper and pulp............................. 13.11
Pottery.......................................... $13.17
Rubber......................................... 14.84
The median wage for women in “miscellaneous manufacturing”
in Kansas was $12.70.
Even the low standard of $11 a week which has been established
by the Kansas minimum-wage awards is far from accepted in the
industries of the State. The appalling size—nearly one-fifth of all
the women included in the survey—of the group receiving less than
$9 a week, and the fact that more than one-half of the women were
receiving less than $12 a week, disclose a very serious situation for
the women workers of the State.
How far behind other progressive States Kansas stands, not only
in the conditions existing in its industries but in the standard of a
8 Exclusive of restaurants; not combined ’with other industries because of tho custom of giving meals.
9 U. S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics Monthly Labor Review, February, 1920.
10 Ibid., April, 1920.
51647°—21---- 2
women’s
18
WAGES IN KANSAS.
weekly minimum wage of $11 which it has adopted, is clearly shown
by a comparison of minimum-wage awards in other States with the
actual conditions and the minimum-wage awards in Kansas.
All manufacturing industries have been required to pay a minimum
weekly wage to their experienced women employees of—
$16.00 in California.
$13.20 in Oregon.
$13.20 in Washington State.
Fifty per cent of the women in all industries in Kansas earned less
than $12 and the minimum-wage requirement for Kansas is only $11
a week, $2.20 less than that of Oregon and Washington and $5 less
than that of California.
The mercantile industry has been required to pay to its women
employees a minimum weekly wage of—
$16.00 in California.
$16.50 in the District of Columbia.
$13.20 in Oregon.
Kansas requires only $8.50 a week for the women in mercantile
industries, and 50 per cent of the Kansas women in general mercan
tile establishments and 97 per cent of those in 5-and-10-cent stores
earned less than $12 a week.
Hotels and restaurants are required to pay thier women employees
a minimum weekly wage of—
$16.00 in California.
$16.50 in the District of Columbia.
$18.00 in Washington State.
Of the Kansas women employed in restaurants 76.4 per cent
received less than $12 and 89 per cent less than $15 a week.
The full significance of these figures will not be apparent unless
emphasis is laid on the fact that the minimum-wage awards in each
State are made on the basis of what it costs a woman to live decently
and healthfully. These wages have been decided upon after a careful
consideration of the cost of living for the individual, and the suppo
sition is that the woman who receives less than the minimum wage
required can not maintain herself decently and healthfully.
Recent budget studies have shown the approximate cost of living
for a woman to be—
$14.78 a week in Texas.
$22.10 a week in Washington State.
$16.00 a week in the District of Columoia in 1918.
$19.49 a week in the District of Columbia in 1920.
$16.65 a week in North Dakota.
There are no estimates available of the cost of living iti Kansas,
but it does not seem probable that it can be so much lower than in
other States as to justify the payment of less than $9 a week to one
women’s
WAGES IN KANSAS.
19
fifth and less than $12 a week to more than one-half of the women
in the industries of the State.
No industry can thrive at the expense of its employees, and no
community can afford to permit such exploitation of its women
workers. Pitiful economies which were resorted to in stretching
an $8 or a $10 wage to cover even the chief necessities of life frequently
were reported to the investigators during the course of this survey.
One woman could not afford to pay for a room, so used that of her
brother who worked at night and was only at home in the daytime,
when she was away. Another, who was making an average weekly
wage of $8.80, sewed for other people at night and on Sundays in
order to make enough to pay for her own clothes.
Instances such as these can be multiplied many times, and still
the whole story would not be told, for many of these women had
dependents and on their meager wages must support not only them
selves but others. The question of dependency is treated in another
section of this report (pp. 53-79), but it must not be forgotten when
ever wages for women are discussed, as it is now a thoroughly authen
ticated fact that women arQ more often than not the breadwinners
for others besides themselves.
The facts given in this report are a challenge for action on the part
of the industries and authorities of the State. No working woman
in Kansas should be allowed to feel as did the laundry worker who
said: “You come here and come here, and ask a lot of questions
and make us believe you are going to help us; but things are worse
now than they ever were. I’m just tired of the whole thing. ”
Nativity.
Although the actual wage received is, of course, the fact of primary
importance to the woman worker, this wage is dependent upon so
many different factors that from the point of view of the student
of industrial conditions it is necessary to have a certain picture of
the group for which wage figures are given in order to judge correctly
the relative standards of different communities and industries in this
important matter.
The first important qualification of the wage received is the nativity
of the person receiving it. It would be a natural reaction to credit
a low wage rate to the presence of a large number of foreigners among
the group whose wages are being considered, while knowledge that
a majority of the group were native-born Americans might very
conceivably lead to the expectation of a higher wage rate. Table
3 shows the nativity of the women for whom schedules were secured
in tins survey.
women’s
20
WAGES IN KANSAS.
Table 3.—Nativity of the employees scheduled, by industry.
Native born.
Industry.
Number
of
women
report
ing.
Foreign bom.
Colored.
White.
Number. Percent.
Number. Per cent. Number. Percent.
Meat and poultry packing.......................
Miscellaneous manufacturing..................
General mercantile.....................................
Laundries......................................................
Restaurants..................................................
All industries....................................
757
212
535
523
1,111
288
777
442
508
476
436
212
522
506
1,088
286
731
362
508
473
57.6
100. 0
97.6
96. 7
97.9
100.0
94. 1
81.9
100.0
99. 4
170
22.5
151
19.9
5
14
.9
1.3
13
12
9
2.4
2.3
.8
33
74
4.3
16.7
13
6
1.7
1.3
1 5,627
5,124
91.1
3
.6
296
5.2
207
3.7
i Of the 5,651 women for whom records were socured, 24 did not report their nativity.
This table shows that the women in the Kansas industries are
Americans, the product of American schools and with American
standards of life. It shows that 91.1 per cent of those included in
the survey were native-born white, while about 5 per cent were
colored. Only 3.7 per cent were foreign born, a striking contrast
to conditions in some of the industrial centers where one must speak
a foreign language to be understood in the workshop. This is
especially true in the garment trades throughout the country, but
in the Kansas clothing factories the female employees were 97per
cent American born.
The employment of foreign women was so slight as to be almost
negligible in all but the packing industry, and even here personal
interviews between the employees and the investigators were carried
on in English with complete understanding.
The 296 colored women also were employed principally in the
packing industry, though more than one-third of them (36.1 per cent)
were in restaurants and laundries.
Age.
Another factor which may materially affect the wage rate is the
age of the workers. A very young and therefore inexperienced
group of workers, or an older than average group with the lessened
ability which is so likely to accompany long years of work and increas
ing age, might very legitimately be considered the cause of a com
paratively low wage rate. That this was not the case in the indus
tries of Kansas is shown in Table 4, which gives the ages of the women
included in the survey.
WOMEN’S WAGES IN' KANSAS.
21
Table 4. —Number of women in each age group, by industry.
Number of women whose age was—
Industry.
Meat and poultry packing...
Miscellaneous food manufacturing......................................
Clothing manufacturing........
Miscellaneous manufacturing
General mercantile..................
5-and-10-cent stores.................
Laundries..................................
Restaurants...............................
Num
ber
of
16 and 18 and 20 and
and 30 and 40 and
women Under under under under 25
under under under
report
16
18
20
25
30
40
50
ing.
years.
years. years. years. years. years. years.
50
years
and
over.
757
3
32
55
157
127
213
133
37
211
534
524
1,101
286
777
444
510
478
5
4
3
13
11
16
12
37
60
110
135
70
94
70
39
83
135
242
49
118
129
16
57
55
160
17
79
65
37
126
76
251
19
80
29
146
58
20
47
149
53
122
28
58
18
1
52
66
96
107
123
141
69
157
41
108
180
76
52
18
2
All industries................. 1 5,622
Per cent distribution.. 100.0
68
1.2
884
15.7
880
15.7
1.273
22.6
700
12.4
983
17.5
587
10.4
247
4.4
Offices..........................................
1 Of the 5.651 women for whom records were secured, 29 did not report their age.
The contention that the women workers are generally young
girls who will work a few years and then drop out of industry per
manently is not substantiated by the figures in this table. Nearly
one-half of the women were mature, being 25 years of age or over.
There were more than twice as many women in the industries sur
veyed in Kansas who were over 20 years as there were less than
20 years of age, and there were almost the same number 30 years of
age and over (1,817) as there were under 20 years of age (1,832). It
was surprising to find 32.3 per cent of the women 30 years old or over
and 44.8 per cent 25 years or over. Generally speaking, then, it was
a group of mature women who earned the wages reported in the
following pages.
The industries in which the largest proportion of mature women
were employed were meat and poultry packing, clothing manufactur
ing, general mercantile, and laundries.
.
Comparatively few women under 20 years of age were employed
in the meat and poultry packing industry. Over one-half of the
women in this industry were at least 30 years of age.
In the manufacture of clothing also the greatest number of women
were in the 30-to-40-year group. It is interesting that the women
who were 50 years of age or more numbered practically the same as
those 18 to 20 years or 25 to 30 years. In this industry also about
one-half of the women were 30 years of age or older.
The general mercantile trade also employs an older group of
women, 40 per cent being over 30 years of age. Almost as many
women in this mercantile group were from 20 to 30 years of age as
were 30 years and over.
22
women’s
WAGES IN KANSAS.
Older women predominate also in the laundry trade, where large
numbers of employees were found in the two age groups 30 to 40
years and 40 to 50 years. Over 42 per cent of the women in this
group were 30 years old or more, and 23 per cent of them were 40
years or more. However, 32 per cent were less than 20 years of age.
The industries which employed a large proportion of the women
and girls under 20 years of age were miscellaneous food factories,
other miscellaneous manufacturing plants, restaurants, telephones,
the 5-and-10-cent stores, and, as already stated, the laundries.
In the miscellaneous food factories almost two-thirds (63 per cent)
of the women were under 25 years of age. The largest number in
any one age group in the manufacture of food were found to be 16
and under 18 years of age.
In the miscellaneous manufacturing group approximately twothirds were less than 25 years, and the largest number in any group
were from 20 to 25 years old.
In the restaurants 63 per cent of the women were under 25 years
of age, almost one-third being in the group from 20 to 25 years.
Among the office workers more than 35 per cent of those reporting
were in the 20-to-25-year group; more than two-thirds were under 25
years of age, while those above 40 years were so few in number as to
be hardly worth mentioning.
The telephone industry was the only one which employed no women
under 16 years, and it reported only one employee over 50 years of
age. The great majority (86 per cent) of all the telephone operators
were under 25 years of age. The number above 30 years was so
small as to form an unimportant group.
In the 5-and-10-cent stores, 88 per cent were under 25 years of age
and less than 6 per cent were 30 years or more.
The force of women for whom the facts of this survey were gathered
is fairly definitely defined from the foregoing tables. They are a large
group of mature American-born women working in representative in
dustries in all parts of the State. These women are the backbone of
the communities in which they live. Their standards and well-being
definitely affect the well-being of the State, for it is largely the women
who translate a dollars-and-cents wage into standards of life and
homes, and healthy, educated children.
Are the industries of the State handling their woman labor in such
a way as to make these women in industry a definite asset or are
they exploiting them for a temporary profit to the industry but a
permanent loss to the community ?
For an answer to this question we must turn to wage records, the
only facts which definitely indicate not only the value which is given
to woman as an industrial unit, but also the standards of health,
happiness, and efficiency which she may be expected to attain.
women’s
WAGES IN KANSAS.
23
Weekly earnings.
For comparative purposes and because the minimum-wage awards
in Kansas have been made in some instances on a population basis,
the wage figures given for the cities covered by the investigation have
been divided into four classes, based upon population.
Class 1 includes the records for three cities of over 50,000 popula
tion; class 2 for 11 cities between 10,000 and 50,000 population;
class 3 for 6 cities from 5,000 to 10,000; and class 4 for 11 cities
with a population under 5,000.
Table 5 shows the average weekly earnings in all industries except
restaurants.
Table 5.—Average weekly earnings in cities and towns of first, second, third, and fourth
classes.
ALL INDUSTRIES BUT RESTAURANTS.1
Number of women receiving each classi
fied amount in cities and towns of—
Average weekly earnings.
All
classes. Class 1. Class 2. Class 3. Class 4.
1
3
38
122
241
394
436
475
383
318
282
202
202
271
226
162
93
74
52
34
31
22
23
7
25
4
7
10
2
15
45
110
145
181
159
162
166
113
132
214
176
127
70
55
39
24
27
16
15
4
19
3
4
4
1
2
25
69
135
195
208
222
162
103
78
64
51
46
38
22
15
16
10
8
3
5
7
3
6
1
2
6
Total................................................................................................ 4,138
Median earnings....................................................................................... $11.95
2,027
$14.25
1,503
$10. 50
$5 and under $6........................................................................................
$6 and under $7........................................................................................
$8 and under $9........................................................................................
*9 and under *10......................................................................................
$10 and under $11....................................................................................
$11 and under $12....................................................................................
$12 and under $13....................................................................................
$13 and under $14....................................................................................
$14 and under $15....................................................................................
$15 and under $10....................................................................................
$16 and under $17....................................................................................
$17 and under $18....................................................................................
$18 and under $19....................................................................................
$19 and under $20....................................................................................
$20 and under $21....................................................................................
1
9
32
50
65
61
47
45
35
24
17
13
10
6
9
3
2
3
2
2
6
11
24
22
25
17
18
14
8
6
1
6
4
5
1
1
1
1
1
436
$10.00
172
$10. 85
1 Restaurants not combined with other industries because of the custom of giving meals.
This table shows that over one-half (50.6 per cent) of the women
for whom records were secured in all industries except restaurants
received less than $12 a week, and almost one-fifth (19.3 per cent)
received less than $9 a week. The greatest number in any one
group (475) received between $10 and $11, but the numbers in the
wage groups from $8 to $13 were fairly evenly distributed.
women’s
24
WAGES IN KANSAS.
In cities of the first class the median earnings for all women in all
industries except restaurants were $14.25; in cities of the second
class they were $10.50. This decrease of $3.75 was due partly to
the presence of a great majority of the women in the highest paid
industry—meat packing—in the first-class cities. The median in
the third-class cities, $10, was somewhat smaller than that for the
second class, but it rose again in cities of the fourth class to $10.85
That the median was higher in the fourth-class than in the secondand third-class cities may be due to the higher earnings in the
mercantile and office occupations in the fourth-class cities. Stores
and offices are differently organized in the small towns, where there
is a less proportion of young girls employed and the mature women
have more varied duties and greater responsibilities. While the
median was higher in the fourth-class towns the scale of individual
earnings rarely rose above $20 a week. The variable in the median
of cities of the second, third, and fourth classes was only 85 cents.
The median earnings of all workers in all cities were $11.95, which
means that one-half of the 4,138 women were earning less than
$11.95 a week.
Earnings of the women employed in restaurants are considered
separately on account of the custom of furnishing meals as part
compensation to the employees. Without reference to the number
or value of meals received, the median of the average earnings for
the women employed in restaurants in all cities was $10.30, which
figure was practically constant in cities of the first, second, and third
classes. The earnings in cities of the fourth class were not rep
resentative, since only three people were included in this group.
When allowance is made for the fact that in addition to their earn
ings most of the workers in this trade were receiving one or more
meals, or even three meals and room, this amount does not compare
so unfavorably with those for other industries; but even so, 32.5 per
cent of the women received less than $9 a week and 76.4 per cent
less than $12, with the largest group (46) receiving between $10 and
$11.
Table 6.—Average weekly earnings in cities and towns of first, second, third, and fourth
classes.
RESTAURANTS.
Number of women receiving each classified
amount in cities and towns of—
Average weekly earnings.
All
classes.
§7 and under $8..........................................................................
2
3
13
18
Class 1. Class 2.
1
1
5
10
2
3
2
Class 3.
5
5
Class 4.
1
i
women’s
WAGES IN KANSAS.
25
Table 6.—Average weekly earnings in cities and towns of first, second, third, and fourth
classes—Continued.
RESTAURANTS—Continued.
Number of women receiving each classified
amount an cities and towns of—
Average weekly earnings.
All
classes.
Class 1. Class 2.
$8 and under $9..........................................................................
$9 and under 810........................................................................
810 and under 811......................................................................
811 and under $12......................................................................
$12 and under 813......................................................................
?13 and under $14......................................................................
$14 and under $15.............................................................
$15 and under $16......................................................................
$16 and under $17......................................................................
$17 and under $18......................................................................
$18 and under $19......................................................................
$19 and under $20......................................................................
$20 and under $21......................................................................
$21 and under $22......................................................................
$22 and under $23......................................................................
$23 and under $24......................................................................
$24 and under $25......................................................................
$25 and under $26......................................................................
$26 and under $27......................................................................
$27 and under $28......................................................................
$28 and under $29......................................................................
$29 and under $30......................................................................
$30 and over................................................................................
26
20
5
8
18
12
4
8
7
Total..................................................................................
Median earnings.............................................................
191
$10. 30
1
1
4
2
1
1
1
2
1
1
1
15
Class 3.
Class 4.
5
1
1
1
1
1
67
$10.20
87
$10. 45
34
$10.20
<*>
3
1 Not computed, owing to small number involved.
A comparison of the earnings for restaurant workers with the
extras received in the nature of hoard and room showed that there
was no close connection between the wages paid and the amount of
other compensation given. The median for 76 girls who received
three meals was $10.75, whereas that for the girls who received two
meals was only $9.90. The earnings of the girls who received board
and room were slightly less than those of the girls receiving only board,
but in no other grouping was there a reasonable relation between the
wage and additional compensation.
The earnings in the different industries varied considerably from
a median of $17.50 in meat-packing establishments to $8.10 in 5-and10-cent stores. Arranged in descending scale the industries investi
gated rank as follows:
Median earnings.
Meat packing....................................................................................... $17. 50
Offices.................................................................................................. 13.55
Miscellaneous manufacturing............................................................. 12. 70
General mercantile............................................................................. 11.95
Clothing manufacturing...................................................................... 11. 75
Telephones.......................................................................................... 10.80
Poultry packing.................................................................................. 10.70
Laundries............................................................................................ 10.50
Restaurants........................................................................................ 10.30
Miscellaneous food manufacturing.................................................... 10.15
5-and-10-cent stores............................................................................ 8.10
MEDIAN
fcO
WEEKLY EARNINGS BY INDUSTRY
913.55
ii i
10.00
'n$M
V ':
'
WOMEN ’S WAGES IN KANSAS,
$12.70
mso
•••••
;
%s«S5S?
zmm
’
■
Clothing
aneous
Mercan- Manufact
Tele
phones
All
5 10
ceni
Indus
Stores
tries
&
-
women’s
WAGES IN KANSAS.
27
In compiling the material for this report the weekly earnings,
by industries, were arranged in groupings by cities of the first,
second, third, and fourth classes. Local conditions, however, such
as the presence of one large factory in a small town or a very small
number of employees involved in some of the groups, made these
figures liable to misinterpretation, so they are not discussed in this
report of the survey. At the request of the Industrial Commission
of Kansas, the material is presented in this form in the appendix
(p. 83), but in this discussion of wages by industries only the figures
for all classes of cities and towns are used.
The meat-packing industry stands head and shoulders above the
other industrial groups in the wage paid its women workers. Second
in importance in the number of women employed, this industry had
median earnings $4 higher than the highest in any other industry
and $5.55 higher than the median for all industries. Only 41 (6.3 per
cent) of the 649 women were earning less than an average of $15 a
week, while 129 averaged $20 or more for each week’s pay. Only
2.3 per cent received less than $12.®
The history of the development of organization of the workers in
the packing industry, culminating with the appointment during the
war of Judge Samuel Alschuler as a mediator and representative of
the Federal Government in regulating conditions, leaves no doubt as
to the real cause of the prevalence of the higher wage in this industry.
Office workers received the next highest median earnings, $13.55,
but a very considerable number of them were found in the lower wage
groups. In spite of the fact that office workers must be specially
trained for their jobs and are rated as skilled workers, 30 were receiv
ing $8 but less than $9, 29 were receiving $9 but less than $10, and 29
were receiving $10butleas than $11. These numbers are not equaled
in any of the higher wage groups, where there is much less concentra
tion but a larger range than in many of the other industries. Less
than $9 was earned by 14.7 per cent, less than $12 by 40.6 per cent,
and less than $15 by 57.2 per cent of the women office workers.
The miscellaneous manufacturing industries employed a large
group of women, for 476 of whom pay-roll records were secured.
The median earnings for this group drop considerably from the high
standard of the meat-packing industry, being only $12.70. The
great mass, 311, of the employees in this classification received be
tween $10 and $15 a week, while 10.1 per cent received less than $9,
and 41.2 per cent less than $12. Only seven received average weekly
earnings of $20 or over.
In general mercantile establishments, from which pay-roll records
for 765 women were taken, the median drops to $11.95. The number
of women receiving the different average earnings is fairly evenly disa Since the date of this inquiry, i. e., in March, 1921, the wages of pieceworkers were reduced 12£ per
cent and in all other branches of the industry a reduction of 8 cents per hour wa3 made.
28
women’s
WAGES IN KANSAS.
tributed among the groupings from $6 to $20, with the maximum
numbers, 74, 95, 81, 75, and 78, in the $8, $9, $10, $11, and $12
groups, respectively, and with 17.8 per cent receiving less than $9,
50.6 per cent less than $12, and 73.6 per cent less than $15 a week.
In the clothing manufacturing industry the median earnings of
the women employees were $11.75. The largest single group of
workers, 62 in a total of 485, made average earnings of between $8
and $9; 26.8 per cent of all the workers received less than $9, while
52.2 per cent received less than $12. There is a fairly even distribu
tion of workers among the groups from $6 to $19, but only 45 women
were receiving over $19 a week, while 211 were receiving less than $11.
The telephone industry is the next lowest in the scale, with median
weekly earnings of $10.80. The concentration of numbers in the
telephone industry comes in the groups from $7 to $14, with 15.7 per
cent receiving less than $9, and 72.3 per cent less than $12. Ten of
the 382 women received an average of less than $7 and only 35 received
$14 or more.
The median earnings of the poultry packers were $10.70, slightly
less than those of the telephone operators, but this figure is based on
only 45 women, and therefore is not so significant as the figures for the
other groups. Of this group 35.6 per cent received less than $9 and
64.4 per cent less than $12 a week.
Laundry work is generally recognized as a low-paid occupation, and
the figures given in this survey do not challenge the correctness of this
assumption. The median earnings of $10.50 a week in the laundries of
Kansas mean that one-half of the workers in this industry—the wages
of 599 laundry workers were included in the survey—must expect to
live on less than $10.50 a week every week in the year. For 18.9 per
cent the average was less than $9 a week and for 75.6 per cent less
than $12.
Disregarding the custom in restaurants of giving meals in addition
to a money wage, the average weekly earnings of these workers are
found to have a median of $10.30, with 32.5 per cent of the women
receiving less than $9, 76.4 per cent less than $12, and 89 per cent less
than $15.
The manufacture of foods other than meat or poultry packing is
next to the bottom of the list, with median weekly earnings of
$10.15. In this group of 187 women 34 received an average of less
than $8 a week, 59 (31.6 per cent) an average of less than $9, and 127
(67.9 per cent) an average of less than $12. Not one received as
much as $21, and only 18 received as much as $15.
The 5-and-10-cent stores, with records for 237 women, stand at the
foot of the list, with median weekly earnings of $8.10. One-half of
these 237 girls must live on less than $8.10, 79.7 per cent on less than
$9, and 97 per cent on loss than $12 a week. Less than $7 a week was
an average wage for 44 girls, while only 11 received more than $11 a
week.
women’s
WAGES IN KANSAS.
29
Wages and age.
But median and average rates by themselves do not tell the whole
story when so intricate a subject as wages is under consideration.
Many things affect wage rates and many qualifying factors must be
considered before a just estimate of the prevailing rates can be reached
and their significance understood.
The wage rates paid in various industries are frequently affected by
both the age and the experience of the workers, and it is important to
know what this effect is if the industry is to be properly classified.
Table 7 shows earnings classified by ago for the women for whom
pay-roll data were secured.
Table 7.—Number of women earning each classified amount, by age.
Number of women whose age was—
Average weekly earnings.
Under $5.....................................
$5.50 and under $0...................
$0 and under $0.50...................
$6.50 and under $7...................
$7 and under $7.50...................
$7.50 and under $8...................
$8 and under $8.50...................
$8.50 and under $9...................
$9 and under $10......................
$10 and under $11.....................
$12 and under $13.....................
$13 and under $14.....................
$25 and over...............................
Number of
women Under 16 and
report
under
16
ing.
18
years. years.
6
23
18
64
71
116
142
181
237
455
521
399
328
283
209
609
354
215
76
Total................................ 1 4,307
Per cent distribution.............. 100.0
Median earnings....................... til. 80
Per cent receiving—
Under $12.............................
51.8
$12 and under $17.50........
33.2
$17.50 and over..................
15.0
1
3
2
4
7
4
4
6
4
1
1
37
0.9
$8.20
94.6
5.4
18 and
under
20
years.
20 and
under
25
years.
3
10
10
26
32
48
59
64
60
90
94
51
36
21
11
25
3
1
1
1
3
4
17
13
25
32
33
55
98
115
61
55
45
28
44
16
10
2
1
2
1
6
10
21
18
38
54
113
106
112
83
77
60
148
83
47
8
75
37
13
41
10
1
645
15.0
to. 10
657
15.3
$10.40
985
22.9
$12.15
527
12.3
$13.90
801
18.6
$14.80
457
10.6
$13.45
198
4.6
$12.00
84.8
14.4
.8
69.6
26.2
4.3
48.6
37.4
14.0
35.9
40.4
23.7
31.8
40.7
27.5
37.6
40.5
21.9
50.0
34.8
15.2
25 and
under
30
years.
30 and 40 and
years
under under 50and
40
50
over.
years. years.
1
3
3
2
3
6
12
16
47
50
1
5
4
6
8
11
26
49
71
1
1
4
6
9
13
14
31
52
3
4
3
3
6
8
21
32
42
36
49
63
44
29
18
11
1 Of the 4,329 women for whom pay-roll records were secured, 22 did not report their age.
For convenience of comparison, at the bottom of the table is
arranged the per cent distribution of earnings by three groups,
under $12, $12 to $17.50, and $17.50 and over. A comparison of
these groups shows that the number receiving under $12 gradually
decreased in the successive age divisions from under 16 years to
40 years, but beyond 40 years the number gradually increased until
50 per cent of the women over 50 years of age received less than $12
a week. As the number in the first wage group, under $12, de
creased with age, the number in the two higher groups, from $12
to $17.50 and $17.50 and over, increased quite uniformly to 40
years of age, and as the per cent of women receiving under $12
women’s
30
WAGES IN KANSAS.
increased above 40 years, so the per cent decreased in the two higher
wage groups above 40 years. It is evident that in the 30 to 40 age
group the wage-earning woman reaches the zenith of her earning
power and from that time faces a steadily lowering wage scale.
After 40 years her earnings revert to the average of some 10 or 15
years earlier, and soon her maturity is overbalanced by the vigor of
youth. The decrease in the per cent receiving under $12 is great
in each successive age group from 16 to 30 years, and there is little
fluctuation from 30 to 50 years, which indicates that after her thir
tieth year the wage-earning woman can not hope for such rapid
increases in her wage as she had experienced in earlier years.
Of course the earnings in each industry show a different relation
ship to the age of the workers. In some industries a quick increase
in rates comes for the young workers and there is a considerable
decrease for the more mature women. In other industries the in
crease comes for the older women with very little subsequent de
crease until after the age of 50 has been reached. An industry
where much piecework was done would probably show the high
wage for the younger women, while in another, such as the mer
cantile industry, where experience and dependability would be at a
premium, the older women would receive the highest wage. In
the appendix to this report (p. 83) are given the average earnings
in each industry, classified by age groups. The following table is a
summary of this material, showing the median earnings for each
age group in each industry:
Table 8.—Median weekly earnings for each age group, by industry.
Median according to age group—
Industry.
and
Under 16
under
16
18
years. years.
Offices..........................................
Miscellaneous manufacturing
General mercantile..................
Clothing manufacturing.........
(o
Poultry packing.......................
Laundries...................................
Restaurants...............................
Miscellaneous food manufacturing.......................................
5-and-10-cent stores.................
P)
0)
P)
P)
P)
Total.................................
P)
P)
(')
$8.20
$16.35
8. 75
11.65
8.80
8.30
9.85
m
18 and 20 and
under under
20
25
years. years.
25 and 30 and
under under
30
40
years. years.
Median
40 and 50 years for in
under
dustry.
and
50
over.
years.
$16.90
10.35
12.80
9.25
10.10
10.75
$17.75
16.65
13.55
13.25
11.40
13. 20
$17.75
18.60
13.40
14.75
14.00
C1)
$17.45
pj
11.95
13.20
12.50
p>
(i)
SI 7 10
(*).
12.40
14.15
11.40
*17 50
13.55
12.70
11. 95
11.75
10.80
10.00
P)
11.10
11.75
p)
11.10
pj
p)
10.05
10.55
10.30
10.40
p>
10. 70
10.50
10. 30
8.95
7.65
11.00
8.15
10.00
8.55
p>
10.70
0)
9.40
p>
p>
10.15
8.10
9.10
10.40
12.15
p)
13.90
14.80
13.45
12.00
11.80
9. 70
8.25
(o
9. 70
$17. 40
15.15
13.00
11.70
12.70
11.10
p>
1 Not computed, owing to small number involved.
The median earnings shown in this table must be considered as
merely an indication of the wage status for the various age groups.
In many cases the number within a group was so small as to make
unsound the computation of a median, but the location of the median
may be ascertained by referring to the detailed wage tables.
►
MEDIAN WEEKLY EARNINGS BY AGE GROUP
Under
but
not
but not
W O M EN 'S WAGES IN KANSAS,
Clothing manufacturing
6ene_al mercantile
Meat packing
Offices
Miscellaneous manufactu
All Industries including resta rranfs
WEEKLY
EARNINGS
BY AGE
GROUP
W O M E N ’S WAGES IN KANSAS,
MEDIAN
— Telephones
---- Laurdries
.....
Restaurants
—
Other food
5 & :,0 -cent
manufacturing
stc res
— Ail irdustnes, including resta urants
women’s
WAGES IN KANSAS.
33
The meat-packing industry shows little change in the median for
the various age groups. The women between 25 and 40 years made
the highest earnings, but the total variation is only $1.40.
In offices there were very naturally, because of the nature of the
work, considerably higher earnings received by the woman between
30 and 40 years old than by the younger woman.
The younger woman was almost as valuable as her older sister in
the miscellaneous manufacturing industry. The difference in the
median earnings of girls 16 years old and women nearly 40 was only
$1.75, and the women over 40 received a lower median than any
other group over 18.
In the general mercantile industry the older women again come
to the fore. The median weekly earnings of women between 30 and
40 years old were $6 higher than those of girls between 16 and 18,
and women over 50 were still valuable enough to earn a median
only 60 cents less than that of women between 30 and 40 years of age.
The clothing manufacturing industry also showed higher earnings
for women between 30 and 40 years old, but there was a quick decline
for the women over 40, with a median of only $11.40 for those over
50 years of age.
The telephone operators were a comparatively young group whose
earnings increased steadily from 16 to 30 years of age.
In laundries only a slight change—$1.40, as in meat packing—■
was found between minimum and maximum earnings in the various
age groups.
In restaurants the earnings of women aged between 18 and 30
remained fairly constant, with an increase of $1.75 for the group 30
to 40 years old.
Miscellaneous food manufacturing and the 5-and-10-cent stores
wore the only industries where the highest median was for the group
from 25 to 30 years of age. Although the numbers in these groups
were so small that the medians arc not included in this summary
table, reference to Table II in the appendix will give the more
detailed figures. These industries both employed a very large
proportion of young women. In food manufacturing 63 per cent
of the women were less than 25 years old, and in the 5-and-10-cent
stores 88.6 per cent of the women were less than 25 and 71.2 per cent
less than 20 years old.
Experience.
Closely allied to the relationship between age and earnings is the
relationship between experience and earnings. Many instances were
found during the course of the survey of women who had worked
practically all of their lives in the same industry. One woman had
been employed for 34 years in one laundry and had never received
'
51647°—21------3
women’s
34
WAGES IN KANSAS.
more than $10 a week, and that only recently. Another woman
had been working in one box factory for 29 years. She and her
sister had been supporting their old mother for 10 years, and before
that they had supported their father too. After those 29 years of
service this woman was making only $13.50 a week, which was a
raise from $9.50 a week the first half of the year. When an investi
gator visited the plant the employer was found very much distressed
because the death of the sister was keeping this woman away from
work, and he felt he could “hardly get along without her.” The
discrepancy between her value to the business and the remuneration
she got for her work did not seem apparent to him at all.
These are extreme cases, but the figures which follow show that
in the long run experience is not a very highly paid asset in the
industries of Kansas.
Table 9 shows for all industries surveyed the experience and
earnings of the women employed.
Table 9.—Number of women earning each classified amount, by years in the trade.
Number of women who had been in the trade—
NumAverage weekly
earnings.
of
6
15
wom Under 3 and months 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and Sand lband
under
under under under under under under years
en re
3
and
port months.
6
2
3
4
5
10
and
15
ing.
months. 1under
year. years. years. years. years. years. years. over.
Under $5....................
85 and under 85.50..
85.50 and under 86..
86 and under 86.50..
86.50 and under 87..
87 and under 87.50..
$7.50 and under $8..
$8 and under $8.50..
$8.50 and under $9..
$9 and under $10---$10 and under 811...
$11 and under $12...
$12 and under $13...
$13 and under $14...
$14 and under $15...
$15 and under $17.50
$17.50and under $20.
$20 and under $25...
$25 and over..............
6
23
18
62
70
116
142
181
236
456
519
460
330
285
208
612
357
215
77
Total............... *4,313
Per cent distribution......................... 100. 00
Median earnings___ $11.80
Per cent receiving—
Under $12.......... 51.7
$12 and under
under $17.50.. 33. 3
$17.50and over.. 15.0
2
9
4
25
23
45
45
63
50
99
91
44
47
29
18
44
16
4
1
'
2
2
6
8
14
9
25
26
31
63
71
28
25
23
11
22
10
1
1
1
6
3
13
13
23
32
40
44
78
91
65
34
22
26
59
26
13
1
4
3
11
9
10
18
24
38
67
90
58
53
47
24
59
29
12
1
2
1
2
8
6
6
15
39
29
44
39
49
21
88
62
33
7
1
j
3
4
9
9
8
34
52
68
63
40
36
30
114
65
25
8
1
3
3
4
9
13
20
27
12
19
18
57
28
22
5
1
4
8
3
9
10
30
38
48
43
33
36
95
57
61
21
1
1
1
8
11
12
26
14
11
44
33
26
19
557
569
451
242
498
207
163
13.7
12.9
13.2
10.5
5.6
11.5
4.8
110.45 $11.10 $12.85 $13. 70 $14.50 $14.60 $16.05
3.8
$15.95
1
4
7
10
11
11
13
13
30
31
18
14
659
378
15.3
*9.65
8.8
*10.05
75.9
75.4
69.4
59.6
44.1
33.7
33.5
30.5
16.4
20.2
20.9
3.2
21.4
3.2
23.9
6.6
32.9
7.5
38.7
17.2
43.7
22.6
43.8
22.7
41.6
27.9
45.9
37.7
41.1
38.7
589
1 Of the 4,329 women for whom pay-roll records were secured, 16 did not report years in the trade.
This table shows that 15 per cent of the total number of women
employed had worked less than three months. This is due in part
to the fact that the investigation was made during the summer
vacation and many girls who had been in school before June were then
women’s
WAGES IN KANSAS.
35
employed for the first time. There is a fairly even distribution of
the number who had been employed in the trade from six months to
one year, from one to two years, from two to three, and from three to
four years, but the women who had worked from four to five years in
the trade suddenly decreased in number. In the group with 5 to 10
years’ experience there is an increase, followed by a decline in the
last groups. A very small percentage had worked more than 10
years in the trade.
The average weekly earnings have been grouped—under $12,
$12 to $17.50, and $17.50 and over—below the table. The first
group is most important because over one-half (51.7 per cent) of all
the women reporting were receiving less than $12. The proportion
receiving less than $12 gradually decreased with experience up to 15
years, but after 15 years it again increased. As many as 16.4 per
cent of the women who had been from 10 to 15 years in the trade, and
20.2 per cent of those who had served 15 years or more, averaged less
than $12 a week.
The number receiving from $12 to $17.50 gradually increased with
each year of experience until three to four years had been spent in the
trade, after which the numbers remained steady, showing very slight
changes with experience longer than four years.
In the groups receiving $17.50 and over there was a continuous
increase with experience even beyond 15 years, due in all probability
to the skill required in the occupations. However, this last wage
group includes only 15 per cent of all the women. The most marked
increases in the numbers earning $17.50 or over come in two groups—
those having experience from two to three years and those from 10 to
15 years.
Ref erring again to the group of women receiving less than $12 we
find that the numbers in this wage group are quite constant for those
having had three to four, four to five, and five to ten years’ experience
in their trades, so that experience beyond four years seems to make
no improvement in the wage earning ability of the women in this
lowest paid group.
A few cases in this table show unusual conditions, as $25 earnings
for a woman who had not worked three months, but this was due to
vocational training for the job, so that the worker had a splendid
foundation before entering the industry. In contrast to this are the
women with four to five and five to ten years’ experience who averaged
only $5 to $5.50 a week and the woman having over 15 years’ experi
ence whose earnings were from $7 to $7.50.
Table III in the appendix gives the figures on experience by
industry.
In the meat-packing industry 18.6 per cent of the women had been
in the trade less than one year, 39.1 per cent from two to four years,
36
women’s
WAGES IN KANSAS.
and 23.6 per cent over five years, showing a fairly experienced group
of workers in this, the highest paid of any of the industries studied.
In the poultry packing industry there seemed to be little relation
between the scale of wages and length of experience. For example,
none of the women with one to two, or two to three, or four to five
years’ experience earned as much as $12, and 53.8 per cent (7 of 13)
of the women with five to ten years’ experience earned less than $12;
whereas 42.7 per cent (5 of 12) of the women who had worked less
than three months earned $12 to $17.50.
In miscellaneous food manufacturing the greatest increase in the
number of women receiving $12 or more was found for those who had
worked from six months to one year in the trade. But after this
decided advance for those having had six months’ experience there is
almost no change in the per cent distribution in the three wage group
ings up to four years in the trade. The great decline in the actual
numbers of those remaining more than four years is not surprising in
view of the fact that experience beyond six months seemingly adds
little to earning capacity.
In the clothing industry, unlike some of the others, there is a
marked tendency toward an increase in earnings as experience in
creases, even through the 15-year group, so that a long continuance
in this trade has a compensation in earnings. One-fifth (19.8 per
cent) of the women had been in the trade five or more years. After
six months’ experience there is a decided decrease in the per cent of
women earning less than $12, and the proportionate increase in those
earning more than $12 continues for all the groupings with the excep
tion of a slight decrease in one period.
Figures for the miscellaneous manufacturing industries show a
large proportion of inexperienced workers. One-fifth (19.5 per cent)
of the total number of women in this industrial group had worked
less than three months. Two-fifths (41.2 per cent) had worked from
one to four years, and only one-eighth (12.5 per cent) had been four
years or more at one trade. There is a marked improvement in the
wage groupings for workers with one to two years’ experience, with
a continued slight improvement to the four-to-five-year period.
The general mercantile industry, like meat packing, clothing manu
facturing, offices, and laundries, seems to recognize the value of
experience in its employees, for the most marked improvement in
earnings is found for those 10 years in the trade and wages are highest
for those with from 10 to 15 years of experience.
In the 5~and-10-cent stores, which already have been shown to
pay the lowest wages and to have the youngest employees, there
seems to be no indication that experience affects earnings. Only 12.6
per cent of all the women in this trade remained as long as three
years, while 66.6 per cent of them had been employed less than one
year.
women’s
WAGES IN KANSAS.
37
After one year of experience in the laundry trade there is a marked
improvement in earnings. With the exception of one or two slight
fluctuations there is a steady improvement in wages as experience
increases up to 15 years and over. Even in this last group the per
cent of women earning $17.50 and over is much higher than in any
other group. Although there is a decided falling off in the actual
numbers employed 10 years and more, there is an equally decided
improvement in wages, and it is only after 10 years in the trade that
the per cent of those earning under $12 is less than the per cent of
those earning $12 and over.
In the telephone industry the figures seem to show that while there
is an increase with experience in wage-earning possibilities compara
tively few women remain long enough in the trade to benefit from
the increase. In this trade the most marked improvement in the
wage basis is found for those with experience of from three to four
and five to fifteen years, but the per cent distribution of employees
according to their years of experience shows that two-fifths (40 per
cent) had been in the trade less than one year, and almost threefourths (73.3 per cent) had been in the trade less than three years.
The figures for restaurants show that one-fourth (25.4 per cent)
of the women had worked less than three months, and one-half (52.9
per cent) less than one year. There was a general improvement of
wages with experience, but the fact that the small group who had
been in the trade 10 years or more (6.4 per cent) were experienced
cooks and naturally received the best wages lessens the value of
comparative figures for this industry.
In offices experience is again at a premium, with the highest earn
ings received by women who had worked 15 or more years. Only 3.5
per cent of the group had had as much experience as this, consider
ably more than one-third having worked less than one year.
Table 10 gives the median wage earned in each industry after the
various periods of experience.
THE TRADE
Clothing manufacturing
IVbat packirg
Offices
M scellaneous manufacturing'
ndustriej including restaura
General
and under
and uni
Mdi
under and under .am
W O M E N ’S WAGES IN KANSAS,
MEDIAN WEEKLY EARNINGS BY YEARS
5a..
MEDIAN WEEKLY EARNINGS BY YEARS IN THE TRADE
Telephones
.aundries
?estauran’s
•
(
Jther Fooc M’f’g
5 & 10 • ce nt Storer
) mos
W O M EN 'S ’WAGES IN KANSAS.
/II industries mclud/ni
br
id under and
b mos
os
«©
40
women’s wages in
Kansas.
Table 10.—Median weekly earnings according to years in the trade, by industry.
Median for women who had been in the trade—
. Industry.
Medi
6
an for
3 and months
1 and 2 ancl 3 and 4 and 5 and 10 and
15
Under under
under under under under under under years indus
and
3
try.
6
2
3
4
5
10
15
and
months. months.
under
1 year. years. years. years. years. years. years. over.
Meat packing............ $16.65
Offices___:................. 10.50
Miscellaneous manufacturing.............
12.45
General mercantile.
9. SO
Clothing manufac8.55
turing.....................
Telephones...............
9.50
Poultry packing___
(0
Laundries.................
9.60
Restaurants.............
9.35
Miscellaneous food
manufacturing___
9.00
5-and-10-cen t stores.
7.75
All industries.
9.65
$16.40
11.50
$16.80 $16.85 $17.30 $17.55 $17.10 $19.15 $20.65 $19. 20
10.65 11.60 15.45 15.50
20.00
(9
(9
(9
$17.50
13.55
11.50
9.85
11.65
9.55
12. 80
10.45
13.10
11.25
13.25
12.50
13. 60
14.20
13.90
14.05
16.00
15.65
(9
12.70
11.95
9.15
10.20
«
9. 95
10.50
11.05
10.20
10. 85
10.65
12.50
11.20
13.55
11.85
13.50
14. 75
13.00
15.00
(9
10.55
9.15
(9
10.60
10.50
(9
(9
(9
10.25
10.20
(9
11.00
11.60
13. 00
(9
11.45
11.35
12.70
(9
(9
(9
11.75
10.80
10. 70
10.50
10.30
10.00
7.95
9.10
7.90
10.50
8.30
10.50
8.70
(9
(9
(9
(9
(9
(9
(9
(9
(9
(9
10.15
8.10
10.05
10.45
11.10
12.85
13. 70
14.50
14.60
16.05
15.95
11.80
(9
(9
(9
(9
(9
(9
1 Not computed, owing to small number involved.
Weeks worked in present employment.
Experience in the trade, however, does not necessarily mean expe
rience in the one plant in which the worker was found at the time
of this investigation. Table 11 shows what proportion of the women
had been employed for their entire time in the trade in the establish
ments in which they were working at the time they were interviewed.
Table 11.—Per cent of women who had been in their present employment for the full
period of their time in the trade, by industry.
Industry.
Number
of women
report
ing.
307
67
189
403
419
538
190
439
201
345
283
Per cent
in pres
ent em
ployment
the full
period of
time.
49.8
69.8
90.9
77.8
87.3
47.7
68.6
57.9
46.5
69.3
60.5
This table shows that the greatest steadiness of employment oc
curred in miscellaneous food manufacturing, but the figure of 90.9
per cent of the women who had been employed in one establishment
for the entire period of their time in the trade becomes less signifi
cant when it is remembered that this is one of the industries which
employed women for comparatively short periods, only 9.2 per cent
of the women in the industry having been there for as long as five
years. Miscellaneous manufacturing is another industry where a
women’s
WAGES IN KANSAS.
41
very large proportion of the women employees had been employed
continuously in one establishment, 87.3 per cent of the women coming
within this group. This industry, too, was one in which only a small
number .(8.9 per cent) of the women had worked five years or more.
Restaurants rank the lowest in this comparison, with only 46.5 per
cent of the women employed continuously in one establishment since
they started working in restaurants. In other words, more than
one-half of the women in the restaurants had worked with more than
one employer.
The following comparative statement of the percentage of women
who had been continuously employed by one firm and the percentage
who had worked five or more years in the trade shows an interesting
relationship between the two conditions.
Per cent of women who had been continu
ously employed by one firm.
Industry.
1. Miscellaneous food manufacturing.......
2. Miscellaneous manufacturing.................
3. Clothing manufacturing..........................
6. 5-and-10-cent stores...................................
Per cent.
90.9
87.3
77.8
69.8
69.3
68.6
60.5
57.9
49.8
47.7
46.5
Per cent of women V)ho had been employed
.
five or more years in the trade.
Industry.
1. 5-and-10-cent stores.................................
2. Miscellaneous manufacturing.............
3. Miscellaneous food manufacturing...
6. Clothing manufacturing.......................
Per cent.
5.4
8.9
9.2
12.8
17.0
19.8
21.7
22.1
23.6
31.1
33.3
Apparently the industries which employed women for the shortest
time were those in which there was the least movement from one es
tablishment to another in the same industry. In general, from these
figures it might be said that the longer a woman works in an industry
the more likely she is to have changed her job. There are two in
dustries, however, which seem to be exceptions to this rule. Restau
rants had the smallest percentage of women who had been continu
ously employed in one place, but they had by no means the largest
percentage of those who had worked more than five years in the
trade. In fact in the restaurants only 17 per cent of the women had
worked more than five years, a smaller percentage than in six other
industries. These figures would seem to confirm the many state
ments heard during the course of the survey regarding the high labor
turnover among restaurant workers. The women who worked in
the 5-and-10-cent stores were another exception to the prevailing re
lationship between the two factors of length of employment in the
present position and length of employment in the industry. Although
practically all 5-and-10-cent store employees had worked only a short
time in the trade (only 5.4 per cent had worked five years or more)
only 68.6 per cent of them had been continuously with one employer
women’s
42
WAGES IN KANSAS.
during their time in the trade, a smaller percentage than in five other
industries. The concentration in this trade of young workers with
out extensive home responsibilities and earning an exceptionally low
wage, probably accounts for this situation.
Hourly earnings.
Weekly earnings are representative to a large extent of the rate
at which women are paid in industry. They are supremely sig
nificant from the point of view of the woman herself, who must live
on what she receives each week, whatever her “rate” of pay may be.
For purposes of comparison with other studies of hourly earnings,
however, in the present survey the weekly earnings have been
reduced to an hourly basis in all cases where this was made possible
by a report of' actual hours worked.
Reliable office records showing the number of hours worked as
well as the earnings, could be obtained during this investigation for
only 1,602 employees, slightly over one-third of all those for whom
pay-roll data were available. These records of hourly earnings
are for 61 establishments, comprising five packing plants, seven
miscellaneous food factories, six clothing factories, 15 miscellaneous
manufacturing establishments, six general mercantile establishments,
four 5-and-10-cent stores, 12 laundries, and six small telephone ex
changes. For restaurants and offices the data were not obtainable.
Detailed figures for each industry are given in Table IV of the
appendix, but the following short table summarizes the material
showing the most significant groupings:
Table
12.—Per cent of women earning each spedJled amount per hour worked, by industry.
Hourly earnings.
Industry.
Under
26 cents.
Meat and poultry packing...............
Miscellaneous fooa manufacturing.
Clothing manufacturing...................
Miscellaneous manufacturing........ .
General mercantile............................
5-and-10-cent stores............................
Laundries.............................................
Telephones...........................................
All industries1
26 and
36 and
50 cents
under
under
36 cents. 50 cents. and over.
1.7
64.7
45.3
23.4
65.4
97.1
74.6
76.5
3.1
33.8
16.7
69.4
28.7
24.7
2.9
21.9
19.6
75.4
1.5
22.7
6.5
8.7
19.8
15.3
.8
1.9
3.5
3.9
36.2
10.4
1 Exclusive of restaurants and offices, for which this information was not obtainable.
For all industries combined the average hourly earnings are fairly
evenly divided in the wage groups under 26 cents, 26 to 36 cents,
and 36 to 50 cents, but the divisions by industries tell a decidedly
different story. The industries in which more than 50 per cent of
the women earned less than 26 cents an hour—in other words, less
than $2.08 for an 8-hour day—are listed as follows:
women’s
WAGES IN KANSAS.
43
5-and-10-cent stores, 97.1 per cent.
Telephones, 76.5 per cent.
Laundries, 74.6 per cent.
General mercantile, 65.4 per cent.
Miscellaneous food manufacturing, 64.7 per cent.
Miscellaneous manufacturing is the only group which has the
greatest per cent of its workers receiving between 26 and 36 cents
an hour; that is, between $2.08 and $2.88 for a day of eight hours.
A very small percentage of the workers have hourly earnings above
36 cents except in the packing plants, where 95 per cent received
36 cents or more and one-fifth received at least 50 cents an hour,
and the clothing industry, in which 38 per cent of the women
received 36 cents or more. This is a decided contrast to the 5-and10-cent-store group, where none received as much as 28 cents an hour.
It is well to remember that almost all of the women in the meat
packing industry had records of hours worked, and this, being the
highest paid industry in the survey, would, in a percentage of total
hourly earnings for all industries, overbalance the smaller percentages
of women in the other industries for whom hourly earnings were not
obtained in such large proportions, so the figures for each industry
are more reliable than those for all industries combined.
Hours.
When the average weekly and hourly earnings are known, the
next important step in reaching an estimate of whether the women
are getting a fair remuneration for their work is to consider the
hours worked so that it may be known how much of the workers’
life must be occupied with the effort to make a living wage.
Table 13 shows the normal working week for 61 establishments
from which this information was obtained.
Table 13.—Length of the normal working week 1 of the establishments reporting hours
actually worked, by industry.
Number of establishments.
Normal working
week.
All
indus
tries.2
Hours.
40.................................
45
.
48 ..
50 .
51
52“ .
52$...
54l .
56..
1
4
3
2
24
4
3
1
2
3
1
11
2
261
Miscel
Miscel
Meat laneous Clothing laneous
General 5-and-10
and
food
manu manu mercan
cent
poultry manu factur factur
tile.
stores.
ing.
packing. factur
ing.
ing.
2
5
4
1
1
1
1
1
7
Laun
dries.
Tele
phones.
1
1
2
1
3
1
1
1
1
i
1
2
1
5
15
6
4
12
3
5
1
2
1
2
5
7
6
1
1
6
1 The normal working week is the number of hours per week which the plants operate under usual
conditions.
9 Exclusive of restaurants and offices, for which this information was not obtainable.
women’s
44
WAGES IN KANSAS.
Thirty-four of the plants had a normal working week of 48 hours
or less, and 14 had a normal week of more than 48 but less than 53
hours.
All of the meat and poultry packing plants had a 48-hour week,
putting that group of establishments again at the top of the list, since
every other industry reported one or more plants working more than
48 hours. Five laundries of the 12 reporting worked 54 hours a
week, and 56 hours were worked in one miscellaneous manufacturing
establishment and one telephone exchange. On the whole, the rec
ord of the length of the normal week is a good one.
The “normal” hours, however, do not coincide with actual hours
worked, and to know the whole story it is necessary to refer to Table
14, which shows the average weekly hours actually worked by the
1,602 women for w'hom this information was available.
Table 14.—Number of ivomen averaging each specified number of hours worked, by
industry.
Number of women in—
Average weekly hours
worked.
All indus
tries.1
Num Per
ber. cent.
Meat
and
poul
try
pack
ing.
5
6
8
17
20
60
125
177
233
272
213
181
13
72
59
68
38
21
8
6
0.3
.4
.5
1.1
1.2
3.7
7.8
11.0
14.5
17.0
13.3
11.3
.8
4.5
3.7
4.2
2.4
1.3
.5
.4
4
3
5
6
8
38
75
81
118
158
126
31
Total.................................. 1,602
100.0
655
44 and under 46..........................
46 and under 48..........................
48
.................................
52 and under 54..........................
22
Mis
Mis
cella Cloth cella
neous ing neous
food manu
manu factur manu
factur ing. factur
ing.
ing.
1
2
1
2
2
1
3
3
3
5
10
2
3
5
9
2
5
7
2
68
4
3
16
24
36
22
26
17
22
12
14
7
1
6
5
3
21
51
85
69
36
60
3
11
5
6
9
1
203
372
Gen
eral 5- and Laun Tele
mer 10-cent dries. phones
can stores.
tile.
1
1
i
2
1
1
2
1
1
2
8
5
24
2
28
7
17
19
1
104
8
5
4
2
35
2
4
4
13
20
21
2
4
13
14
12
2
1
2
2
5
4
6
10
9
3
4
1
3
114
51
1 Exclusive of restaurants and offices, for which this information was not obtainable.
2 Two kitchen workers in cafeteria.
The “Average weekly hours worked” represent the average hours
for all the weeks the woman interviewed had worked during the
year in the one establishment in which she was working at the time
of the interview. This is a record of actual hours worked, not
normally nor usually, but the real hours, taking into consideration
whatever overtime or undertime may have existed during each
person’s period of employment by one firm. The aggregate of all
women’s
WAGES IN KANSAS.
45
industries shows that 31.5 per cent of all the women had averaged
between 40 and 44 hours a week and that 24.6 per cent had averaged
from 44 to 48 hours per week. Thus more than one-half, 56.1
per cent, of all the women averaged from 40 to 48 hours per week.
Only 2.2 per cent of the women worked over 54 hours. That about
one-fourth of the women worked under 40 hours per week tells a
tale of short days and unemployment, which may be due either to
conditions in the industry or to voluntary absences on the part of
the workers. Even a 45-hour week, however, may prove to be
something of a tax on the woman who is working at home to bring
up and care for her family in addition to her hours of labor in the
factory. Another section of this report shows to what a large
extent women were burdened with family cares in addition to their
wage-earning work. Typical of these cases was that of a woman
who worked 45 hours a week in a packing house. In addition to her
work there, she kept house for her husband (who paid only $8 a week
board) and her little girl and two boarders, for all of whom she
supplied three meals a day and did all the housework. This meant
getting up every morning at 4 o’clock to do the necessary cooking
and housework before the day’s work in the plant should begin.
An analysis by industry shows that all but two of the women
employed in the meat-packing industry worked less than 48 hours a
week though all of the plants in this industry reported a normal
48-hour week. The women employed in other food manufacturing
establishments had the widest range of hours, from less than 25 to
60 or more. One-half were employed less than 48 and one-half
more than 48 hours, one-fifth being employed over 54 hours. In
the clothing industry 41 per cent worked less than 40 hours, although
no firm in the clothing industry reported a normal week of less than
44 hours and 42 per cent worked from 40 to 48 hours. In the mis
cellaneous manufacturing group 81 per cent averaged from 38 to
48 hours and a few averaged over 54 hours. In the mercantile
trade we find that 99 per cent worked over 44 hours and 19.2 per
cent worked 54 hours or more.
The investigation of 5-and-10-cent stores covered five of the largest
in the State, and hours were reported by 4 of these. The average
hours here show that 19 of the 35 women worked more than 48
hours a week. In the laundries one-half of the women (50.9 per
cent) averaged from 40 to 48 hours and more than one-fourth (28.9
per cent) worked from 48 to 54 hours. The women in the telephone
industry tabulated here averaged from 46 to 54 hours a week; those
working below 46 hours were very scattered and nearly one-seventh
worked over 54 hours. The most striking instances of long hours
are found in the food factories other than meat-packing plants, the
general mercantile establishments, and the telephone exchanges
46
women’s
WAGES IN KANSAS.
where approximately one-fifth worked 54 or more hours. The per
cent working over 54 hours in the miscellaneous manufacturing
establishments and the laundries was very small.
Contrasted with the women averaging decidedly long periods is
the group employed for what seem to be undertime periods. In the
miscellaneous manufacturing 23.4 per cent of the women, and in
miscellaneous food factories 17.6 per cent, averaged less than 40
hours. In clothing manufacture two-fifths (40.9 per cent) and in
the meat-packing industry one-third (33.6 per cent) averaged less
than 40 hours.
The extreme cases of long hours, reaching 60 and over per week,
were found only in miscellaneous food manufacturing, laundries
and telephone exchanges.
Time lost and overtime.
The foregoing figures show to a certain extent that the hours
actually worked were not at all the hours which, according to the
statement of the firms, might be expected by the women employed
in them. The real extent of time lost or overtime does not appear,
however, until more detailed figures are given.
In Table V of the appendix is given a tabulation of the actual
hours worked less or more than the normal hours of the estab
lishment, showing the difference between the normal weekly hours
of the plant and the average hours of employment for all the
weeks worked by the employees for whom data were obtained.
Weeks in which the employee did not work are excluded, so that
the table is an indication of the average amount of time actually
lost or worked overtime during the weeks at work.
In the meat-packing industry with its normal 48-hour week the
average weekly hours of 99.7 per cent of the women were less than
48. Of these women 157 lost less than 5 hours a week, while 172,
or more than one-fourth, lost 10 hours or more. Twenty-six of
them lost at least 15 hours.
Over one-lialf of the women who worked less than full time in the
miscellaneous food manufacturing plants lost less than 5 hours, but
the others lost time ranging from 5 to 15 or more hours per week.
In clothing manufacturing over one-half of the women working
undertime lost five or more hours a week. In contrast to the manu
facturing industries, the great majority of the women who lost time
in the general mercantile establishments and 5-and-10-cent stores
lost an average of less than five hours a week. The loss of time
through working less than the normal hours scheduled was serious
in the laundries, where over one-third lost more than five hours.
The time lost in telephone work was comparatively little. The
proportion of women in each industry who worked less than the
6.
PERCENT OF WOMEN
WORKING UNDERTIME AND OVERTIME.
Time lost
□ Overtime
771
W O M EN ’S WAGES IN KANSAS.
'
Meal
Pack -
Clothing
'n£
ur "1g
Manufact
Miscellan
eous
M’f 0
5 and 10
cent
Stores
Laun
dries
Miscellan
eous Food
Mil
General
Mercan
tile
Tele phones
women’s
48
WAGES IN KANSAS.
normal scheduled hours is shown in the following tabulation, arranged
in descending order:
Per cent.
Meat and poultry packing.............
Clothing manufacturing.................
Miscellaneous manufacturing........
5-and-10-cent stores........................
Laundries...............•........................
Miscellaneous food manufacturing.
General mercantile........................
Telephones.....................................
99.7
94.1
93.0
.77.1
.76.3
.70.0
.69.2
.25.5
For all industries combined the figures show that 40 per cent of
all the women who failed to work full time lost an average of between
5 and 10 hours per working week, the equivalent of about one day,
while 18 per cent lost 10 hours or more, in most cases considerably
more than one day a week.
In contrast to the 1,437 women who lost time during the working
week are the 103 women, only 6.4 per cent, whose average weekly
hours exceeded the normal of the plant where they were employed.
The industries arranged in a descending scale, showing the per cent
of women affected by
overtime work, appear as follows: Per cent.
J
Telephones.......................................................................................... ')b-'
Miscellaneous food manufacturing...................................................... 23.5
5-and-10-cent stores............................................................................
3
Laundries............................................................................................
®
Miscellaneous manufacturing............................................................
5
General mercantile.............................................................................
®
Clothing manufacturing........................................................................
3-5
Meat and poultry packing...........................................................................3
As expected, the order of the industries in this scale is almost a
complete reverse of that for lost time. The per cent distribution of
the totals of all industries shows that almost three-fourths, 70.9 per
cent, of all the women who worked overtime did not average five
hours a week above the normal for the plants in which they were
employed. Twenty-five per cent averaged overtime ranging from
5 to 10 hours.
Of all the women employed, only 62 averaged the normal hours
scheduled for their places of employment. Of these, 28 were in the
general mercantile industry, 16 were in laundries, and the others were
scattered among five other industries.
Annual earnings.
With so much lost time reported for the various industries it
readily appears that the average for neither weekly nor hourly
earnings will serve to give definite information as to what the women
in the industries of Kansas have to live on during the year. Only a
record of weekly earnings throughout the year can give an absolutely
women’s
WAGES IN KANSAS.
49
accurate picture of yearly earnings. Such a record was obtained for
1,077 women for whom pay-roll records were secured for 50 or more
weeks. These records can be assumed to be representative of yearly
earnings in the different industries, as the one or two weeks lost by
those who worked 50 or 51 weeks can in the majority of cases be
credited to vacations or sickness. In the few instances where
another job was held for one or two weeks the earnings for such a
short period would not be sufficient to affect the income grouping.
Table
15.—Annual earnings of women who worked 50 or more weeks during the year,
showing per cent of women in each income group, by industry.
Annual earnings less than $601)
(weekly earnings less than
$11.54).
Industry.
5-and-10-cent stores............
Telephones...........................
laundries.............................
Clothing manufacturing..
General mercantile___ ...
Miscellaneous manufac
turing.................................
Miscellaneous food manu
facturing......................
Offices...............................
Meat packing.......................
All industries1.........
Per
cent.
80.8
59.0
55.6
53.3
45.5
31.1
Annual earnings $600 and under
$900 (weekly earnings $11.54
and under $17.31).
Industry.
Industry.
Miscellaneous food manuMiscellaneous
manufae-
29.2
Telephones............................
28.1
25.5
28.6
Per
cent.
Annual earnings $900 and over
(weekly earnings $17.31 and
over).
All industries1..........
68.8
52.1
44.4
43.8
43.1
40.0
39.0
37.7
33.0
19.2
Miscellaneous
manufac-
Clothing manufacturing...
Miscellaneous food manu-
42.2
Per
cent.
56.9
41.5
25.1
18.8
16.9
6.7
3.0
2.0
29.2
1 Exclusive of poultry packing, in which no woman reported worked 50 weeks.
Table 15 (a summary of Table VI, p. 101 in the appendix) shows
that for a whole year of work 28.6 per cent of the women, between
one-fourth and one-third of those for whom records were secured,
received less than $600; which means less than $50 a month, less than
$11.54 a week; in other words, less than a living wage. Less than $500
was received by 12.9 per cent of the women. Another very large group
(42.2 per cent) received for a year’s work $600 and under $900, an
average of between $50 and $75 a month and $11.54 and $17.31 a
week. This might be called a subsistence wage, but for those in the
group who earned nearer $600 than $900 this “subsistence wage”
would have to be very closely hoarded to justify the name.
As much as' $900 was earned by 29.2 per cent of the entire group.
The detailed figures given in the table in the appendix show that
this 29.2 per sent is composed very largely of workers in the meat
packing and general mercantile industries, and in offices, with only
a very small number of workers in the other industries receiving
$900 or over.
51647°—21---- 4
ANNUAL
Percent
80
CTT
o
Annual Earnings less ihan$60C
E7~7l Annual Earnings #600 to $900
3 Annual Earnings #900 or more
W O M EN 'S WAGES IN KANSAS,
EARNINGS
women’s
WAGES IN KANSAS.
51
A study of the percentages of women in the different industries
whose earnings came within the various income groups provides
a very definite picture of wage conditions in each industry. Fiveand-10-cent stores paid 80.8 per cent of their women employees less
than $600 for a year’s work; to only 19.2 per cent did they pay
between $600 and $900, and to no one did they pay as much as $900.
More than one-half of the women employed in restaurants, telephones,
and laundries received less than $600 for their year’s work, while 45.5
per cent of the clothing workers and from 25 to 31 per cent of the
women in the other industries received less than $600. The one
exception is the meat packing industry, where not one of the women
employees for whom the year’s record was obtained received less
than $600.
At the other end of the scale stands the meat-packing industry,
with 56.9 per cent of the women for whom a year’s earnings were
secured receiving at least $900. Forty-one per cent of the office
workers and 25 per cent of the general mercantile workers earned
$900 or over, but the other industries do not make so good a show
ing, the numbers who received $900 or more in laundries, miscella
neous food manufacturing, and telephone operating being so small
as to be almost negligible, while 5-and-10-cent stores and restaurants
reported none at all in this group.
Annual earnings for the “ subsistence wage ” group, $600 and under
$900, were reported for from 33 to 43 per cent of the women in each
of the industries studied except miscellaneous food manufacturing,
which paid 68.8 per cent of its women $600 to $900 for a year’s work,
miscellaneous manufacturing, 52.1 per cent of whose women em
ployees came within this group, and 5-and-10-cent stores, where only
19.2 per cent of the women earned from $600 to $900 for a year of
work.
Conclusion.
Annual earnings, weekly earnings, hourly earnings, all point to
the same thing—the insufficient wage paid to the women in industry
of Kansas. The next section of this report will make the case even
more complete, when it shows what the responsibilities are which
these women are struggling to meet. The story will be finished with
the account of how many persons these women must support; of
how many houses they must pay the rent; how many sick husbands,
mothers, mothers-in-law, and other relatives, must be cared for as
well as supported; and how many children are going to get a chance
at a good education and start in life because of the efforts of their
mother and sisters.
52
women’s
WAGES IN KANSAS.
But it is not necessary to wait for the whole story to know that
conditions arc not satisfactory in the industries of Kansas. The
simple statements in the foregoing pages arc sufficient to show that
even for a single woman with no dependents wages are not adequate,
and it is fitting to close this section on wages with the remark of the
girl packer in a candy factory who was supporting her mother and
sister and who asked why the survey was being made. When she
had heard she replied, “ I sure hope it gets higher wages for us.”
DEPENDENTS AND HOME RESPONSIBILITIES.
The home responsibilities and dependents of working women have
not long been recognized as being sufficient in importance or in
numbers to be very seriously considered in connection with a study
of the earnings of women.
For years the theory has stubbornly persisted that women were in
industry only for a short time, and that their earnings were of no
very great social significance because “the family,” the unit of
modern civilization, was dependent upon woman not as a wage
earner but as a home-keeper. More and more, however, modern
industrial studies show that women wage earners have a double social
significance. For it is being found that they are contributing a by
no means insignificant proportion of the family wage, in many cases
being the entire support of a good-sized family, while at the same time
fulfilling their other age-old function of home-keeper. It is for this
reason that any account of women’s wages to-day must be accom
panied by an account of their home responsibilities, for their wages
are still based on the old theory that they have no family responsi
bilities as wage earners, with disastrous results upon the standards
of life and health for the maintenance of which they are in many cases
responsible.
“How do they do it?” was the question that recurred again and
again in the minds of the investigators as they interviewed one girl
after another and heard her story of need at home which was relieved
only by her earnings; of sick fathers, little brothers and sisters, or
widowed mothers who had given out after many years of struggle to
bring up and educate their families and had passed the burden on to
their daughters.
The girls themselves did not always know how those with the more
serious problems managed to meet them. A telephone operator, who
was making an average weekly wage of $9.49, with her 17-year-old
brother, was supporting her father and mother. She said they man
aged only because her brother made $25 a week, and though she put
all of her money into the family fund she did not feel that she was
supporting even herself. “You can’t tell me,” she went on to say,
“ that there is a single girl could work here on the wages we get and
entirely support herself, and dress the way we are supposed to dress
to come here to work. Why, you can’t even get a room for less than
$3, and then it isn’t much. Even if I got $12 a week, which I don’t,
I couldn’t get along. I’ll bet there isn’t a girl working here but me,
because I’m older, that doesn't run bills. That’s how they get along.
53
54
women’s
WAGES IN KANSAS.
They all have bills all over town, and you know people figure on mak
ing something off you if they give you credit. Yes, the girls are
always in debt.”
Summary.
The following statement gives in brief the main facts about the
dependents and home responsibilities of the women from whom
records were secured, more than 5,000 in number, where personal
data only were secured, and 4,329 in number where pay-roll figures
also were available:
Living condition.
84.3 per cent were living with their families.
15.7 per cent were living independently.
Conjugal condition.
61.2 per cent were single.
22.5 per cent were married.
16.3 per cent were widowed, separated, or divorced.
Total dependents were supported by—12.4 per cent of the women whose weekly wages were $15 to $17.50.
15.7 per cent of the women whose weekly wages wore from $17.50 to $20.
13.4 per cent of the women whose weekly wages were from $20 to $25.
13.0 per cent of the women whose weekly wages were $25 and over.
6.1 per cent of all the women for whom records were secured.
Amount contributed to the family.
39.0 per cent contributed all of their earnings.
36.1 per cent contributed part but not all of their earnings.
24.8 per cent contributed nothing.
Contribution by age.
All of their earnings were contributed by—
55.5 per cent of the women who were from 25 to 30 years old.
75.9 per cent of the women who were from 30 to 40 years old.
85.5 per cent of the women who were from 40 to 50 years old.
87.4 per cent of the women who were from 50 to 60 years old.
85.0 per cent of the women who were over 60 years old.
Living conditions.
If the girl who lives at home can get on with a smaller expenditure
of cash she usually supplements her contribution to the family
budget with many hours of housework or the care of the old or young
members of the family, so that her value as a contributor to the
family is considerably enhanced. In fact, “living at home” for the
girl who works means often that she is doing double duty and that,
in spite of a sometimes very small pecuniary contribution, the family
is more dependent upon her than she is upon the family. It is inter
esting to see in Table 16 that 84.3 per cent of the women who reported
on the subject were living at home or with relatives, and only 15.7
per cent were living independently.
women’s
WAGES IN KANSAS.
55
Table 16.—Number of women living at home or with relatives, and number living inde
pendently, by age group.
Women w ho were—
Age group.
Number
reporting.
At home.
Adrift.
Number. Per cent. Number. Per cent.
66
832
747
1,005
564
838
509
155
20
Total.............................................................................
Per cent distribution...........................................................
5,620
100. 0
4,736
84.3
1
1.4
17.6
15.8
21.2
11.9
17.7
10.7
3.3
.4
100.0
t
53
133
268
136
144
77
52
20
x
67
885
880
1,273
700
982
586
207
40
00
Under 16 years......................................................................
16 and under 18 years...........................................................
18 and under 20 years..........................................................
20 and under 25 years..........................................................
25 and under 30 years..........................................................
30 and under 40 years...........................................................
40 and under 50 years...........................................................
50 and under 60 years..........................................................
60 years and over..................................................................
0.1
6.0
15. 0
30.3
15.4
16.3
8.7
5.9
2.3
100.0
15 .7
This table shows that the proportions living at home and inde
pendently in the various age groups do not differ strikingly from
those for all age groups (84.3 and 15.7 per cent already referred to)
except—as is natural—in the groups under 18 years of age and 60
years and over. It is not surprising to find that only one girl under
16 was living away from home, but it is surprising to find that more
than one-fifth (21.1 per cent) of the women living away from home
were under 20 and almost one-third (30.3 per cent) were between 20
and 25 years of age. In other words, one-half of all the women not
living at home were less than 25 years of age.
For those living at home there was a very even distribution by
age groups, about one-third being under 20 years, one-third 20 but
not 30, and one-third 30 years of age or over.
Table VII, p. 103 in the appendix, shows the living conditions of the
women employed in each industry. It appears from this table that
in 5-and-10-cent stores and miscellaneous food manufacturing, the
women employed were almost entirely (93.4 and 92.4 per cent) living
at home. These were the two industries which paid the lowest
median weekly wages (see p. 30), and they were also among the five
industries which employed the largest proportion of young women,
88 per cent of the 5-and-10-cent store employees and 63 per cent of
those in other food manufacturing being under 25 years of age.
(See p. 22.)
Restaurants had the greatest proportion (35.1 per cent) of em
ployees who were living away from their families. This was due
perhaps to the custom of giving meals as part payment for waitress
service, which made it possible for a girl to have greater freedom
and not be dependent upon family life. The only other group in
which the proportion of women employees living away from their
families considerably exceeded the proportion in all industries com
56
women’s
WAGES IN KANSAS.
bined was the office group, where 19.9 per cent of the women were
living independently.
But the fact that 84 per cent of the women included in this in
vestigation were living at home does not mean that they were living
at home without carrying their full share of the home responsibility.
Even where the cash contribution to the family fund was so small
as to make it seem that the contributor was one only in name and
not in fact, a closer study of the contribution made in the form of
housework or other assistance at home brought the value of the
total contribution far beyond mere self-support. For instance, one
woman telephone operator, making $9.36 a week, seemed to the
investigator to have made a very easy arrangement when she stated
that she and her 8-year-old son lived with her brother-in-law and
that she contributed $3 a week for the two of them. Further ques
tioning, however, developed the fact that she did all the sewing for
her sister and four children, sewing even during rest periods at the
telephone exchange, and helped with the housework in her spare
moments, surely a not inconsiderable contribution toward her share
in the family budget.
Practically every woman, young or old, who "lives at home” has
some share in the work of making that home a place to live in, but it
is, of course, the married woman with children who pays most
heavily for her home life. Typical of the problems and cares which
beset many a working woman, not only in Kansas, but throughout
the country, is the story of Mrs. W., who worked as a saleswoman
and made an average wage of $12.39 a week. She was a widow with
three children to support. She lived on a small farm and in her spare
time took care of a cow, chickens, and a garden besides doing the
housework. This meant at least live hours work at home in addition
to the eight hours spent daily in the store, but she did not feel that
she could get along without the milk, eggs, and garden truck to help
reduce the grocery bills. Living on the farm meant also a walk of
nearly two miles to work, with the same distance to retrace in the
evening, but she felt she was lucky to be able to get along as well as
she did.
“ Living at home, house rent-free ” was the report of another woman
this time a worker in a laundry. The record showed that she was
married and had two children and made an average wage of $9.98 a
week. With a husband, and house rent-free, this did not seem such
an unsatisfactory condition, especially as she worked only four days
a week. A closer examination of the record showed, however, that
the husband has been paralyzed for live years and is totally unable to
work, and that he and the two children must depend entirely upon
this one woman. Under these circumstances the four days of regular
work a week do not provide a sufficient income, for an idle day means
women’s
WAGES IN KANSAS.
57
a wageless day, and the one wage earner of the family must resort to
house cleaning and washing for the other two days, bringing her
income up to about $13 a week. The item “house rent-free” which
looked so promising on the first glance at the record was the one
thing which permitted the family to keep together. In this case a
sister was the owner of the house and let them use it free of charge,
so that it was the sister who was supplementing the inadequate wage
from the part-time work offered by the laundry, and making it
possible for this woman to accept the wage and keep up the struggle
to “live at home.”
But the married woman or widow with dependents is not the
only one who has a hard row to hoe while living at home. Many a
single woman was found living noth brothers or sisters and facing the
same problem of dependents and the need to keep up home standards.
The case of a telephone operator who was earning an average wage of
$12.42 a week illustrates some of the problems with which these
single women are faced. She was living at home with an invalid
brother who was entirely dependent upon her for support. Her
income was supplemented, though her duties were not lightened, by
the fact that she owned her house and was able to rent some of
the rooms. For 11 years she had managed her household with this
arrangement, but before this for nine years, when she had invalid
parents to support also, she had kept boarders and done sewing at
home, because she could then care for the invalids and earn their
living at the same time.
Of course not every woman living at home had as serious problems
to meet as those described above. But in some degree, greater or
less as the case might be, the problems of extra housework, care of
the sick, or supplementary work of other sorts were present in the
lives of the great majority of the women who were living with their
families.
Conjugal condition.
In considering home conditions and the extent of responsibility
among women for the support of others it is important to know
whether the women are married or single; and if they have been
married, whether they are merely supplementing a husband’s wage
or are widowed or divorced and therefore more completely responsi
ble for themselves and their dependents. Table 17 shows these facts
for the 5,618 women who reported on the subject.
women’s
58
WAGES IN KANSAS.
Table 17.—-Conjugal condition, by age group.
Age group.
Under 20 years..........
20 and under 30 years.
30 and under 40 years.
40 and under 50 years.
50 years and over........
Total.................
Number and per cent of women who were—
Num
ber of
Single.
Married.
Widowed.
Divorced.
women
report
ing. Number. Percent. Number, Percent. Number. Percent. Number. Percent.
1,831
1.971
983
586
247
5,618
1,745
1,259
303
96
36
3,439
95.3
63.9
30.8
16.4
14.6
61.2
63
470
388
265
76
1,262
3.4
23.8
39.5
45.2
30.8
22.5
5
72
153
154
116
500
0.3
3.7
15.6
26.3
47.0
8.9
18
170
139
71
19
417
1.0
8.6
14.1
12.1
7.7
7.4
This tabic shows that 61.2 per cent of all the women for whom
records were obtained were single, 22.5 per cent married, and 16.3
per cent widowed or divorced. The decrease in proportion of single
women from 95.3 per cent among the youngest to 14.6 per cent among
the oldest is what would be expected in any group of women. It is
more surprising to find that nearly one-fourth (23.8 per cent) of the
women between 20 and 30 years were married. The widows con
stituted the largest per cent (well over two-fifths) of the group 50
years and over. The proportion of divorced women was largest
(14.1 per cent) in the 30 to 40 year group; 1 per cent of the group
under 20 was divorced. Of all the divorced women 78.4 per cent
were under 40 years of age.
The following is an arrangement of industries in a descending
scale showing the per cent of married women in each, taken from
Table VIII, p. 103 in the appendix.
Per cent of married women.
Meat and poultry packing.................................................................
Laundries............................................................................................
Restaurants.........................................................................................
Clothing manufacturing.....................................................................
General mercantile.............................................................................
Miscellaneous food manufacturing....................................................
Miscellaneous manufacturing............................................................
Offices..................................................................................................
Telephones..........................................................................................
5-and-10-cent stores............................................................................
40.1
30. 7
26.4
24.7
21.4
20.4
17.9
9.4
7.3
6.3
A similar arrangement shows by industries the per cent of women
widowed, divorced, and separated.
Per cent widowed, divorced, and separated.
Meat and poultry packing................................................................. 28.3
Clothing manufacturing..................................................................... 23. 0
Laundries................................................................... .................:... 20.6
Restaurants......................................................................................... 19.1
Miscellaneous manufacturing............................................................ 15.3
Miscellaneous food manufacturing.................................................... 15.1
General mercantile............................................................................. 15.0
Telephones.............................................................................................
5.3
Offices.....................................................................................................
4.8
5-and-10-cent stores...............................................................................
2.8
women’s
WAGES IN KANSAS.
59
Women who were widowed, divorced, or living apart from their
husbands are discussed here as a unit. From the viewpoint of de
pendency and home responsibilities their problems are alike; for
the woman whose husband deserts her, as well as the woman whose
husband dies, has the responsibility for her family thrust upon her
when under normal circumstances she might expect to be in a very
different position in the family.
It is not, however, only the widowed and divorced group whose
conjugal condition had brought with it increased responsibilities and
cares. Among the group of married women were many whose
husbands as well as children were dependent upon them, sometimes
only partially but in many cases entirely. One women whose hus
band was an invalid was successfully bringing up her family of five
children, the youngest 18 months old, on the wage of $24 a week
which she made in a meat-packing establishment. Her home duties
were simplified in the winter when her husband stayed at home and
took care of the children, but in the summer it was more difficult for
her, as he always went to Colorado to escape the heat of a Kansas
summer. In this family the duties and the earning power of father
and mother seems to have been reversed. The well-being of the fam
ily, however, reflected the wage that was being earned by the mother
in an industry where persistent efforts of the workers had brought
about a “living wage’’ scale, which enabled the mother to say with
a smile, in spite of her sick husband and many little children, “ We
are not rich, but we get along all right on what I make. ”
In many cases the women who had been deserted or divorced were
responsible for dependent children or other members of the family,
but not infrequently their testimony was in favor of their present as
contrasted with their former condition. In a number of homes the
husband had proved to be more of a liability than an asset, and
conditions were improved after he left. “We get along very well
without him.” “Neither the children nor I care whether we hear
of him again.” “My husband never worked enough to support me,
anyway. It’s easier now with him gone.” These were some of the
remarks which seemed to show that the husband was not always to
be considered a mainstay in the family, even when he was a member
of the household and, theoretically at least, able to earn enough to
support his family.
Composition of families.
Although 61 per cent of the women from whom information was
obtained were single, only 15.7 per cent of them were not living as
part of a family unit. It is important, therefore, to know of what
the average family unit consisted, in order to get a definite picture of
the background of the great majority of Kansas wage-earning women.
women’s
60
WAGES IN KANSAS.
Table 18 shows the composition of the families of which the women
interviewed were an integral part, and it also shows the number of
persons in the various family groups who were at work or idle.
Table 18.—Composition of the families of 4,748 women interviewed who reported com
plete data, according to persons at work and persons not at work.
Number.
Membership of family.
At work.
Wife interviewed (no children).....................
Husband......................................................
Other relatives............................................
Not at
work.
Average
Total,
size of
including family.
women
inter
viewed.
566
538
23
28
75
566
568
98
1,127
103
1,230
Mother interviewed (no husband)................
Children.......................................................
Other relatives............................................
430
321
13
578
75
430
899
88
Total..........................................................
764
653
1,417
Wife and mother interviewed.......................
Husband......................................................
Children.......................................................
Other relatives............................................
637
595
325
15
42
1,074
' 85
637
637
1,399
100
1,572
1,201
2,773
Daughter interviewed......................................
Father...........................................................
Mother..........................................................
Brothers and sisters..................................
Other relatives............................................
2,696
l'811
'288
2,694
'100
201
2,282
3,395
399
2,696
2'012
2,570
6,089
499
7,589
Sister interviewed..............................................
Brothers and sisters..................................
Other relatives............................................
Total....................................................
Other relative interviewed.............................
Other relatives............................................
6,277
13,866
291
333
36
247
292
291
580
328
660
539
1,199
Average number
number
of
of wage persons
earners. per wage
earner.
2.17
1.99
3.30
1.78
1.09
..............
1.85
.................
4.35
2.47
1.76
5.14
2.81
1.83
4.12
2. 27
1.81
128
157
128
370 .................
213
285
213
498
3.89
2.23
1.74
11,997
8,983
20,983
4.4 2
2. S3
1.75
Definition of terms used in Table 18.
Wives are women with husbands but with no children.
Mothers are women with children but with husbands dead, divorced, or sepa
rated.
Wives and mothers are women with husbands and children living at home.
Daughters are women living with their parents. If a widow with children was
living with her parents she has been classified as a daughter.
Sisters are women living with their brothers or sisters. If a widow with children
was living with her brother and sisters she has been classified as a sister.
Other relatives are women living with cousins, aunts, or grandparents.
Altogether there were 4,748 women interviewed who reported com
plete data upon the working status of all the members of their families.
By far the largest number (56.8 per cent) of the women interviewed
were daughters living as members of a family in which the mother or
WOMEN’S WAGES IN KANSAS.
61
father was the “head of the family.” Although in some cases the
women who were classified as daughters were also mothers, this num
ber was relatively small as indicated by the figures showing the num
ber of relatives other than mother, father, brothers, or sisters who
were members of the family groups of this large number of daughters
If a daughter was a widow or divorced and, with her children, was
living with her parents, these children would of course come under
the classification of “other relatives.” As the total number of other
relatives in the families of the 2,696 daughters interviewed was only
499, it is apparent that only a small number of women who might
have been classified as “mothers” were included in this group which
consists almost entirely of women who were living in the usual rela
tionship of daughter and parents. The percentage of women in this
group (56.8) corresponds very closely to the percentage of single
women in the group who reported on conjugal condition (61.2).
Wives and mothers, i. e., married women with husbands and chil
dren, comprised 13.4 per cent of the total, slightly more than the
percentage of married women with husbands but without children
(11.9 per cent). Mothers with children constituted 9.1 per cent of
the total; this includes widows and the married women living apart
from their husbands.
From the point of view of this study the most significant groups
are those showing conditions where the woman interviewed was part
of a normal family group as a wife and mother or as a daughter, or
when she was in an abnormal state regarding responsibility for others
as a mother with no husband. The groups showing conditions where
wife and husband constituted the entire family or whore the woman
interviewed was living with her brothers and sisters or some more
distant relative, contain less that is interesting and pertinent to the
discussion of dependency and home responsibilities.
Wives.—The families which consisted of husband and wife and no
children amounted to only 11.9 per cent of the total. In this group
28 of the husbands (about 5 per cent) were not working, but were
presumably depending upon their wives for support. There were
few dependents in these families, the average size of the family being
only slightly over two, while the average number of wage earners
was almost two.
Sisters.—Only 6.1 per cent of the women were living with their
brothers or sisters, but in this group 59 per cent of the members of
the family other than the women themselves were not at work. The
family group in this instance was somewhat larger, with an average
of 4.12 persons in each family, while the average number of persons
to each wage earner, 1.81, shows that every worker was responsible
for about four-fifths of the support of one other person.
Some of the responsibilities carried by the women living with
brothers and sisters are illustrated in the ease of a single woman 34
62
women’s
WAGES IN KANSAS.
years old who was earning $12 a week in a department store. She
had been self-supporting since she left her farm home eight years
before. During this time she had educated one sister and at the
time she was interviewed she and two other sisters were helping to put
their brother through college and were taking care of a sister who was
ill. The three sisters lived together and put all of their earnings into
a common fund. So far they had not been able to save anything.
Another girl, who was earning about $15 a week, was entirely respon
sible for her 12-year-old sister. She told the investigator that she
could never meet her obligations if friends in the country had not
offered to board the child for a nominal sum of $10 a month. Be
sides this amount the sister furnished all the clothes and extras for the
little girl. The report of the interview ends with the very pertinent
question—unanswered—“How does she do it on $15 a week?”
Another type of home condition and responsibility which faced
the woman who lived with brother or sister is illustrated, though
as an extreme case, by the story of one woman who worked in a box
factory for nine hours a day and earned an average wage of $13.50 a
week. She and her little son lived with her sister, who was a widow
with three children. The sister stayed at home to loon out for the
children while the woman who was interviewed turned over all of her
earnings to help support the two families.
Mothers.—The women who were mothers and responsible for the
support of their children without help from their husbands numbered
9.1 per cent of all the women interviewed. There were 899 chil
dren in the families of these women, and 64 per cent of them were not
working. Only 75 other relatives were working in these famdies, so
the large responsibility which must be met by this group of women
is evident. When the average salary of the women included in this
survey is considered it seems fortunate that the average size of the
families of this group of mothers, 3.3, is smaller than the average for
all groups or for any other one group except the wives and husbands
without children. In spite of the smaller average size of the families,
however, there were many cases reported to the investigators of
women who were supporting three, four, and five children, and who
had boon doing this for many years.
One widow, assisted by her 15-year-old daughter, was supporting
seven children ranging in age from 14 to 3 years. She was fortunate
enough to be employed in a packing house where she made sometimes
as much as $30 a week, but her average weekly wage for the year had
amounted to only $18. Her daughter worked in a glove factory and
earned from $10 to $12 a week. Between them they ran the house,
the mother doing extra work at home, stringing beads, to eke out the
family income. Another woman, who did sewing in a store, had
won through her years of struggle to bring up her family, and
women’s
WAGES IN KANSAS.
63
achieved fairly comfortable arrangement for her old age. Her
husband had become insane some 20 years before and left her with a
son and daughter to educate. Slic had been the main support of
her family ever since her marriage, so the task was easier after her
husband was put in the asylum. Through many years she had
worked, keeping boarders and roomers, until now she had a grown
son working his way through college and helping her besides, and a
grown daughter in a good position. A third woman was in the midst
of the struggle which this woman had so triumphantly met.
She was a widow of 31 making an average weekly wage of $9.50 on
which she was trying to support three children, aged 14, 11, and 2.
She was employed as an operator in a garment factory and had been
idle for three months because of “slack work.” It is not surprising
that she said to the investigator, “It is all I can do to get along. I
get a widow’s pension of $10 a month which helps some. I don’t
know how we would live if it wasn’t for that.”
The two remaining groups in this table, in which are classified the
women who were wives and mothers—that is, living with husband
and children—or daughters, may be considered to be representative
of normal family groups. The average size of the family in which the
woman interviewed was a wife and mother was 4.35, a slightly smaller
number than 4.9, which was found by the Bureau of Labor Statistics
to be the average size of 12,096 families in 92 localities, in 1919.10
The larger average size, 5.14, of the families in which the women
interviewed were daughters, which families are also comparable with
those studied by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, would, however,
bring the average size for the two groups to 4.99, showing that these
groups of families in Kansas may be considered to be of normal size.
Wives and mothers.—Of the whole group of women interviewed
13.4 per cent were working, although they had husbands and children
at home; in other words, 13.4 per cent of the women were wives and
mothers and wage earners, all three. The husbands of 42 of them
were not working, presumably because they were ill or temporarily
out of work. There were 1,399 children in these families, with 1,074—
nearly 77 per cent—not working. The fact, however, that practi
cally all of the fathers as well as all of the mothers were working re
duced the number of persons to each wage earner so that each was
responsible on an average for only three-fourths of the support of one
other person. In the families where the mother was working without
a husband, and in those where a daughter was living with her parents,
each worker was responsible on an average for four-fifths of the sup
port of another.
Of course in this group of women who were employed, though they
had husbands who were at work and children at home to be cared for,
10 TJ, S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Monthly Labor Review, December, 1919.
64
women’s
WAGES IN KANSAS.
the reason for working was, obviously, to help out with family ex
penses, the urgency of this reason varying with the size of the family
and the kind of work the husband was able to do. The woman who
at the age of 36 had 8 dependent children, aged 15, 13, 12, 9, 7, 2, and
2 months, spoke with conviction when she said, “It sure is a propo
sition now to keep them all.” She solved the problem of how to
supplement her husband’s wage as a watchman by taking in washing
until each child became old enough to be left at home, and then going
to work in a packing house, where she made about $17 a week. This
was an extreme case, but the problem of the high cost of living and
how to make one man’s wage cover the needs of a large family has
met the same solution in many a woman’s life.
Some of these women had gone to work fairly late in life, because
of recent increases in the cost of living or some dislocation in the
family income. One woman 35 years old, with two daughters aged
14 and 12, had been working for two years to help her husband with
the family expenses, because their 18-year-old son had gone into the
Army and they missed the financial help lie had been able to give
them.
Daughters.—The very large number of women (56.8 per cent) who
were living with their parents seems a normal proportion when it is
remembered that 61.2 per cent of all the women included in the investi
gation were single. Of these 2,696 daughters, 684 had no father at
home and 201 had fathers who were not working. Only 126 had no
mothers, and of the total number of mothers nearly 89 per cent
were not working. The number of persons to each wage earner in
this group (1.83) was slightly higher than in any other group except
the group of mothers without husbands, where the persons to each
wage earner averaged 1.85, showing that the greatest burden of
dependency existed in the families in which the working women were
mothers or daughters.
The burden of responsibility for the support of others occurred in
many different forms among the daughters who were interviewed.
As 95 per cent of them had mothers and as 89 per cent of these moth
ers were not at work, it follows that the mother was, more frequently
than not, either partially or completely dependent for support upon
her daughter. In many cases support was not all that was required
by the mother, but care had to be given as well. One woman who
was a sewing-machine operator in a garment factory, making about
$10.50 a week, was supporting both mother and sister. She and her
sister together had supported the mother for 24 years, but for several
years recently the old lady had become so helpless that the sister
was obliged to stay at home to care for her, putting the financial
burden of the family entirely on the one worker. They had been
able to save some money when the two of them were working, but
women’s
WAGES IN KANSAS.
65
everything had been spent since the sister had been obliged to give
up, and the one wage earner of the family, although she felt she
needed a vacation, did not dare to stop as she could not afford to lose
her wages. Another example of this type of case was that of a woman
who worked in a packing house and made $16.40 a week. Her family
consisted of an invalid mother who must be supported, cared for,
and provided with medical attention. It was not surprising to hear
that every cent of wages was used for these expenditures, leaving
nothing for emergencies or savings.
Many girls had had to assume the family care after the death of a
father. “I never worked till papa died nine years ago,” declared one
candy dipper. “No, he always said I shouldn’t work as long as he
was living, but after he died my sister and me had to support mamma
until she died.” Sometimes the daughters did not have to take over
the family burden until both mother and father had given out, as in
the case of two girls who were telephone operators. Their mother
had worked as a bookkeeper for 15 years after her husband’s death
and had kept the two girls in school. For the last two years, how
ever, she had been ill, and it was now the daughters’ turn to shoulder
the family expenses.
In addition to the parents who were looking to their daughters for
support, there was a very considerable number of brothers and sisters
who were either partially or totally dependent on the earnings of
these women who were classified as “daughters.” The total number
of brothers and sisters in this group was 6,089, of whom 3,395, nearly
56 per cent, were not working. It was frequently an older sister’s
contribution to the family budget which kept the younger children
in school and made it possible for the family to maintain a fairly
satisfactory standard of education and of health. In one such case the
support of seven children and a wife had proved too much of an
undertaking for a mechanic, and the 17-year-old daughter had been
at work ever since she was 14 to help her father provide for his
numerous family. She made $13 a week and had always turned
every cent of it into the family purse.
It was very striking to hear the uncomplaining stories of the women
who were striving to bring up and educate properly small sisters and
brothers. One woman, a waitress in a restaurant, had supported her
little brother for seven years because, she said, “I sure want the
little kid to get a good education. I never had one myself.”
With a sister 10 and a brother 8, a 19-year-old girl who made about
$9 a week told the investigator, “The support of the whole family
falls on me and mamma. I don’t blame her, though, for getting a
divorce from my father, for he drank all the time. All he has ever
sent us was $5 to the kids one Christmas.”
51647°—21-----5
66
women’s
WAGES IN KANSAS.
Of course there were many cases where girls lived at home and
merely paid board, and often got much more in return than the
amount of their contribution. But in the long run, as shown by the
figures on numbers of persons per worker, every wage earner had to
carry more than herself. The cases where a woman did not carry
her own cost in the family budget are more than outweighed by the
cases in which she carried what seems an almost impossibly large
share of the total responsibility.
Family relationship ly industry.—In the different industries
studied there was, in a few cases, a variation in the proportion of
women bearing each relationship to the family. Reference to a short
table in the appendix, No. IX, will show this variation by industry.
This table shows that the largest percentage of wives living with
their husbands but with no children were employed in the restaurants,
where 20.8 per cent of all the restaurant workers were wives. This
is almost twice as great a percentage as that for wives in all industries
and is probably accounted for by the nature of the restaurant work
where the hours would make the employment of married women with
children very difficult.
The greatest proportion of mothers were employed in the meat
packing industry, 19.3 per cent of all the women in that industry
having children but no husbands, while for all industries the impor
tance of this group amounted to only 9.1 per cent. The fact that
more than half of the women in the meat-packing industry were over
30 years old is probably one explanation of the reason for the larger
group of mothers in this industry, while the higher wage rate and the
fact that the work is largely unskilled and of a type which any woman
who has done cooking at home would be able to do, makes the pack
ing industry one to which women trained only in household occupa
tions would naturally turn.
The largest percentages of women who were wives and mothers
both were found in the meat and poultry packing industry (27.5 per
cent) and in the laundries (21.1 per cent). The proportion of women
who were wives and mothers in the whole group was 13.4 per cent,
the greater percentage in the two industries specified being again
probably a question of age.
The percentage of daughters in the whole group was 56.8, but this
figure was very much exceeded in certain industries. Of the women
in the 5-and-10-cent stores, for example, 86.2 per cent were daughters,
a condition which would very naturally be expected because of the
great preponderance of very young girls in this group, and also be
cause of the particularly low wage paid to them.
In the telephone industry, another large employer of young women,
80.4 per cent of its women workers were classified as daughters.
More than two-thirds of the women who were office workers were
women’s
WAGES IN KANSAS.
67
under 25 years of age, and 78.1 per cent were daughters in their main
family relationship. The other two groups of women, sisters and
other relatives, do not show any striking differentiation in the indi
vidual industrial groupings from their proportion in the entire group
of all industries.
Total dependents.
In considering the question of the actual number of persons who
are dependent «upon another person for support it is necessary to
point out that in the greater part of the dependency problem with
which women are faced it is not a question of one woman being the
sole support of one or more persons. Most frequently the woman
wage earner is one of several wage earners in a family, none of the
dependent members of which can be considered to be totally de
pendent on any one of the wage earners. Two daughters may be
supporting their mother, a father and mother may be supporting
five or six children, or a father and daughter may be supporting
several dependent members of their family. In all of such families
there can not accurately be said to be any one person totally dependent
upon any one other person. For this reason it is impossible to show
correctly the persons who are partially dependent upon women or
upon men for their support, although by far the largest extent of
dependency comes under this heading. It will be necessary, there
fore, to judge the main part of women’s responsibility from the infor
mation given in Table 18, showing the composition of the families
and number at work, and Table 20, which shows the amount of money
contributed to the family by the women wage earners compared with
their wages.
The cases in which women were solely responsible for the support
of others permit of a more definite statistical treatment, and Table X,
p. 104, in the appendix shows the extent of this condition among the
4,326 women who reported on the subject.
This table shows that 6 per cent of all the women for whom pay
roll information was obtained were supporting total dependents.
In addition to their own support these women were responsible for
an average of 1.76 other persons.
Individual cases show that there were three women each support
ing two children on $8.50 to $9.00 a week, which means three people
living somehow on this amount, admittedly insufficient for one.
Another case of a large number of dependents was that of a mother
supporting four children on a weekly income of only $9 to $10 a
week. One woman earning between $17.50 and $20 a week was
supporting seven children. The 266 women were entirely responsible
for the support of 74 parents (8 fathers and 60 mothers), 31 husbands,
and 329 children; in fact, the mothers of these 329 children numbered
68
women’s
WAGES IN KANSAS.
only 187. Nor did the women shirk their responsibilities for other
relatives who had claims upon them, 33 total dependents falling in
this classification.
The responsibility of most frequent occurrence was naturally
that of a mother supporting one child. It is not surprising to find
that women with the larger earnings supported total dependents to a
greater extent than did women whose earnings were small. By far
the greatest number of dependents were supported by women in the
wage groups from $15 to $20 a week. The 132 wage-earning women
in this group constitute about one-half of all the women with total
dependents and were supporting 238 (slightly more than one-half) of
the dependents. The women in the four wage groups above $15
had marked responsibilities for others:
12.4 per cent of the women receiving $15 to $17.50 were supporting total dependents.
15.7 per cent of the women receiving $17.50 to $20 were supporting total dependents.
13.4 per cent of the women receiving $20 to $25 were supporting total dependents.
13 per cent of the women receiving $25 and over were supporting total dependents.
A study of the more detailed figures which are not given in this
report hut from which the general figures in Table X were compiled,
shows that 18.5 per cent of all the women employed in the meat
packing industry were supporting 250 total dependents. All but 14
of these 250 dependents were supported by women earning from
$15 to $25 or more. In this industry no women earning $13 or less
were supporting others. The average number of total dependents
for each woman wage earner who was supporting others is 2.08.
These women had a larger number of children dependent on them
than is the case in any other industry; 13 had two children each, 20
had three, 10 had four, and 4 had five or more children to support.
In miscellaneous food manufacturing one-third of the dependents
were supported by women receiving from $15 to $17.50 a week,
although there were instances of women supporting others on wages
from $8 to $8.50 and $9 to $9.50 a week. There were only 14 depend
ents in this group and only 5.3 per cent of all the women in this
industry had others totally dependent upon them for support.
In the clothing industry women earning from $9 to $12 had the
greatest number of dependents. Of all the women employed in
this industry 5.8 per cent had others entirely dependent on them for
support. In this group there was one woman with two children
dependent on her whose earnings were between $6 and $6.50 a week;
there was another mother with three children dependent upon her.
The average number of persons dependent upon the women in the
clothing industry was 1.68.
In the group of miscellaneous manufacturing establishments the
women earning $12 to $14 had the greatest number of dependents,
although only 4 per cent of all the women employed in the industry
were responsible for others. In this group the lowest wage earned
women’s
WAGES IN KANSAS.
69
by a woman responsible for two children was $8.50 to $9 a week.
The average number of total dependents for each woman who was
supporting total dependents was 1.84.
In the 5-and-10-cent stores there was only one woman with
dependents, two children, and her wage was from $10 to $11 a week.
In the general mercantile establishments, however, 5 per cent of the
women were supporting others, the greatest number of dependents,
being found among the women earning from $15 to $20 a week. The
lowest wage upon which any woman in this group attempted to sup
port others was from $9 to $10 a week, which was the wage of one
woman with two children dependent upon her alone. The average
number of total dependents per woman in this group was 1.16, the
lowest average for any industry.
In the laundries 4.9 per cent of the women employed were sup
porting others. The greatest number of dependents were among
women receiving from $10 to $11 a week, although one woman whose
wages were only $6.50 to $7 a week was supporting one child. The
average number of total dependents for each woman supporting
others was 1.55.
In the restaurants 3 per cent of the women were supporting eight
dependents. No woman was responsible for more than one dependent.
Among the telephone workers only 1.6 per cent of all the women
were supporting others, and in this case there were only eight total
dependents among the women employed in the entire industry.
Among the office workers we find only 3.2 per cent of all the women
in the trade solely responsible for others, and those dependents num
bered 14. Most of these women were in the high wage group earning
from $20 to $25 a week.
In summarizing the number of total dependents by industries the
meat packing industry stands by itself, for 18.5 per cent of all the
women employed were supporting total dependents. In the other
food factories, clothing, miscellaneous manufacturing, mercantile
establishments, and laundries only from 4 to 6 per cent of the women
were totally responsible for others, while in the restaurants, offices,
telephones, and the 5-and-10-cent stores numerically very few of the
women were carrying total dependents.
Proportion of earnings contributed.
Although such a comparatively small percentage of women were
solely responsible for the support of others there was a very large
majority of them who were contributing to the family budget a
part, or more frequently all, of their earnings.
Table No. 19 shows the proportion of their earnings contributed
by the women employed in the different industries surveyed. The
information given in this table includes the women with no pay-roll
women’s
70
WAGES IN KANSAS.
records in addition to those for whom pay-roll records were secured,
so the percentages for all industries vary slightly from those given
in Table No. 20, which includes only those whose pay-roll records
were taken.
Table
19.—Per cent of women contributing earnings to family, arranged in descend
ing scale, by industry.
Contributing none.
Industry.
Per
cent.
5 - and -10 - cent 50.3
stores.
Restaurants.......... 43.9
36.1
Telephones............ 35.7
General mercan 32.0
tile.
Miscellaneous food 25.1
manufacturing.
Laundries............. 22.6
Clothing manufac 20.5
turing.
M i s c e 11 aneous 19.7
manufacturing.
Meat and poultry
8.3
packing.
All industries. 27.6
Contributing all.
Industry.
Per
cent.
Meat and poultry 67.1
packing.
Clothing manufac 50.7
turing.
46. 9
Restaurants............ 34.9
Miscellaneous man
ufacturing.
General mercan
tile.
Miscellaneous food
manufacturing.
Offices......................
Telephones.............
Contributing definite
part.
Industry.
Per
cent.
M i s c e 11 aneous 35.4
manufacturing.
Offices...................... 28.5
Contributing indefinite
part.
Industry.
Telephones.............
Per
cent.
20.6
Miscellaneous food
manufacturing.
19.9
27.8
25.1 5-and-10-cent stores
General mercan
tile.
Miscellaneous man
ufacturing.
Laundries...............
11.3
29.9
Miscellaneous food
manufacturing.
Clothing manufac 20.5
turing.
General mercan 20.4
tile.
Laundries............... 20.4
17.7
16.1
17.7
5-and-10-cent stores 19.9
Restaurants...........
9.0
15.9
Meat and poultry
packing.
Restaurants...........
8.4
12.2
Clothing manufac
turing.
Meat and poultry
packing.
All industries. 22.3
All industries.
12.8
33.7
32.2
5-and-10-cent stores 13.6
All industries. 37.3
18.1
15.4
10.1
6.5
This table shows that 27.6 per cent of the women were contributing
nothing to the family and were independent of any financial respon
sibility of that'sort. On the other hand 37.3 per cent were contribut
ing all and 35.1 per cent were contributing part of their earnings.
The percentage of those who were contributing nothing undoubt
edly is increased by the fact that 15.7 per cent of the women who were
included in this survey •were living independently of their families,
and therefore contribution to their families would not be necessary
nor expected from many of them.
6
In line with the greater number of married women, the larger wage,
the greater age, and the greater number of dependents for the women
in the meat-packing industry, it is natural to find that it ranks highest
in the proportion of its workers (67.1 per cent) who contributed all
of their earnings to their families.
At the other extreme, as in so many other instances in this report,
stand the women who worked in the 5-and-10-eent stores, only 13.6
per cent of whom contributed all their earnings, while 50.3 per cent
contributed none.
The clothing industry ranks high in the proportion of women who
contributed all their earnings, with more than half of the women in
the industry in this group. Laundries had 46.9 per cent of their
employees contributing all their earnings. The clothing and laundry
women's
WAGES IN KANSAS.
71
industries both had fairly large proportions of married women, 24.7
per cent in the clothing industry and 30.7 per cent in laundries, which
would account somewhat for the greater proportion in these indus
tries who were contributing all. However, even allowing for a con
tribution of total earnings on the part of all the married women, which
condition was by no means universal, there is a considerable per
centage left which can be accounted for in no way without recognizing
the number of single women who are, by turning over all of their earn
ings, assuming as full a responsibility as they- can for the support of
their families. It is striking to see that in two industries—meat, and
poultry packing and clothing manufacturing—more than 50 per cent of
the women were contributing all of their earnings to their families, while
in five other industries—laundries, restaurants, miscellaneous manu
facturing, general mercantile, and miscellaneous food manufacturing—
30 to 47 per cent of the women were contributing all of their earnings.
In only three of the industrial groups—offices, telephones, and 5-and10-cent stores—were less than about 30 per cent of the women con
tributing all of their earnings, and these industries were the ones
which employed large groups of young unmarried women.
Reasons given for working.
The reasons for working which were given by many of the women
interviewed leave a very definite impression of the value of the con
tributions made by them to the family budget. In many cases the
contributions were such that they could not be tabulated except as
indefinite amounts; as, for example, the case of the woman who paid
half the food bills, which varied so that she could not estimate the
actual amount. One young girl was responsible for the shoes and
clothing of five younger children in addition to paying a stated amount
into the family purse each week for her board. Another woman paid
for the coal, light, and telephone besides her board, but could not esti
mate it in terms of weekly amounts. But whether or not the exact
amount was known, the attitude of the women toward their family
responsibilities was generally the same.
Education for children.—Their feeling of responsibility for main
taining certain standards as part of the family life was evident in
many cases. The widow who was working in a garment factory for
an average wage of $14.94 a week might reasonably have felt that her
one duty in life was to keep her children fed and clothed until they
were able to go out and earn a little to help. Instead of that she said,
"I want the children to have an education, at least to finish high
school. I own my own house now, and get along, but right after my
husband died I thought I never could make it. Sometime I wonder
how we ever pulled through. But I kept all my children in school.”
With her standard of liigh-school training for each of her children she
72
WOMEN’S WAGES IN KANSAS.
will have to keep her hand on the plow for many years to come, for
her oldest child is 14 and the youngest 6 years old. An equally firm
and almost heroic attitude toward the need for giving an adequate
education to her children was shown by a woman who worked as a
pastry cook and made an average weekly wage of $20.28. She was
separated from her husband and was working to educate her three
children, who were all over working age. "I am going to give my
children an education,” she said, “ If I have to crawl on my hands and
knees to do it. My husband could not see the need of giving them
an education. That is one reason I left him.”
To 'provide for extra expenses.—In many families the husband’s
wages had proved to bo inadequate for anything except the daily
necessities of life, with the result that the wife’s wages must be used
to provide for the extra expenses which are inevitable in any house
hold.
One woman was working in a packing house and making $17 a
week, although she had a husband and two daughters who were
working and two younger children at school. Her attitude toward
the necessity for her contribution to the family was a typical one:
“You bet I’ve turned in all my money to my family ever since I
was a kid. My mother had eight children; six of them were brothers
younger than I was, and they needed all I could make. Now that
I’m married and my husband is working, people ask why I get out
and work. Well, they don’t know financial conditions. Our home
is mortgaged and if the children are going to stay in school they just
have to be dressed like the others.”
Savings.—Many women for whom the problem of daily expenses
was met by the other members of the family were working to put a
little money aside for old age or a rainy day. In these days of high
living cost not many working men’s families are able without great
effort of some sort to put a margin of their incomes aside to provide
for the future. One girl who was a telephone operator making $18.50
a week was supporting her mother on her earnings. Her young
husband had died in camp during the war, but she did not feel that
she could safely use her pension money, and was working and living
on her wages and saving the pension money for a rainy day. “And
there are lots of rainy days in life,” she added.
Other women without dependents and with husbands and children
to support them were laying aside their wages against the days of
incapacity and old age. “Could not get ahead any on my husband’s
wages, so I decided to help out to provide for our old age.” “I’ve
always worked to help with the expenses, but now that my husband
and daughter are working I’m doing it so that I can have it easy
when I get old. I never could expect that on my husband’s wages.”
women’s
WAGES IN KANSAS.
73
These women who were saving their wages are not included in the
statistical group of those who are contributing to the family, and
yet in a broader sense their contribution from the standpoint of the
community is every bit as valuable as that of their fellow workers
who are helping to pay the day-by-day expenses of the family. For
every worker who is stranded at the end of a working career, without
earning capacity and without savings, must become a charge either
upon some other worker or upon the community itself; and every
girl and boy who can not be kept in school until a satisfactory ground
ing of education has been received is likely to become one of those
workers whoso earnings never reach an adequate subsistence level
and whose chances of becoming a charge, either directly or indirectly,
upon the community are very much increased.
Sickness in family.—Sickness in the family, resulting sometimes
in loss of income because the invalid was a wage earner, and always
in doctors’ bills, was in many cases the condition which made it
urgent that a woman hitherto not a wage earner should become one.
In one family the mother, father, and daughter of 17 were all working,
the mother for the first time, because the father must shortly go to
the hospital for an operation and they were trying to be prepared
for the doctor’s and hospital bills. In another family the husband
was an irregular worker because of poor health, but had been able
to provide for his family until about a year before, when the wife
went to work because the high cost of living and her husband’s
increased ill health had put them so far behind that only with another
wage earner could they meet their obligations. Similar cases are
best summarized in the language of the women themselves or of the
investigators:
“Worker is 31 years old. Never worked until her husband’s
health began to fail. For last three years has been only bread win
ner for husband and two children.”
“Father has been ill since February. Worker (aged 20) and her
sister (18) have supported the family.”
“Worker is 43 years old and makes $13.60 a week in a garment
factory. Husband had an accident and was unable to work for about
a year. Is not able to do steady work yet. Worker had to assume
financial responsibility for family. Two children in day nursery and
one boy in school.”
“We’ve had three operations in our family in the past year. I
have to work to help my husband pay for them.” '
“My brother lost his eye because acid got into it while he was
soldering cans. He never got any compensation, and it has cost us
so far nearly $700. We’re all in debt.”
High cost of living.—Aside from emergencies such as sickness or
accident which sent women into industry, the prevailing high prices
74
women’s
WAGES IN KANSAS.
had increased the cost of living to such an extent that in many fam
ilies where the income of one wage earner had formerly sufficed, it
was no longer adequate. “To help with the family expenses” was
the reason for many a woman’s entry into industry. The woman
with six children under 15 who had gone to work three years before
as a box maker, although her husband was earning fairly good
wages as a fireman; another woman with two young children who
had been at work for three weeks in a box factory; a third with
three young children at home who was sewing in a store—all were
doing it because their husbands’ earnings had not kept up with the
increase in the cost of living and they needed assistance in their
task of providing for the family.
Music lessons.—A very small number of the women included in this
survey were working to provide what might be called luxuries for
themselves or their families. Typical of this group was the story of
one girl who was working as a telephone operator and making an
average weekly wage of $14.17. She gave $7 a week to her mother,
a larger contribution being unnecessary because her father, older
sister, and older brother were all working and contributing to the
support of the mother and three younger children. Her surplus
income, amounting to from $5 to $7 a week, was used for clothes and
other expenses and to pay $10 a month for a piano which she was
buying on the installment plan, and for two music lessons a week,
costing slightly less than 50 cents each.
Buying a home.—But pianos were very seldom the “extras” which
were being worked for; more often it was furniture for the home and
very frequently it was the home itself. One woman was putting $6
a week from her earnings of $12.90 into paying for the furniture for
her house. Another woman chose to work in a packing house because
she could make more money there to help to pay for the insurance
policies of the various members of her family and to pay for the
house which they were buying on installments. “I’m going to quit
working when the house is paid for,” she said, as did many another
woman in the same situation. Some of them were planning to accom
plish more than simply buying a home before their retirement. To
save enough to have the little boy’s adenoids taken out before he
goes to school; to buy furniture for the house, and get a little bit
ahead; to get ahead of the cost of living, were some of the aims
which were to be attained before the industrial career could be closed.
The problem of buying homes was one which was met very fre
quently among this group of working women. During the period of
industrial activity brought about by the war many families had
embarked on the undertaking of buying a home. But to “ own your
own home” in the average wage-earner’s family means more than
an initial outlay of cash. It means buying on the installment plan,
WOMEif’s WAGES IN KANSAS.
75
with monthly payments which must be met for many years and
which must be met regularly lest the whole investment be lost.
Because of the uncertainty of steady employment the payment of
these monthly installments becomes a constant source of anxiety,
for failure to pay the installment on a purchase of the house brings
much more serious consequences than failure to pay the rent. In
the course of this survey many families were found who were striving
with every nerve to fulfill their obligations undertaken during a
period of more regular employment. In one typical case a widow
with six children was having a hard struggle to meet an obligation
of this sort. Because she felt she could send the children to better
schools she had recently moved into town from a farm and had spent
what little money she had on a house. She had paid $500 down for
the house and was expected to pay the balance in installments of
$11 a month, but she was finding after a few months’ experience
that her wages of $10 a week would not cover even the food bills for
her family. Worn with anxiety over meeting her obligations for
paying the monthly installments she was expecting that she would
have to let them drop.
In cases of this type and in many others the whole matter of buy
ing on the installment plan is a very difficult one for the average
wage earner to face. With unemployment or lowered wages it is
possible for the family which rents a home to move to a cheaper
house and thus reduce expenditures, but with a family once defi
nitely pledged to the purchase of a home, the payments must be
kept up, with no matter what result on other expenditures, or else the
whole investment is lost.
With the home once bought, however, the feeling of security was
often a sufficient reward for all the striving of the past. “It was 20
years ago that my father died and we had nothing,” said one woman.
“I had to go to work soon after; I wanted a pretty tailored suit,
but I said 'No, I’ll buy a house for my old age,’ and ever since I’ve
put in every cent I could and I’m glad I did. I own my house now
and it costs a lot to keep it up, but it’s better than living in a room.”
Amount of contribution.
Working for all these different reasons the great number of wage
earning women in Kansas were contributing more than mere wages
to the home life of the State. But it was the readiness and com
pleteness with which they surrendered the larger part of their wages
to supplement the family income which was the most conspicuous
thing about their attitude toward their family responsibilities. The
proportion of the total wage contributed seems particularly striking
when it is recalled that 61 per cent of these workers were single
women, who had not elected to take their part in bringing up a
women’s
76
WAGES IN KANSAS.
family, but whose responsibilities had been more or less imposed
upon them by circumstances over which they had little control. The
woman or man who marries chooses with open eyes a career in which
there will probably be responsibilities and dependents. The unmar
ried woman at home without choice falls heir to the responsibility
which the older generation has been carrying and to the responsi
bility for the older generation itself. This heritage is much greater
and. more immediate than that of her brother, who theoretically or
actually will start out to form another family group, ignoring old
family ties and responsibility.
A comparison of the amount earned and the amount contributed
to the home by the women who were included in this survey shows
how very great was the proportion of all their earnings contributed
by this group of women. Table 20 shows these figures for all
industries.
Table 20.—Number
of women contributing to the home each classified amount per ivcelc,
by average weekly earnings.
Number of women who contributed of their earnings—
Average weekly
earnings.
Num- ber of
women
report
ing.
None.
All.
Num Per
ber. cent.
Num Per
ber. cent.
SI0 and under $11........
SI 1 and under $12........
SI 2 and under $13........
$13 and under $14........
$14 and under $15........
$15 and under $17. 50..
$17.50 and under $20..
$20 and under $25........
$25 and over.................
47
135
259
419
455
521
400
330
286
208
612
356
216
77
25
57
91
151
140
159
92
81
47
43
88
50
37
11
Per cent distribution.
1 4,321
100.0
1,072
24. 8
$8 and under $9............
53. 2
42.2
35.1
36.0
30. 8
30.5
23.0
24. 5
16. 4
20.7
14.4
14. 0
17.1
14.3
11
35
67
107
132
174
135
124
127
86
344
182
128
34
1,686
39.0
23. 4
25.9
25.9
25.5
29. 0
33.4
33.8
37.6
44.4
41.3
56.2
51.1
59.3
44. 2
$3
$5
$8
$10 or
Under and
and
and more Indefi
nite
under under under but
$3.
am’t.
$5.
$8.
$10. not all.
1
7
18
21
26
30
25
13
9
3
11
11
2
2
2
12
20
32
31
23
19
11
10
9
14
11
2
2
2
6
17
42
57
72
57
45
47
33
63
37
15
5
1
1
1
2
3
3
6
6
3
13
13
4
3
1
1
3
8
1
18
19
12
9
6
17
45
63
69
59
68
47
32
30
61
33
16
11
179
198
4.6
498
11.5
.57
1.3
74
1.7
557
12.9
41
1 Of the 4,329 women for whom pay-roll records were secured, 8 did not report amount contributed.
The figures in this table indicate that among the women earning
between $15 and $25 a week the number who contributed all of
their earnings was very considerable, amounting to more than half
the total number earning such wages. Of those earning over $25
the proportion giving all of their wages to the family was smaller,
although the number contributing $10 or more a week, 9 out of 77,
Was greater in proportion than in any other wage group.
Thirty-six per cent of the women contributed part but not all of
their earnings. These contributions ranged from less than $3 to
more than $10 each week, the greatest numbers of women (11.5 and
women’s
WAGES IN KANSAS.
77
12.9 per cent, respectively,) contributing between $5 and $8 or an
inde4finitc amount each week.
A contribution of $5 to $8 might be considered in ordinary cases
to be practically only the equivalent of board and lodging. In many
families, however, four or five persons were found to be existing on
one woman’s wage of $15 or $16 a week, so it is quite possible that
in some cases the standard of living may have been so low that a
contribution of $5 covered far more than the cost of board and lodg
ing for one person. The proportion of women who were contribut
ing very small amounts, less than $3 a week, was not large, only
4.1 per cent in the whole group. Among the group earning less than
$12 a week the proportion contributing this small amount naturally
was larger than in the higher wage groups. The same condition is
true for the group (4.6 per cent) of the women who were contribut
ing between $3 and $5 a week. The figures show that the largest
percentages of women contributing this amount are among the low
wage groups. The proportion of women who contributed $5 to $8
a week was the most important in size of any of the contribution
classifications except that of all earnings, for 11.5 per cent of all the
women fell within this class, the middle wage group this time showing
the greater proportion of women contributing.
The proportion of women who reported contributing an indefinite
amount was comparatively large, 12.9 per cent of the entire group.
This can not be considered to be a particularly enlightening classifi
cation, however, as it might include contributions of any size from
$1 or $2 a month to nine-tenths of the total earnings. The real
story in the table comes in the first two classifications of those who
contributed nothing and those who contributed all. The significance
of that story is plainly seen, as the figures giving the proportion of
women who contribute nothing gradually decreases as the wage
increases until the 53 per cent of those who made less than $6 and
contributed nothing becomes the 14 per cent of those who made $25
and over and still contributed nothing. Thirty-nine per cent of the
women contributed all of their earnings while only 24.8 per cent
contributed nothing. And in reading this table it must not be for
gotten that 15 per cent of all the women surveyed were living inde
pendently of their families, and therefore were, in the main, free from
family responsibilities.
There is no way to show adequately in this report the need which
was being relieved by the earnings of these women and girls, but
from the interviews and stories told by them and from the figures
on family composition and persons at work it would seem that the
actual cash of their contribution was a very important part of the
family budget and that far more than “board” was being contrib
uted by them.
women’s
78
WAGES IK KANSAS.
Age and amount contributed.
It is interesting to see in the table following the effect of age on
the amount of contribution.
Table 21.—Number
and per cent of women contributing to ike family each classified
amount per week, by age group.
ALL INDUSTRIES.
Weekly contribution.
Number of
women re
ported as
contributing.
Num- Per
ber. cent.
Less than $2..................................
82 and under S3...........................
S3 and under SO...........................
$5 and under 18...........................
Number of women whose age was—
Under 16
years.
16 but not 18 18 but not 20
years.
years.
Num- Per Number.
ber. cent.
Per
cent.
2.4
7.4
15.1
23.1
1. 4
1.2
18. 7
30.6
7
41
78
134
11
9
132
143
1.3
7.4
14.1
24.1
2. 0
1.6
23.8
25.8
16
32
82
193
24
27
335
202
1.8
3.5
9.0
21.2
2 6
3.0
36.8
22.2
100. 0
555
100.0
911
100.0
52
138
304
601
71
87
2,091
717
1.3
3.4
7.5
14.8
1. 7
2.1
51.5
17.7
3
3
7
5
8.8
8.8
20.6
14.7
12
4
35.3
11.8
12
37
75
115
7
6
93
152
Total.................................... 4,061
100.0
34
100.0
497
All earnings..................................
Indefinite amount......................
20 but not 25
years.
Num- Per
ber. cent.
Number.
Per
cent.
Number of women whose age was—
Weekly contribution.
25 but not 30 30 but not 40
years.
years.
Num- Per
ber. cent.
40 but not 50 50 but not 60
years.
years.
Num- Per Num- Per
ber. cent.
ber. cent.
60 years and
over.
Num- Per Num- Per
ber. cent.
ber. cent.
0. 9
3. 0
5.5
14.5
2.3
3.8
55.5
14.5
5
5
22
51
13
19
637
87
0.6
.6
2.6
6.1
1. 5
2. 3
75.9
10. 4
3
2
5
16
2
4
430
41
0.6
.4
1.0
3.2
.4
.8
85. 5
8.2
1
1
3
5
1
1
125
6
0.7
.7
2.1
3.5
.7
.7
87.4
4.2
1
i
5.0
5.0
All earnings...................................
Indefinite amount.......................
5
17
31
81
13
21
310
81
17
1
85.0
5.0
Total....................................
559
100.0
839
100.0
503
100.0
143
100.0
20
100.0
S3 and under $5....................... ...
85 and under $8...........................
This table shows that among the young girls, under 16, a very con
siderable proportion (35.3 per cent) were turning over all their earn
ings to their families. This is a situation which would naturally be
expected among a group of girls who go to work so young, as such
girls probably are impelled only by financial necessity to give up
school and go to work at such an early age, and under these circum
stances would naturally turn over to their families everything they
earned. The proportion of those contributing between $3 and $5
also is large among this group of young girls, 20.6 per cent of them
making this comparatively small contribution. The low earning ca
pacity of the young and inexperienced would probably account for
the size of the group contributing this amount.
women’s
WAGES IN KANSAS.
79
In following' the proportion of women of different ages who were
contributing the various amounts it is significant to find that in each
age group above 16 the proportion contributing between $3 and $5
decreases up to 50 years. In the groups above 25 years of age the
proportion contributing this small amount is insignificant.
The percentage contributing between $5 and $8 is small for those
under 16 years, being only 14.7 per cent, but it increases to 24.1 per
cent in the 18-to-20-year group and then diminishes steadily in each
following age group up to 50 years.*
The percentage contributing from $8 to $10 or more a week is not
large enough in any age group to be significant, as only 3.8 per cent
of the entire group falls within this classification.
The percentage of women who contributed all of their earnings in
creased considerably in each age group from 16 to 60 years, the
largest percentages being 75.9 in the 30-to-40, 85.5 in the 40-to-50,
87.4 in the 50-to-60, and 85 in the over-60-years-of-age groups.
This table seems to show that it is the women over 30 years of age
who are putting the greatest share of their earnings into the family
exchequer. As the best paid of all the women were those who were
between 30 and 40 years old (see Table 7, p. 29), this would seem to
indicate that a contribution of “all earnings” meant in most cases
considerably more than the $10 or more reported as the highest amount
contributed by those whose contributions amounted to only part of
their earnings.
Length of time contributing.
But the full story of the large group who contributed all of their
earnings does not appear until it is shown for how long a period they
had made this contribution. Some women who reported at the time
of the investigation that they were contributing all of their earnings
had been doing so for only a short period. Others had been contrib
uting for the entire time they had been earning wages.
Table 22 shows the length of time contributing all earnings and the
length of time at work for a group of women who reported that they
had been continuously employed during their entire working career.
80
WOMEN S WAGES IN KANSAS.
Table 22.—Length of time contributing all earnings and length of time at work for
, women who had worked continuously since starting work.
SINGLE WOMEN.
Number and per cent distribution of women who had contributed
all earnings—
Length of time employed
continuously.
Num
ber
report
ing.
Less than 6
months.
Never.
Number.
Por
cent.
Number.
Per
cent.
6 months and
under 1 year.
1 and under 2
years.
Number.
Per
cent.
Number.
11
16
3
4
10. 0
3.7
.8
1.4
464
99
360
295
205
136
336
241
87.8
90. 0
82.4
78.9
71.7
70.8
65.9
47.7
64
12.1
7
2
3
1
1.6
.5
1.0
.5
10 years and over.....................
528
110
437
374
280
192
510
505
1
.2
2
1
Total.................................
2,942
2,136
72.6
78
2.7
1 and under 2 years..................
2 and under 3 years.................
3 and under 4 years.................
Per
cent.
.4
.2
54
10
3
4
12
6
12.4
2.7
1.0
2.1
2.4
1.2
37
1.3
89
3.0
26
8
86.7
14.3
3
4
4
3
3.9
9.5
3.7
2.0
38
7
3
67.9
9.5
3.9
9
4
8.4
2.7
48
85
7.9
2.4
61
150
10.0
4.2
MARRIED WOMEN.
Less than 6 months.................
6 months and under 1 year..
1 and under 2 years..................
2 and under 3 years.................
3 and under 4 years.................
4 and under 5 years.................
5 and under 10 years................
10 years and over.....................
Total.................................
Grand total.....................
73
30
56
74
76
42
107
150
20.5
13.3.
8.9
9.5
13.2
7.1
9.3
14.0
58
79.5
4
5
7
10
3
10
21
5
2
4
3
6
8.9
2.7
5.3
7.1
5.6
608
3,550
75
2,211
12.3
62.3
78
156
12.8
4.4
SINGLE WOMEN.
Number and per cent distribution of women who had contributed all
earnings—
Length of time employed
continuously.
2 and under
3 years.
3 and under
4 years.
4 and under
5 years.
5 and under
10 years.
10 years and
over.
Num Per
ber. cent.
Num
ber.
Per
cent.
Num Per
ber. cent.
Num- Per
ber. I cent.
Num Per
ber.
cent.
1
10 years and over.........................
6
14
12
17.1
2. 8
3.1
2. 7
2.4
63
6
9
10
22.0
3.1
1.8
2.0
39
13
12
20. 3
2.5
2.4
180
.......
35.6
Total...................................
104
3.5
88
3.0
64
2.2
166
5..6
180
6.1
64
124
24.3
42 ' 8.3
MARRIED WOMEN.
0 years and over.........................
58
5
1
5
10
78. 4
6.6
2. 4
4.7
6.7
51
6
2
2
67. 1
14.3
1.9
1.3
25
4
5
59. 5
3.7
3.3
67
15
62.6
10.0
90
60.0
Total...................................
Grand total........................
79
183
13.0
5.2
61
149
10.0
4.2
34
98
5.6
2. S
82
248
13.5
7.0
90
270
14.8
7.6
women’s
WAGES IN KANSAS.
81
The most striking figures in this table are those which show the
proportion of women who had worked 5 or 10 years or more and
who had always contributed all of their earnings. Of the single
women, 505 had worked 10 years or over, and during this long work
ing period 180 (35.6 per cent) of them had always contributed all of
their earnings to their families. Among the married women 90 (60
per cent) of the 150 who had worked 10 years or more had contrib
uted their entire earnings for the whole time they had worked, and
15 (10 per cent) had contributed all for more than 5 but less than
10 years. Figures for the married women show, naturally, a very
much larger proportion of women who had always contributed all
of their earnings than was found among single women, for the great
urge of financial necessity which drives the married women with
children into industry results in a very complete using of her earn
ings by the family she is working to support. The single woman,
however, goes into industry with a smaller responsibility, which is
often shared among more wage earners. It is striking to find that
even under the circumstances which are supposed to surround and
influence single women, such large percentages of them had always
contributed all of their earnings.
•
The following comparative statement of the per cent of married
and of single women who had contributed all their earnings for the
full time of their employment in industry outlines very clearly the
differences in the two groups.
Per cent of married and of single women working each specified length of time who had
always contributed to the family all of their earnings.
Length of time employed
Less than 6 months....................... ..
G months and under 1 year........................................
1 and under 2 years..........................................
2 and under 3 years................................................................................
3 and under 4 years.............................................................
4 and under 5 years.........................................................
5 and under 10 years.........................
10 years and over............................................
Married
women.
79.5
86.7
67.9
78.4
67.1
59.5
62.6
60.0
Single
women.
12.1
10.0
12.4
17.1
22.0
20.3
24.3
35.6
In this statement the figures for the married women do not change
strikingly in any group. The single women, however, show a very
interesting increase in percentage of those always contributing all of
their earnings, from 12 per cent of those who had worked less than
six months to 35 per cent of those who had worked 10 years or more.
The reason for this increase is not apparent from any facts given in
this survey.
51647°—21-----6
82
WOMEN"’S WAGES IN' KANSAS.
Conclusion.
The main facts regarding the women in the industries of Kansas
have been presented. There can be no denial that the wages of
more than one-half of them are less than sufficient to maintain a
satisfactory standard of life for one person. Indeed, nearly onehalf of the women whose wages were reported in the survey were
earning less than the $11 a week which has been set as a minimum
for the manufacturing industries by the Kansas Industrial Com
mission. Besides their own support, moreover, many of these women
have been shown to be carrying additional burdens in the form of
complete or partial dependents or complete or partial responsibility
for the maintenance of the family.
In the industries of Kansas these responsibilities, and the large
share taken by women in upholding the standards of family life,
have been ignored. This report shows the woman wage earner to be
in many instances the responsible head of the family, and in many
more instances an important contributor to the maintenance of others.
If the cost of living is to be the basis of a minimum wage for women
these facts must be taken into consideration. When this is done a
more adequate standard can be assured which will not only protect
the women from exploitation but will also make possible in the State
a standard of living more in keeping with American ideals.
APPENDIX A.
FORMS OF SCHEDULES.
Two schedules were used iu this investigation. On these was
recorded all the information secured during the interviews and from
the pay rolls. The first schedule was a card, 5 by 8 inehes in size,
which is reproduced on the opposite page. This card was used for
the interviews which were had with every woman for whom figures
are given in the report. The women were interviewed at their work,
very rapidly giving the necessary information. After all the women
in a plant had been interviewed the record of their pay was copied
from the pay rolls of the company on the second schedule. This
record was taken for 52 weeks whenever possible. When a woman
had not been employed for 52 weeks the record was taken for as
many weeks as she had been employed. Whenever there was a gap
in the wage record, showing that the worker had not been employed
for periods of one or more weeks, attempt was made to find the
cause of this unemployment.
The accompanying schedules are typical of the records of the
women interviewed during the course of this survey.
83
U. S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
WOMEN’S BUREAU
♦
IN COOPERATION WITH
INDUSTRIAL WELFARE COMMISSION OF KANSAS
4
3a Occupation
Cleating-machine feeder
2 Industry
Box Factory
1 Date
8—3—20
7 Firm
Jones & Ilardecke.
Name
Winifred Nelson
8
5 Address
1129 Elm St.
6 American born
Race White.
Yes.
17 Present wage
$14.00.
9 MW
10 Age
27.
13 Began work, age
17.
SD
Sex
14 Employed continuously
res.
F.
Address
Main Street, Wichita.
15 Time in this trade | 16 In this occupation
10 yrs.
5 yrs.
12 Living
With 'parents.
18 Pay number
96.
19 Weekly hours
50.
20 Days worked
23 Cause not working
2 weeks sick.
21 Normal working week
22 Weeks not working during year
25 Number not en tirely
dependent
5.
24 Relation of nonwage-earners
in family to worker
Not entirely
dependent on earn Age.
ings of worker.
48
14
12
10
7
* Mother
Brother
Sister
Brother
Sister
Entirely depend
ent on earnings of
worker.
None.
Age.
27 Number in family
7.
26 Number entirely
dependent
28 Amount contributed
All.
29 Years contributing
all earnings
30 Years contributing
part earnings
10.
31 Note: * Mother formerly worked in laundry. Flu.
2 yrs. ago. Not strong since.
32 Relation of wage earners in
family to worker
Father.
* Worker in present employment 6 mos.
84
33 Occupation of wage-earners
Teamster (work irregular).
U. S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
WOMEN’S BUREAU
IN COOPERATION WITH
INDUSTRIAL WELFARE COMMISSION OF KANSAS,
Firm—Jones & Hardecke Box Co.
Family—Nelson.
Address—1129 Elm Street.
No. of wage earners.......... M—1..........F—1...........Race— White.
No. of non-wage earners. .Clm—4.........Ad—I.
Earnings Each Week June, 1919, to June, 1920.
N amc— Winifired.
Age—27.
Rcl. to Fam.—Daughter............
Amt. Contri.—All.......................
Occupation— Cleating-machine
feeder.
Hours
worked
during
week.
Days
worked
during
week*
Hours
worked
during
week.
Days
worked
during
week.*
1.................................
11.20
40
27...................................
17.22
52
2.................................
11.28
51
................. j 28...................................
13.97
41
3..................................
u
50
29..................................
11.05
34
4.................................
11
50
30..................................
14.63
5.................................
H
60
31..................................
None.
None.
Illness.
6.................................
11.06
30$
32..................................
None.
None.
Illness.
7.................................
11.48
40
33..................................
10.08
31
8.................................
u
50
34..................................
16.09
64
45
9.................................
u
50
35..................................
15.93
49
10.................................
u
50
35..................................
9.10
28
11.................................
u
50
37..................................
8.78
27
12.................................
13. 42
31
38...................................
16.25
50
13.................................
U-4*
51
39..................................
18.19
64
14.................................
IS. 93
46$
40..................................
17.22
52
15.................................
u
50
41..................................
17.22
62
16.................................
u
50
42..................................
16.74
51
17.................................
14. 63
51$
43..................................
16.25
50
18.................................
15.26
63
44..................................
15.76
48$
19.................................
16.10
55
45..................................
16.25
50
20.................................
16.10 ■
55
46..................................
15.93
49
21.................................
19.65
57
47...................
13.49
41$
22.................................
18.19
u
48..................................
13.00
40
23.................................
18.19
54
49................................
17.50
50
24.................................
17.37
49
50.....................
14.35
41
25..................................
18. 38
65
51..................................
6.30
35
26..................................
u
50
52..................................
19.08
53
Av................................
14.63
47
.................
*No report.
85
86
women’s
WAGES IN KANSAS.
These two schedules, which are not copies of any actual record
secured during the investigation but have been made for a fictitious
case as illustrations, show that Winifred Nelson when interviewed
on August 3, 1920, was working as a eleating-machine feeder in a
box factory. She was a single woman, living with her family, and
was 27 years old. She had been working steadily for 10 years,
always in a box factory, but only for the last live years had she been
working as a cleating-machine feeder. She had been in her present
job for six months only, having worked for other firms before.
She had made $14 during the six working days of the week just past.
Forty-eight hours a week was the normal working period for the firm,
but during the past week she had worked two hours overtime,
bringing her total time to 50 hours. She had a fairly good record
for regularity, having lost only two weeks during the entire year,
and this lost time was caused by sickness. She was one of five chil
dren, the others all very much younger than herself, and she and
her father were the wage earners for the family. Her father’s work
as a teamster was irregular, a serious matter with five dependents,
so it was natural to find that the girl was turning in all of her earn
ings to the family fund and that she had done this ever since she
started to work.. Until two years ago her mother also had been a
wage earner, working in a laundry, but an attack of influenza had
pulled her down so that she had not been strong or able to work since.
Turning to the report of her wages, copied from the books of the
company and reproduced on the schedule on page 85, we find that
her story of continuous employment except for two weeks of illness
is verified by the pay roll. The striking thing about her pay record
is the variation in amount earned from one week to another. This
variation seems to depend in part on the number of hours worked,
a 50-hour week bringing a wage of $14, a 55-hour week a wage of
$16.10, and a 34-hour week a wage of $11.05. The relation between
hours and wages is not always maintained, however, for earnings of
$14, $16.25, and $17.50 are all reported during different weeks each
50 hours in length, while in a 41-hour week $14.35 was earned and
in a 49-hour week $17.37 was earned. The average weekly wage
which she earned through the year was $14.63, and the average
number of weekly hours worked was 47.
APPENDIX B,
*
GENERAL TABLES.
Table
I.—Weeldy earnings in cities and towns of first, second, third, and fourth classes,
by industry.
Meat packing.
Average weekly
earnings.
Poultry packing.
Number of women receiving each classified Number of women receiving each classified
amount in cities and towns of—
amount in cities and towns of
All
classes. Class 1. Class 2. Class 3. Class 4.
Under $3...................
S3 and under $4___
$4 and under $5___
$5 and under $(>___
$6 and under $7___
S7 and under $8___
$8 and under $9___
$9 and under $10...
$10 and under $11..
$11 and under $12 ..
$12 and under $13..
$13 and under $14..
$14 and under $15..
$15 and under $16..
$16 and under $17..
$17 and under $18..
$18 and under $19..
$19 and under $20..
$20 and under $21..
$21 and under $22..
$22 and under S23..
$23 and under $24..
*24 and under *25..
$25 and under $26..
$26 and under $27..
$27 and under $28..
$28 and under $29..
$29 and under $30..
$30 and over............
1
1
2
6
5
2
8
16
59
156
132
89
43
32
28
14
17
7
8
4
13
3
1
2
2
4
2
7
16
58
156
132
89
43
32
28
14
17
7
8
4
13
3
1
2
Total..............
Median earnings__
649
$17.50
638
$17. 55
1
1
2
4
1
1
All
classes. Class 1. Class 2. Class 3. Class 4.
1
1
1
7
6
1
8
4
6
6
2
1
2
4
1
2
1
1
1
3
1
4
1
3
3
1
1
1
11
<*)
45
$10.70
1
1
4
1
3
2
2
1
1
14
G)
17
$12.15
14
c)
1 Not computed, owing to small number involved.
87
88
WOMEN S WAGES IN KANSAS.
Table
I.— Weekly earnings in cities and towns offirst, second, third y and fourth classes,
by industry—Continued.
Miscellaneous food manufacturing.
Average weekly
earnings.
Clothing manufacturing.
Number of women receiving each classified Number of women receiving each classified
amount in cities and towns of—
amount in cities and towns of—
All
Class 2. Class 3. Class 4.
classes. Class 1.
Under $3.............
83 and under $4.
84 and under $5.
$5 and under $6.
$6 and under $7...
87 and under 88...
$8 and under 89..
89 and under 810.
813 and under 814.
3
7
24
25
32
19
17
16
16
10
5
4
5
3
6
11
12
10
7
10
2
3
2
1
1
818 and under 819.
819 and under $20.
$20 and under $21.
$21 and under $22.
$22 and under $23.
$23 and under $24.
$24 and under $25
$25 and under $26
$26 and under $27.
$27 and under $28.
$28 and under $29.
$29 and under $30.
$30 and over.
Total.
Median earnings...
3
4
2
6
9
8
7
6
14
6
3
3
4
2
187
$10.15
69
$10. 25
77
$11. 95
All
classes. Class 1. Class 2. Class 3. Class 4.
1
1
9
22
35
62
42
39
42
37
32
30
28
24
21
15
8
9
5
6
5
3
1
1
4
16
8
11
1
3
i
1
41
$8. 55
6
12
9
14
17
16
20
16
19
19
17
13
8
9
5
6
1
1
8
13
26
40
25
23
12
10
7
9
4
4
2
1
1
3
2
3
6
2
4
5
2
2
2
1
2
1
6
1
7
2
9
6
3
3
3
3
1
3
1
1
1
2
1
1
1
485
$11.75
220
$15.00
189
$9. 20
40
$11.45
36
811. 25
.
.
,,
Average weeiuy
earnings.
.
Miscellaneous manufacturing.
General mercantile.
Number of women receiving each classiamount in cities and towns of—
Number of women receiving each classi
fied amount in cities and towns of—
All
All
Class 1. Class 2. Class 3. Class 4. classes. Class 1. Class 2. Class 3. Class 4.
classes.
Under $3............
$3 and under $4
$4 and undor $5
$5 and under $6
$6 and under $7
$7 and under $8
$8 and under $9
$13 and under $14.
$14 and under $15.
$15 and under $16.
$16 and under $17.
$17 and under $18.
$18 and under $19.
$19 and under $20.
$20 and under $21.
$21 and under $22.
$22 and under $23.
$23 and under $24.
$24 and under $25.
$25 and under $26.
$26 and under $27.
$27 and under $28.
$28 and under $29.
$29 and under $30.
$30 and over.
Total.
i
2
18
5
48
63
61
93
46
25
23
38
15
10
5
3
2
81
39
17
16
9
5
3
2
1
8
10
26
25
25
5
12
7
8
2
5
1
1
2
1
3
3
1
1
1
476
$12. 70
308
$13. 20
157
$10. 80
11
0)
4
7
4
9
9
9
8
7
2
5
7
4
2
3
2
1
1
2
2
2
1
3
1
1
1
1
313
$11. 70
339
$12.15
6
10
27
48
41
34
29
23
19
18
10
11
11
8
5
4
2
4
5
1
5
1
2
3
2
765
$11.95
1
1
1
11
19
36
. 38
26
32
38
19
25
21
19
17
5
11
2
4
5
24
33
74
95
81
75
78
46
52
48
33
31
21
24
8
9
8
2
5
1
4
2
3
2
1
2
3
1
1
1
1
86
$11.15
27
$13.75
women’s
Table
WAGES IN KANSAS.
89
I.—Weekly earnings in cities and towns of first, second, third, and fourth classesr
by industry—Continued.
Average weekly
earnings.
5-and-10-cent stores.
Laundries.
Number of women receiving each classi
fied amount in cities and towns of—
Number of women receiving each classi
fied amount in cities and towns of—
|
All
All
classes. Class 1. Class 2. Class 3. Class 4. classes. Classi. Class 2. Class 3. Class 4.
Under S3.................
$3 and under $4...
85and under $6...
86and under $7...
87and under $8...
$8and under $9...
89 and under $10..
$13 and under $14.
$14and under $15.
1............
12
32
65
80
28
9
4
4
2
3
10
30
13
4
3
2
2
1
1
'
8
19
45
38
13
3
1
2
4
10
8
10
2
2
2
2
$18 and under $19.
$19 and under $20.
$20 and under $21.
$21 and under $22.
$22 and under $23.
$23 and under $24.
$24 and under $25.
$25 and under $26.
$26 and under $27.
$27 and under $28.
$28 and under $29.
$29 and under $30.
$30 and over..........
Median earnings..
Average weekly
earnings.
2
14
28
71
116
140
84
55
28
24
16
7
1
6
2
1
2
1
1
1
8
17
42
65
38
24
1
1
1
10
10
3
1
4
2
1
68
$8. 70
129
$7.85
36
$7. 50
C1)
4
599
$10. 50
1
4
5
12
8
10
5
8
7
6
1
1
1
1
2
6
1
1
2
4
1
2
1
1
1
237
$8.10
9
11
36
65
64
39
19
5
8
5
3
1
243
$10. 80
$10. 20
69
$10.45
17
$9. 50
Telephones.
Offices.
Number of women receiving each classified amount in cities and towns of—
Number of women receiving each classified amount in cities and towns of—
All
All
classes. Classi. Class 2. Class 3. Class 4. classes. Class 1. Class 2. Class 3. Class 4.
Under $3.................
$3 and under $4...
$4 and under $5...
$5and under $6...
$6 and under $7...
$7 and under $8...
$8and under $9...
$9 and under $10..
$10 and under $11.
$11 and under $12.
812 and under $13.
$13 and under $14.
$14 and under $15.
$15 and under $16.
$16 and under $17.
$18 and under $19.
$19 and under $20.
$20 and under $21.
$21 and under $22.
$22and under $23.
$23 and under $24.
1
2
7
23
27
54
96
66
41
30
9
8
7
2
5
4
2
5
12
13
16
7
4
2
2
i
l
3
15
13
20
52
34
12
11
2
1
4
2
2
1
1
1
2
2
7
13
14
9
7
5
2
1
1
2
6
5
16
18
10
6
7
2
2
$25 and under $26.
$2fi and under $27.
$27 and under $28.
1
1
I
$29 and under $30.
$30 and over..........
382
Median earnings... $10. 80
68
$12.15
174
$10. 65
74
$10. 45
Not computed, owing to small number involved.
66
$10. 55
3
4
9
30
29
29
23
18
21
13
12
22
19
16
6
16
6
5
8
7
8
1
2
6
9
4
6
6
4
3
7
5
3
2
2
13
10
13
10
8
6
6
8
11
4
5
2
2
5
4
4
8
1
10
2
2
3
3
4
3
1
1
4
1
2
1
313
$13. 55
86
$16. 30
1
2
6
14
12
4
8
2
5
1
1
3
1
2
4
1
4
3
1
1
2
1
4
$14. 50
71
$10. 40
16
$13. 00
90
WOMEN S WAGES IN KANSAS.
Table
II.—Number of women earning each classified amount per week, by industry and
by age.
'
MEAT PACKING.
Number of women whose age was—
Average weekly earnings.
Number of
women Under
report
16
ing.
years.
16 and 18 and
under under
20
18
years. years.
20 and
under
25
years.
25 and
under
30
years.
30 and
under
40
years.
l
1
1
13
2
1 647
100.0
$17.45
3
1
2
2
IS1
8
5
1
1
1
3
64
45
16
5
2
1
1
3
45
36
22
2
1
1
5
6
79
48
36
18
16
2.5
$16.35
37
5.7
$16.90
137
21.2
$17.40
113
17.5
$17.75
195
30.1
$17. 75
6.3
81.3
12.5
8.1
54.1
37.8
2.2
49.6
48.1
2.6
44.2
53.1
1.0
46.7
52.3
Per cent receiving—
2. 3
49. 0
48.7
1
1
1
2
15
12
2
57
35
17
4
116
17. 9
$17.45
817.10
0. 9
50.0
49.1
6 1
fit R
42.4
1 Of the 649 women for whom pay-roll records were secured, 2 did not report their age.
POULTRY PACKING.
1
1
1
1
..............
$6 and under $6.50...................
1
4
3
1
5
1
8
4
6
6
2
$17.50 and under $20...............
$20 and under $25.....................
$25 and over...............................
Total.................................
Per cent distribution..............
Median earnings.......................
Per cent receiving—
Under $12...........................
1
i
2
2
2
1
2
i
1
i
i
2
1
i
1
1
2
3
1
1
1
i
i
2
2
2
1
i
2
...... 1
1
1 ..............i...............
..............
45
100.0
$10.70
2
4.4
m
4
8.9
(!>
5
11.1
(!)
12
26.7
(!>
5
11.1
(a)
7
15.6
cs>
7
15.6
<’)
3
6.7
(V
64.4
31.1
4.4
100.0
75.0
25. 0
60.0
40.0
50.0
50.0
40.0
40.0
20.0
57.1
28.6
14.3
8 5.7
14.3
100.0
2 Not computed, owing to small number involved.
|
1
%
f
1
1
2
6
5
2
8
16
291
187
98
30
$17.50 and over..................
40 and
years
under 50and
50
over.
years.
WAGES IN KANSAS.
women’s
Table
91
II.—Number of women earning each classified amount per week, by industry and
by age-—-Continued.
MISCELLANEOUS FOOD MANUFACTURING.
Number of women whose age was—
Average weekly earnings.
$9and under $10......... ............
$17.50 and under $20...............
Num
ber of
women Under
report
16
ing.
years.
1
2
2
5
6
18
12
12
32
19
17
16
16
10
14
20 and
under
25
years.
25 and 30 and
under under
30
40
years. years.
40 and 50 years
under
and
50
over.
years.
1
1
1
1
1
4
Total.................................
3 186
Per cent distribution.............. 100.0
Median earnings....................... $10.15
Per cent receiving—
Under $12...........................
67.7
$12 and under $17.50........
30.1
2.2
16 and 18 and
under under
18
20
years. years.
4
2.2
C2)
100.0
1
1
3
3
7
3
5
5
3
4
1
3
3
2
3
3
1
5
3
1
6
4
2
2
2
3
2
2
8
3
3
4
2
3
2
1
]
1
1
45
24.2
$8.95
32
17.2
$11.00
36
19.4
$10.00
77.$
20.0
2.2
53.1
43.8
3.1
66.7
30.6
2.8
1
1
1
1
2
2
6
7
3
2
1
4
2
2
1
5
1
3
1
14
7.5
(!)
34
18.3
$10. 70
15
8.1
$9.40
6
3.2
(*)
21.4
71.4
7.1
70.6
29.4
93.3
6.7
83.3
16.7
1
1
1
2
2
2
1
3
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
CLOTHING MANUFACTURING.
$8.50 and under $9...................
2
6
3
10
12
16
19
30
32
41
39
42
37
31
39
61
35
28
9
Total................................
4 483
Per cent distribution.............. 100.0
Median earnings....................... $11.75
Per cent receiving—
Under $12...........................
52.2
33.0
$17.50 and over.................
14.9
1
1
1
2
1
4
4
4
5
7
6
3
4
2
3
1
2
1
1
1
2
2
4
4
3
3
8
5
6
4
4
4
2
1
1
4
1
4
6
4
4
10
5
4
8
13
7
4
1
3
4
6
9
4
1
5
l
5
1
4
1
1
1
2
2
2
5
12
7
7
7
12
4
25
12
15
3
1
1
3
3
1
2
5
2
3
8
4
5
6
2
6
3
3
2
0.4
m
50
10.4
$8.30
53
11.0
$10.10
77
15.9
$12.70
53
11.0
$11.40
118
24.4
$14. 00
75
15.5
$12.50
55
11.4
$11.40
100.0
86.0
12.0
2.0
69.8
26.4
3.8
45.5
39.0
15.6
60.4
20.8
18.9
33.9
40. 7
25.4
44.0
41.3
14.7
54.5
34.5
10.9
2 Not computed, owing to small number involved.
a Of the 187 women for whom pay roll records were secured, 1 did not report her age.
* Of the 485 women for whom pay roll records were secured, 2 did not report their age.
2
4
6
7
5
4
9
3
7
12
7
4
women’s
92
Table
WAGES IN KANSAS.
II.—Number of women earning each classified amount per week, by industry and
by age—Continued.
MISCELLANEOUS MANUFACTURING.
Number of women whose age was—
Average weekly earnings.
Number of
women Under
report
16
ing.
years.
16 and 18 and
under under
18
20
years. years.
20 and
under
25
years.
1
6
10
8
5
13
37
48
63
61
92
48
54
19
6
1
s 475
Total.................................
Per cent distribution.............. 100.0
Median earnings....................... $12. 70
Per cent receiving—
41.3
Under $12...........................
53.3
$12 and under $17.50........
$17.50 and over..................
5. 5
25 and 30 and
under under
30
40
years. years.
40 and 50 years
under
and
50
over.
years.
1
1
3
4
6
1
2
3
6
11
15
16
11
5
8
1
r
1
1
2
3
9
13
8
18
22
11
10
3
1
•
2
3
2
1
3
13
8
19
11
28
11
18
6
1
1
1
4
4
5
6
11
8
9
4
2
5
7
7
4
13
7
9
5
2
1
2
1
1
1
7
2
5
1
4
2
4
2
3
2
1
1
0.2
m
92
19.4
$11.65
102
21.5
$12. 30
126
26.5
$13.00
52
10.9
$13. 55
64
13.5
$13.40
21
4.4
$11.95
17
3.6
$12.40
100.0
55.4
43.5
1.1
36.3
59.8
3.9
41.3
54.0
4.8
26.9
65.4
7.7
35.9
51.5
12.5
52. 4
38.1
9. 5
41.2
52. 9
5.9
1
1
1
1
GENERAL MERCANTILE.
Under $5........................... .
$5 and under $5.50...........
$5.50 and under $0...........
$6 and under $6.50...........
$6.50 and under $7...........
$7 and under $7.50...........
$7.50 and under $8...........
$8 and under $8.50...........
$8.50 and under $9...........
$9 and under $10...............
$10 and under $11.............
$11 and under $12.............
$12 and under $13.............
$13 and under $14.............
$14 and under $15.............
$15 and under $17.50----$17.50 and under $20.......
$20 and under $25.............
$25 and over..................... .
Total....................... .
Per cent distribution---Median earnings...............
Per cent receiving—
Under $12...................
$12 and under $17.50
$17.50 and over........
i
3
2
12
12
19
13
28
46
95
81
73
77
45
51
96
54
28
16
4
3
4
7
14
14
13
9
6
5
1
1
1
2
8
6
7
4
4
10
24
15
6
3
1
2
1
2
3
e 751
100.0
*11.90
7
0.9
m
82
10.9
$8.80
51.1
35.8
13.0
71.4
28.6
91.5
8.5
1
1
1
1
1
3
2
2
2
5
15
23
19
26
23
14
17
14
3
3
1
2
2
12
10
10
12
6
6
21
15
4
2
1
4
9
14
18
16
13
14
40
22
14
10
7
12
6
14
7
8
13
10
5
3
96
12.8
$9.25
166
22.1
$11. 70
105
14.0
*13. 25
179
23.8
*14. 75
89
11.9
$13.20
27
3.6
$14.15
90.6
7.3
2.1
54.8
41.0
4.2
37.1
42.9
20.0
27.9
46.4
25.7
32.6
47.2
20.2
29.6
55.6
14.8
2 Not computed, owing to small number involved.
& Of the 476 women for whom pay-roll records were secured, 1 did not report her age.
'6 Of the 765 women for whom pay-roll records were secured, 14 did not report their age.
1
4
2
1
3
2
3
7
2
2
1
women’s
WAGES IN KANSAS.
93
Table II.—Number of women earning each classified amount per week, by industry and
by age—Continued.
5-AND-10-CENT STORES.
Number of women wh»se age wasAverage weekly earnings.
Under $5.............................
85 and under 85.50............
85.50 and under 86...........
$6 and under 86.50...........
86.50 and under 87...........
87 and under 87.50...........
87.50 and under 88...........
88 and under 88.50............
88.50 and under 89...........
89 and under $10...............
$10 and under $11............
$11 and under $12.............
$12 and under $13.............
$13 and under $14.............
$14 and under $15........... .
$15 and under $17.50___
$17.50 and over.................
Total.......................
Per cent distribution___
Median earnings............. .
Per cent receiving—
U nder $12..................
$12 and under $17.50
$17.50 and over........
Number of
women TT 1
reporting.
6
6
16
16
30
35
36
43
28
9
4
4
2
1
2
2
2
1
1
16 and
under
18
years.
18 and
under
20
years.
4
5
10
10
18
18
17
13
9
1
1
4
2
6
10
8
11
8
2
2
20 and
under
25
years.
30 and
under
40
years.
25 and
under
30
years.
40 and 50 years
under
aiid
50
over.
years.
1
1
4
3
3
8
11
6
1
1
1
2
1
5
2
3
1
1
1
1
2
2
1
2
1
7
3.0
(s)
7
3.0
(2)
71.4
28. 6
85.7
14.3
2
1
1
7 236
100.0
$8.15
9
3.8
(2)
106
44.9
$7.65
53
22. 5
$8.15
41
17.4
$8.55
97.0
3. 0
100.0
100.0
100.0
97.2
7. 3
.......... 1...........
13
5.5
<*>
92.3
7. 7
J
1 •
LAUNDRIES.
Under $5.....................................
2
$8.50 and under $9...................
$9 and under $10......................
$17.50 and under $20...............
7
7
10
16
25
46
116
140
84
55
28
24
24
8
5
2
Total................................
599
Per cent distribution.............. 100. 0
Median earnings....................... $10. 50
Per cent receiving—
75.6
Under $12...........................
21. 9
2.5
$17.50 and over..................
1
2
1
1
2
1
3
1
6
8
10
28
25
11
2
l1
1
2
1
2
3
3
10
18
11
6
2
1
2
1
3
4
22
22
10
3
2
1
21
4
11
17
9
1
3
7
5
2
2
1
2
2
11
13
25
24
12
6
6
9
1
3
2
3
11
2
12
17
12
12
6
3
2
2
7
1
2
7
1.2
c2)
96
16.0
$9. 70
68
11.4
$9. 70
91
15.2
$10. 55
65
10.9
$10. 80
122
20. 4
$11.10
104
17.4
$11.10
46
7.7
$10.40
100.0
96.9
3.1
82.4
17.6
71.4
27. 4
1.1
69.2
27. 7
3.1
68.0
27.0
4.9
64.4
31.7
3.8
80.4
15.2
4.3
a N ot computed, owing to small number involved.
7 Of the 237 women for whom pay-roll records were secured, 1 did not report her age.
1
2
women’s
94
Table
WAGES IN KANSAS.
II.—Number of women earning each classified amount 'per week, by industry and
by age—Continued.
RESTAURANTS.
Number of women whose age was-
Average weekly earnings.
$10 and under $11....................
$15 and over...............................
Num
ber of
women Under
report
16
ing.
years.
5
8
5
10
8'
17
9
20
46
18
11
4
8
21
Total................................
8 190
Per cent distribution.............. 100.0
Median earnings....................... $10.30
Per cent receiving—
Under $12...........................
70.8
$12 and over.......................
23.2
2
1
1
16 and 18 and 20 and
under under under
20
18
25
years. years. years.
3
l
1
6
1
3
2
2
7
1
25 and
under
30
years.
1
1
2
1
7
4
2
3
1
2
3
4
6
2
6
14
s
3
1
3
6
2
1
1
2
4
10
3
1
30 and
under
40
years.
40 and
years
under 50and
50
years. over.
2
1
1
1
1
6
4
2
3
2
6
1
3
4
1
1
i
4
2.1
(!)
27
14. 2
$8.25
29
15.3
$10.05
61
32.1
$10. 30
24
12.6
$10.00
28
14.7
$11.75
7
3.7
m
10
5.3
m
100.0
96.3
3.7
93.1
6.9
78.7
21.3
75.0
25.0
53.6
46.4
28.6
71.4
60.0
40.0
TELEPHONES.
Under $5........ ‘.................
So and under $5.50..........
$5.50 and under $6..........
$6 and under $6.50.........
$6.50 and under $7..........
$7 and under $7.50..........
$7.50 and under $8.........
$8 and under $8.50.........
$8.50 and under $9..........
$9 and under $10.............
$10 and under $11...........
$11 and under $12...........
$12 and under $13...........
$13 and under $14...........
$14 and under $15...........
$15 and under $17.50 —
$17.50 and under $20---$20 and over.....................
Total.......................
Per cent distribution...
Median earnings.............
Per cent receiving—
Under $12..................
$12 and under $17.50
$17.50 and over........ .
1
1
1
1
6
7
16
11
16
54
96
66
41
30
9
1
1
1
1
4
5
13
5
5
20
30
8
7
3
1
15
11
382
100.0
$10.80
72.3
24.9
2.9
2
3
1
6
10
44
22
10
8
3
2
2
5
5
20
21
25
14
10
4
4
2
3
1
7
6
7
1
7
5
1
4
2
4
2
3
1
104
27.2
$9. 85
111
29.1
$10.75
113
29.6
$11.10
37
9.7
$13.20
12
3.1
(2)
5
1.3
m
89.4
10.6
79.3
20.7
69.9
28.3
1.8
29. 7
56.7
13-5
41.6
33. 3
25.0
80.0
20.0
2 Not computed, owing to small number involved.
8 01 the 191 women lor whom pay-roll records were secured, 1 did not report her age.
3
1
women’s
WAGES IN KANSAS.
95
Table II.—Number of women earning each classified amount per weeh, by industry and
by age—Continued.
OFFICES.
Number of women whose age was—
Number of
women Under
report
16
ing.
years.
Average weekly earnings.
9
Under 55.....................................
$5 and under $5.50....................
$5.50 and under $6...................
$6 and under $6.50....................
$6.50 and under $7...................
$7 and under $7.50...................
$7.50 and under $8...................
$8 and under $8.,50...................
$8.50 and under $0...................
$9 and under $10.......................
i
2
3
1
4
5
16
14
29
29
23
18
21
13
42
811 and under $12.....................
$12 and under $13.....................
813 and under $H.....................
$14 and under $15.....................
$15 and under $17.50................
$17.50 and under $20...............
$20 and under 825.....................
825 and over...............................
16 and 18 and
under under
20
18
years. years.
1
1
2
1
1
42
17
Total.................................
313
Per cent distribution.. 100.0
Median earnings....................... $13. 55
Per cent receiving—
Under $12............................
40.6
812 and under $17.50........
30.0
$17.50 and over...................
29.4
25 and
under
30
years.
30 and
under
40
years.
40 and 50 years
under
and
50
over.
years.
1
1
1
5
1
4
3
2
1
20 and
under
25
years.
1
1
2
1
7
9
12
7
9
6
3
2
6
2
2
1
8
6
9
8
23
17
23
1
9
6
9
5
1
2
3
4
11
1
1
1
2
3
4
1
2
1
1
2
2
8
2
7
1
0.3
m
23
7.3
*8.75
71
22.7
510.35
125
39.9
$15.15
46
14.7
$16.65
35
11.2
$18.60
11
3.5
(2)
1
0.3
(2)
100.0
91.3
8.7
69.0
23.9
7.0
30.4
36.8
32. 8
21.7
34.8
43.5
11.4
28.6
60.0
27.3
27.3
45.5
100.0
3 Not computed, owing to small number involved.
Table
III.—Number of women earning each classified amount per week, by industry
and by years in the trade.
MEAT PACKING.
N umber of women who had beem in the trade—
Num
Average weekly earn ber of
6
women
ings.
3 and months
report Under 3 under
6
and
ing. months.
months. under
1 year.
Under $7.50....................
87.50 and under $8........
$8 and under 88.50........
$8.50 and under $9........
$9 and under $10............
810 and under $11..........
811 and under 812..........
$12 and under 813..........
$13 and under $14..........
$14 and under $15..........
815 and under $17.50...
817.50 and under $20...
$20 and under $25..........
$25 and over...................
1
1
2
6
5
2
8
16
291
187
98
31
Total.....................
i 648
Per cent distribution.. 100.0
Median earnings.......... *17.45
per cent receiving—
Under $12................
2.3
$12 and under
$17.50..................... 4S.9
$17.50 and over___ 48.8
1
and
un
der
2
years.
,
2
3
4
5
10
and and and and and
15
un un un un un years
der
der
der
der
der and
3
4
5
10
15 over.
years. years. years. years. years.
1
1
1
3
1
2
1
2
21
14
1
9
2
1
1
44
6.8
$16. 65
16
2.5
816.40
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
32
15
6
37
17
6
70
44
14
54
40
18
29
15
7
31
20
30
11
2
9
8
6
60
65
134
119
57
96
26
31
9.3 10.0 20.7 18.4
8.8 14.8
4.0
4.8
$16.80 $16. 85 $17.30 $17.55 $17.10 $19.15 $20.65 $19.20
11.4
18.8
5.0
4.6
54.5
34.1
56.3
25.0
60.0
35.0
60.0
35.4
1.8
53.7
46.3
49.6
50.4
56.1
42.1
36.5
63.5
11.5
88.5
1 Of the G49 women for whom pay-roll records were secured, 1 did not report years in the trade.
6
11
7
25.8
74.2
WOMEN’S WAGES IN KANSAS.
96
Table III.—Number of women earning each classified amount per week, by industry
and by years in the trade—Continued.
POULTRY PACKING.
Number of women who had been in the trade—
Num
Average weekly earn ber of
6
women
ings.
3 and months
report Under 3 under
6
and
ing. months. months. under
1 year.
1
1
1
and
un
der
2
years.
1
1
1
1
1
4
1
3
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
1
1
3
1
2
1
1
1
100.0
$10. 70
1
1
1
12
26.7
g)
1
2.2
m
2
4.4
100.0
3
6.7
m
2
4.4
(V
13
28.9
(z)
50.0 100.0 100.0
71.4 100.0
53.8
50.0
28.6
30.8
15.4
Per cent receiving—
$12 and under
$17 50.....................
1
2
1
1
1
1
Per cent distribution..
5
10
and and
15
un un years
der
der and
10
15 over.
years. years.
1
1
1
4
3
1
5
1
8
4
6
6
2
2
3
4
and and and
un un un
der
der
der
3
4
5
years. years. years.
61. 4
58.3
31.1
4.4
42.7
4
8.9
«
15.6
«
1
2.2
m
100.0
1
MISCELLANEOUS FOOD MANUFACTURING.
1
2
1
2
5
6
18
13
12
32
19
17
16
16
10
14
4
3
5
3
1
11
1
2
1
1
1
1
4
1
Total.....................
3 185
Per cent distribution.. 100.0
Median earnings............ $10.15
Per cent receiving—
Under $12...
67.6
$12 and under
30.3
$17.50.....................
2.2
38
20. 5
$9. 00
16
8.6
$10.00
86.8
87.5
69.0
70.0
61.9
64.3
38.5
50.0
10.5
2.6
12.5
28.6
2.4
26.7
3.3
38.0
28.6 100.0
7.1
61.5 100.0
50.0
1
4
1
1
1
2
4
1
1
... .
3
7
4
6
5
1
3
3
4
2
3
2
3
2
5
5
4
3
3
2
1
1
..........
1
1
5
6
1
1
5
......
2
2
2
2
2
2
3
2
2
2
4
1
3
1
1
3
2
1
13
7.0
(2)
2
1.1
m
2
1.1
(2)
1
1
30
21
42
22.7 16.2 11.4
$9.10 $10. 50 $10.50
14
7.6
(2)
7
3.8
(2)
2 Not comnuted, owing to small number involved.
8 Of the 187 women for whom pay-roll records were secured, 2 did not report years in the trade.
women’s
Table III.—Number
WAGES IN KANSAS.
97
of women earning each classified amount per week, by industry
and by years in the trade—Continued.
CLOTHING MANUFACTURING.
Number of women who had been in the trade—
Num
6
Average weekly earn ber of
women
3 and months
ings.
report Under 3 under 6
and
months. months. under
ing.
1 year.
2
6
1.
11
15
19
29
31
42
39
42
37
32
30
61
35
28
9
$8.50 and under $9........
$10 and under $11..........
$15 and under $17.50...
$17.50 and under $20...
Total.....................
4 481
Per cent distribution.. 100.0
Median earnings............ $11.80
Per cent receiving—
Under $12................
51.8
$12 and under
33.3
$17.50....................
$17.50 and over___
15.0
1
2
2
6
5
10
6
7
2
6
4
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
1
4
6
5
8
7
2
2
1
5
1
1
3
1
1
2
3
4
5
4
8
2
6
5
4
3
2
1
and
un
der
2
years.
2
and
un
der
3
years.
3
4
5
and and and
un un un
der
der
der
4
5
10
years. years. years.
10
and
15
un years
der and
15 over.
years.
2
4
1
2
3
1
3
3
6
7
5
6
5
6
2
1
1
2
1
4
2
5
4
4
3
6
8
4
1
2
1
4
1
2
1
3
6
4
6
7
4
13
6
5
2
1
1
1
4
3
4
8
3
2
11
6
7
2
1
1
2
1
6
2
4
5
4
4
14
8
7
1
1
2
1
. 1
4
2
1
3
2
1
1
2
1
2
2
4
3
3
53
24
58
51
65
59
53
12.1 11.0 10.6 13.5 11.0 12.1
5.0
$11.05 $10. 85 $12.50 $13. 55 $13.50 $14.75 $15.00
56
11.6
$8. 55
49
10.2
$9.15
13
2.7
85.7
81.6
62.1
60.4
45.1
33.8
41.5
28.7
25.0
23.1
12.5
1.8
16.3
2.0
29.3
8.6
35.8
3.8
41.2
13.7
46.2
20.0
30.2
28.3
45.8
25.4
33.3
41.7
53.9
23.1
1
1
3
1
6
4
2
1
1
1
4
2
4
5
4
2
2
cn
MISCELLANEOUS MANUFACTURING.
1
1
5
6
10
8
5
13
37
48
63
61
93
46
54
19
6
1
2
4
5
4
1
2
12
5
7
8
13
14
15
Total.....................
476
Per cent distribution.. 100.0
Median earnings............ $12. 70
Per cent receiving—
Under $12................
41.2
$12 and under$17.50
53.4
5.5
$17.50 and over-----
93
19.5
$12.45
59
12.4
$11. 50
46.2
53.8
54.2
44. 1
1.7
'
$14 and under $15..........
$15and under $17.50...
1
1
2
1
9
13
9
1
1
1
2
2
1
1
1
6
4
8
15
8
3
7
10
1
1
1
1
1
4
13
9
12
19
4
9
2
......5
6
13
14
20
7
7
7
2
1
1
1
2
5
7
12
2
3
4
1
1
1
1
2
1
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
6
1.3
9
1.9
(’>
33. 3
50.0
16.7
44.4
33.3
22.2
1
27
69
75
83
38
17
14. 5 15.8 17.4
3.6
5.7
8.0
$11.65 $12.80 $13.10 $13.25 $13.60 $13.90
58.0
40.6
1.4
37.3
58.7
4.0
31.3
57.8
10.8
23.7
63.2
13.1
23. 5
76.5
29.6
55. 6
14.8
a Not computed, owing to small number involved.
4 Of the 485 women for whom pay-roll records were secured, 4 did not report years in the trade.
51647°—21------7
women’s
98
Table
WAGES IN KANSAS.
III.— Number of women earning each classified amount per weel, by industry
and by years in the trade—Continued,
GENERAL MERCANTILE.
N umber of women who had been in the trade—
Num
Average weekly earn ber of
6
women
,
ings.
3 and months
report Under 3 under
6
and
ing.
months. months.
under
1 year.
Under $5..........................
$5 and under $5.50........
$5.50 and under $6........
$6 and under $6.50........
$6.50 and under $7........
$7 and under $7.50........
$7.50 and under $8........
$8 and under $8.50........
$8.50 and under $9........
$9 and under $10...........
$10 and under $11..........
$11 and under $12.........
$12 and under $13.........
$14 and under $15..........
$15 and under $17.50...
$17.50 and under $20...
Total.....................
Per cent distribution..
Per cent receiving—
Under $12................
$12 and under $17.50
$17.50 and over___
3
2
12
12
20>
13
27
46
95
81
75
78
46
51
100
57
28
16
4
3
6
3
8
6
21
11
12
12
3
1
3
2
2
3
1
1
2
5
4
9
10
2
5
1
3
2
1
5 762
100.0
$11. 95
96
12.6
$9. 80
51
6.7
$9. 85
50.7
36.1
13.3
78.1
19.8
2.1
76.5
21.6
2.0
1
1
and
un
der
2
years.
2
3
4
5
10
and and and and and
15
un un un un un years
der
der
der
der
der and
3
4
5
10
15 over.
years. years. years. years. years.
1
4
2
3
10
12
12
4
8
3
2
1
1
1
1
2
5
2
4
10
15
10
11
11
5
4
5
2
3
4
8
11
18
13
5
4
9
12
3
3
1
1
1
1
3
2
3
5
1
1
3
10
3
11
7
H
6
. 6
4
5
8
1
1
1
1
2
8
7
13
13
2
5
1
12
2
8
20
18
5
28
8
7
14
13
5
3
4
73
87
94
63
44
103
88
63
9.6 11.4 12.2
5.8 13.5 11.5
8.3
8.3
$9. 55 $10.45 $11.25 *12, 50 *14.20 *11. 05 $16. 00 *15.65
79.5
17.8
2.7
69.0
28.7
2.3
60.6
31.9
7.4
44.4
47.6
7.9
36.3
40.9
22.7
1
1
33.0
43.7
23.3
9.1
60.2
30.7
17.5
49.2
33.3
5-AND-10-CENT STORES.
Under $5..........................
$5 and under $5.50........
$5.50 and under $6........
*6 and under *6.50........
$6.50 and under $7........
$7 and under $7.50........
*7.50 and under $8........
SSand under $8.50........
$8.50 and under $9........
$9 and under $10...........
$10 and under $11.........
$11 and under $12.........
$12 and under $13.........
$13 and under $14.........
$14 and under $15.........
$15 and under $17.50...
$17.50 and over..............
Total.....................
Per cent distribution..
Median earnings............
Per cent receiving—
Under $12................
$12 and under $17.50
$17.50 and over___
6
6
16
16
30
35
37
43
28
9
4
4
2
3
1
10
5
14
10
13
13
4
1
1
1
3
3
7
1
21
27
10
7
6
4
6
2
1
7
7
6
1
1
21
1
2
6
8
6
4
2
1
8
1
2
21
1
21
11
2
1
1
3
2 ' 2
2
1
1
1
1
1
i
1
237
100.0
$8.15
75
31.6
$7.75
42
17.7
*7.95
41
32
17
17.3 13.5
7.2
$7.90 $8.30 $8. 70
97.0
3.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
96.9 100. 0
3.1
12
5.1
m
2.1
11
4.6
m
(2)
5
91.7 100.0
8.3
1
0.4
(2)
63.6
100.0
1
2 Not computed, owing to small number involved.
6 Of the 765 women for whom pay-roll records were secured, 3 did not report years in the trade.
1
0.4
(2)
women’s
WAGES IN KANSAS.
99
Table III.—Number of women earning each classified amount per week, by industry
and by years in the trade—Continued.
LAUNDRIES.
Number of women who had been in the tradeNum
ber of
6
Average weekly earn
women
3 and
months
ings.
report Under 3 under 6
and
ing.
months.
months. under
1 year.
$9 and under $10............
$10and under $11..........
$11 and under $12..........
$12and under $13..........
*1,5 and under S'7.50...
2
1
7
7
10
16
25
16
116
139
84
55
27
23
23
8
5
2
4
3
4
8
Total.......................
c 595
Per cent distribution.. 100.0
Median earnings............ $10. 50
Per cent receiving—
76.0
Under $12................
$12 and under $17.50
21.5
2.5
1
3
4
5
2
10
and and and and and and
15
un
un
un years
un
un
un
der
der
der
der
and
der
der
2
3
4
5
10
15
over.
years. years. years. years. years. years.
1
1
1
1
1
7
15
16
5
4
16
29
35
6
11
3
1
1
136
22.9
$9.60
53
8.9
$9.95
89.0
11.0
90.6
9.4
1
1
2
2
4
7
15
22
13
11
5
2
1
2
1
3
4
23
20
15
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
5
9
13
10
4
1
2
1
1
2
8
8
7
7
4
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
3
3
5
2
2
3
2
1
2
4
9
15
13
8
4
9
8
3
2
6
5
3
2
6
2
2
2
5
4
1
3
2
2
2
2
1
49
46
22
76
72
88
29
24
7.7
3.7 12.8
4.9
12.1 14.8
8.2
4.0
$10.25 $10.55 $10.60 $11.00 $11.60 $11.45 $12.70 $13.00
91.7
8.3
J
76.1
21.6
2.3
81.6
16.4
2.0
65.2
28.3
6.5
59.1
40.9
59.2
38. 2
2.6
37.9
55.2
6.9
45.8
33.3
20. 8
1
1
1
1
1
RESTAURANTS.
Under $5
$10 and under $11..........
2
1
2
8
5
10
8
17
9
20
45
17
12
4
8
11
6
3
1
Total.......................
7 189
Per cent distribution... 100.0
Median earnings............ $10. 30
Per cent receiving—
76.2
Under $12.....................
$12 and under $17.50..
18.5
5.2
$17.50 and over...........
1
2
1
5
6
7
1
3
15
3
4
1
3
1
1
1
2
1
1
6
4
1
3
4
3
10
1
2
1
2
1
2
1
1
1
2
2
2
4
1
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
3
3
1
1
1
3
i
1
3
4
1
3
1
i
2
2
1
1
1
1
3
2
2
3
1
2
3
1
1
3
1
1
1
1
48
25.4
$9. 35
20
10.6
$10. 50
91.7
8.3
85.0
10.0
5.0
17
32
17
9.0
16.9
9.0
$10. 20 $9.15 $10. 50
78.1
12.5
9.4
88.2
11.8
64.6
29.4
5.9
14
7.4
0)
9
4.8
71.4
21.5
7.1
66.7
22.2
1.1
m
20
10.6
$11.35
6
3.2
00
6
3.2
(s>
60.0
35.0
5.0
50.0
16.7
33.3
16.7
83.3
3 Not computed, owing to small number involved.
6 Of the 599 women for whom pay-roll records were secured, 4 a d not report years in the trade,
r Of the 191 women for whom pay-roll records were secured, 2 did not report years in the trade.
1
100
WOMEN S WAGES IN KANSAS.
Table III.—Number of women earning each classified amount per week, by industry
and by years in the trade—Continued.
TELEPHONES.
Number of women who had been in the trade—
Num
ber of
Average weekly earn
6
women
ings.
3 and
months
report Under 3 under 6
and
ing.
months.
months. under
1 year.
Under $5............. ...........
$5 and under $5.50.........
$5.50 and under $0.........
$6 and under $0.50.........
$0.50 and under $7.........
$7 and under $7.50.........
$11 and under $12..........
1
1
1
1
6
7
16
11
16
54
96
66
41
30
9
15
11
Total.......................
382
Per cent distribution...
100. 0
Median earnings............ $10. 80
Per cent receiving—
Under $12.....................
72.3
$12 and under $17.50..
24.8
2.9
2
1
3
4
5
10
and and and and and and
15
un
un
un
un
un
un years
der
der
der
der
der
der and
2
3
4
5
15
10
over.
years. years. years. years. years. years.
1
1
1
1
1
1
3
3
4
5
10
2
1
1
1
5
2
10
11
5
4
1
2
3
3
3
7
1
14
28
9
5
3
1
31
8.1
*9.50
42
11.0
110.20
96.8
3.2
83.3
16.7
1
1
4
2
8
23
9
7
5
2
1
1
1
1
5
9
12
19
9
3
2
3
2
5
4
9
6
8
■2
l
1
63
64
80
39
20.9 16.5 16.8 10.2
$10. 20 $10. 65 $11.20 *11.85
88.7
11.3
76.2
23.8
73.4
26.6
53.8
43.6
2.6
1
7
3
2
2
1
2
1
2
2
3
3
3
5
5
7
1
2
6
2
1
2
1
1
2
9
7
4
14
36
3.7
9.4
« *13.00
71.4
28.6
1
71
2
5
ii
i
10
2.6
(2)
3
0.8
(s)
33.3
55.6
11.1
10.0
40.0
5:). 0
33.3
33.3
33.3
4
1
1
4
2
6
4
14
8
1
2
1
2
i
3
3
2
2
1
3
4
14
4.5
(*)
11
3.5
m
OFFICES.
$15 and under $17.50...
$17.50 arid under $20...
Total...................
Per cent distribution..
Median earnings............
Per cent receiving—
Under $12.................
$12 and under
$17.50......................
$17.50 and over___
1
2
3
1
4
5
16
14
29
29
23
18
21
13
42
33
42
17
1
1
1
3
6
6
1
3
4
2
1
1
2
2
4
4
1
1
2
2
5
4
1
1
29
9.3
$11. 50
2
1
1
1
4
4
6
5
2
2
3
4
5
4
8
5
5
1
1
1
1
4
2
3
313
100.0
$13. 55
30
9.6
$10. 50
40.6
63.3
51.7
65.0
54.5
37.1
20.6
16.7
11.4
21.4
30.0
29.4
30.0
6.7
34.5
13.8
25.0
10.0
25.0
20.5
31.4
31.4
41.2
38.2
41.7
41.7
29.6
59.1
21.4
57.1
a Not computed, owing to small number involved.
2
1
1
3
10
5
6
3
8
4
2
3
6
4
2
60
44
35
34
19.2 14.1 11.2 10.9
$10.65 $11. 60 $15. 45 $15. 50
12
44
8.8 14.1
(!) $20.00
27.3
72.7
women’s
Table,
101
WAGES IN KANSAS.
IV.—Number of women earning each classified amount per hour worked, by
industry.
Number of women receiving each classified amoimt in—
Average earnings per hour
worked.
All industries.1
Num
ber.
(Cents.)
Under 12.................
12 and under 14...
14and under 16...
16and under 18...
18 and imder 20...
20 and under 22...
22 and under 24-...
24 and under 26...
26 and under 28...
28 and under 30...
30 and under 32...
32 and imder 34...
34 and under 36...
36 and under 38...
38 and under 40...
40 and under 42...
42 and under 44...
44 and under 46...
46 and under 48...
48 and under 50...
50 and under 55...
55 and imder 60...
60 and over............
Total...............................
Per cent receiving—
Less than 26 cents..........
26 and imder 36 cents...
36 and under 50 cents...
50 cents or more...............
Per
cent.
Mis
Meat
cella Cloth Mis
and
cella
ing
poul neous
food manu neous
try
manu
pack manu factur factur
ing. factur ing.
ing.
ing.
Gen
eral 5-and10
Laun Tele
mer cent dries. phones.
can stores
tile.
7
20
28
59
81
92
86
87
66
87
103
82
58
40
125
91
105
88
63
68
67
37
62
0.4
1.2
1.7
3.7
5.1
5.7
5.4
5.4
4.1
5. 4
6. 4
5. 1
3.6
2.5
7.8
5.7
6.6
5.5
3.9
4.2
4.2
2.3
3.9
9
1
5
6
1
7
14
114
76
99
78
55
58
58
25
47
1,602
100.0
655
68
203
372
104
35
114
51
1.7
3.1
75.4
19.8
64.7
33.8
1.5
45.3
16.7
22.7
15.3
23.4
69.4
6.5
.8
65.4
24.0
8.7
1.9
97.1
2.9
74.6
21.9
3.5
76.5
19.6
3.9
28.7
24 .7
36.2
10.4
1
7
7
22
13
15
14
13
3
13
3
7
8'
9
7
5
3
6
8
8
9
10
12
1
2
8
6
5
11
13
6
10
2
4
1
1
1
2
3
1
12
13
27
28
31
44
87
61
35
10
1
9
2
2
2
8
8
13
12
7
7
11
9
4
3
5
4
5
1
1
2
1
7
8
10
1
3
18
30
22
11
12
10
1
5
12
10
4
2
3
1
2
2
2
2
1
2
1
i
1
1
1
2
1
1
1 Exclusive of restaurants and offices, for which this information was not obtainable.
V .—Number of women whose average weekly hours exceeded orfell below the normal
, hours for the establishment, by industry and by number of overtime hours worked and
time lost.
Table
OVERTIME.
Industry.
Meat and poultry packing..
Miscellaneous food manufacturing.............
Clothing manufacturing...............
Miscellaneous manufacturing...............
General mercantile.....................
5-and-lO-cent stores............
Laundries.....................................
Telephones...................................
All industries2.....................
Per cent distribution............
Employees
Number of women working
working
Number
over normal hours—
overtime.
of em
ployees
having
5 and 10 and
hourly
Less
15 hours
records. Num Per than 5 under under
or
ber. cent.
10
15
hours.
hours. hours. more.
655
68
203
372
104
35
114
51
1,602
12
16
7
24
4
5
0.3
23.5
3.5
6.5
3.8
14.3
34
66.7
103
6.4
100.0
1
11
7
16
4
5
1
5
8
19
12
2
1
73
70.9
26
25.2
2.9
1.0
women’s
102
WAGES IN KANSAS.
Table V.—Number
of women whose average weekly hours exceeded or fell below the
normal hours for the establishment, by industry and by number of overtime hours
worked and time lost—Continued.
TIME LOST.
Employees
working less Number of employees working
Number than full
under normal hours—
of em
time.
ployees
having
5 and 10 and 15 hours
hourly
Less
under under 15
records. Num Per
or
ber. cent. 5 than
10
hours. hours.
hours. more.
Industry.
Meat and poultry packing........................................
Miscellaneous food manufacturing.........................
Clothing manufacturing............................................
Miscellaneous manufacturing..................................
5-and-10-cent stores.....................................................
Laundries......................................................................
Telephones....................................................................
All industries2..................................................
Per cent distribution..................................................
653
48
191
346
72
27
87
13
655
68
203
372
104
35
114
51
99.7
70.6
94.1
93.0
69. 2
77.1
76.3
25.5
1,602 1,437 89.7
100.0
157
27
58
198
66
17
54
8
324
9
102
114
5
6
20
1
585
40.7
581
40.4
26
9
4
11
146
3
27
23
1
2
' 12
2
2
1
2
216
15.0
55
3.8
1 Workers in cafeteria kitchen.
2 Exclusive of restaurants and offices, for which this information was not obtainable.
Table VI.—Annual
earnings of women who worked 50 or more weeks during the year,
by industry.
Number of women earning each specified amount in—
Total earnings for year.
Mis
cellan
All
Meat eous
indus pack food
tries.1 ing. manu
factur
ing.
Cloth
ing
manu
factur
ing.
Mis
cellan
eous
manu
factur
ing.
Gen
eral 5-and- Laun Res Tele
Of
mer 10-cent dries. tau phones fices.
rants.
can stores.
tile.
•
$450 and under $500___
$550 and under $600___
$650 and under $700___
$700 and under $750---$750 and under $800---$800 and under $850___
1
6
16
35
81
85
84
67
70
63
75
79
2
3
21
33
72
1
1
5
2
2
5
7
2
4
2
i
3
3
7
11
11
ii
8
8
6
6
8
2
6
4
7
2
2
1
7
16
8
19
13
5
3
2
12
1
1
4
11
23
16
13
20
13
15
21
13
14
24
17
14
3
9
6
2
1
4
1
2
13
12
13
8
3
6
11
1
1
3
1
1
1
1
1
1
4
2
2
1
2
3
1
13
24
21
15
11
5
2
4
2
2
1
1
3
9
8
5
2
6
7
5
10
14
15
15
66
28
. Total..................... 1,077
Median earnings............ $770
Per cent receiving—
28.6
$600 and under $900 42.2
$900 and over.......... 29.2
304
$925
32
$700
101
$630
96
$680
219
$730
26
$460
75
$590
18
$578
100
$580
106
$830
43.1
56.9
28.1
68.8
3.0
45.5
37.6
16.9
29.2
52.1
18.8
31.1
43.8
25.1
80.8
19.2
53.3
40.0
6.7
55.6
44.4
59.0
39.0
2.0
25.5
33.0
41.5
1 Exclusive of poultry packing, in which no woman reported worked 50 weeks.
women’s
Table
WAGES IN KANSAS.
103
VII.—Living conditions of the employees scheduled, by industry.
Number
of wom
en report
ing.
Industry.
Number who
were—
Per cent who
were—
At home. Adrift.
At home.
Adrift.
Meat and poultry packing..................................................
Miscellaneous food manufacturing.................................
Clothing manufacturing............................................
Miscellaneous manufacturing............................................
Generalmercantile.............................................................
5-and-10-cent stores...............................................................
Laundries................................................................................
Restaurants...............................................................
Telephones............................................................................
Offices.......................................................................................
757
211
534
524
1,101
286
775
444
510
478
665
195
455
448
915
267
669
288
451
383
92
16
79
76
186
19
106
156
59
95
87.8
92.4
85.2
85.5
83.1
93.4
86.3
64.9
88.4
80.1
12.2
7.6
14.8
14.5
16.9
6.6
13.7
35.1
11.6
19.9
All industries..............................................................
5,620
4,736
884
84.3
15.7
Table YIII.—Conjugal condition of the employees scheduled, by industry.
Num
Number who were
Per cent who were—
ber of
women
report
Wid
Hi- *
Mar
Wid
Di
Single. Mar
ing.
ried.
owed. vorced. Single. ried.
owed. vorced.
Industry,
Meat and poultry packing..
Miscellaneous food manufacturing.......................................
Clothing manufacturing........
Miscellaneous manufacturing.
General mercantile..................
5-and-10-cent stores.................
Laundries...................................
Restaurants...............................
Telephones................................
Offices..........................................
756
239
303
125
89
31.6
40.1
16.5
11.8
211
534
524
1,100
285
776
444
510
478
136
279
350
700
259
378
242
446
410
43
132
94
235
18
238
117
37
45
IS
80
46
102
6
79
25
9
10
14
43
34
63
2
81
60
18
13
64.5
52.2
66.8
63.6
90.9
48.7
54.5
87. 5
85.7
20.4
24.7
17.9
21.4
6.3
30.7
26.4
7.3
9.4
8.5
15.0
8.8
9.3
2.1
10.2
5.6
1.8
2.1
6.6
8.0
6.5
5.7
.7
10.4
13.5
3.5
2.7
All industries.................
5,618
3,439
1,262
500
417
61.2
22.5
8.9
7.4
Table
IX.—Relationship of the women to their families, by industry.
Number and per cent who were—
Industry.
Meat and poultry
packing.................
Miscellaneous food
manufacturing—
Clothing manufac
turing.....................
Miscellaneous man
ufacturing .............
General mercantile.
5-and-10-cent stores.
Laundries.................
Restaurants..............
Telephones................
Offices.........................
ber of
wom
en re
port
ing.
Wives.
Mothers.
Wives and
mothers.
Daughters.
Sisters.
Other rela
tives.
Num Per Num Per Num Per Num Per Num Per Num Per
ber. cent. ber. cent. ber. cent. ber. cent. ber. cent. ber. cent.
663
107
16.1
128
19.3
182
27.5
208
31.4
26
3.9
12
1.8
196
16
8.2
16
8.2
24
12.2
119
60.7
12
6.1
9
4.6
472
50
10.6
69
14.6
79
16.7
241
51.1
26
5.5
7
1.5
401
956
269
669
288
450
384
40
133
13
86
60
26
35
10.0
13.9
4.8
12.9
20.8
5.8
9. 1
25
76
3
76
29
3
5
6.2
7.9
1.1
11.4
10.1
.7
1.3
42
103
3
141
49
8
6
10.5
10.8
1.1
21. 1
17.0
1.8
1.6
249
549
232
307
129
362
300
62.1
57.4
86.2
45.9
14.8
80.4
78.1
37
71
11
37
17
31
23
9.2
7.4
4.1
5.5
5.9
6.9
6.0
8
24
7
22
4
20
15
2.0
2.5
2.6
3.3
1.4
4.4
3.9
All industries. 4,748
566
11.9
430
9.1
637
13.4 2,696
56.8
291
6.1
128
2.7
women’s
104
Table X.—Number
WAGES IN KANSAS.
of women earning each classified amount per week, by number of
total dependents.
ALL INDUSTRIES.
Women
Women
Number and per cent distribution of women with total
Num
with
with
dependents who supported1—
ber
no total
total
of
Average
depend
depend
1 child. 2 children.
Mother. Husband.
Father.
weekly
women
ents.
ents .
earnings.
re
port Num Per Num Per Num Per Num Per Num Per Num Per Num Per
ing. ber. cent. ber. cent. ber. cent. ber. cent. ber. cent. ber. cent. ber. cent.
6 100.0
$5 and under
Sift. SO
$5.50 and un-
23 100.0
100.0
$6 and under
$7 and under
1
70 98.6
1
142
140 98.6
2
183
180 98.4
3
$8.50 and un$9 and under
237
233 98.3
$10and under
$11................
$11 and under
$12
$12 and under
$13
$13 and under
$14
$14 and under
too.
o
1 100. 0
117 100.0
$7.50 and un$8 and under
1
98.4
71
$6.50 and un-
3 II 10.0
1.7
1 25. C
445 97.6
11
2.4
1
521
500 96.0 '
21
4. C
401
384 95.8
17
4.2
2
330
317 96.1
13
3.8
3 23.1
286
272 95.1
14
4.8
3 21.4
208
200 96.2
8
3.8
$15 and under
$17.50...........
537
613
$17.50 and undcr $20.........
357
301
$20and under
216
187
$25................
$25 and over..
77
67
Total... 2 4, 326 4,060
4.7
1
3 75.0
9.1
3 27.3
4 36.4
3 27.3
7 33.3
3 14.3
8 38.1
3 14.3
11.8
3 17.6
8 47.1
4 23. 5
1
7.7
5 38.5
2 15. 4
1
7.1
7 50.0
3 21.4
1 12.5
5 62.5
8 10.5
32 42.1
7.1
22 39.3
10 17.9
6 20.7
1 10.0
31 11.7
6 20.7
3 30.0
106 39.8
4 13.8
........
41 15.4
87.6
76 12.4
2
2.6
27 35.5
84.2
56 15.7
2
3.6
8 14.3
86.8
87.0
29 13.4
10 13.0
266 6.1
2 6.9
1 10.0
8 3.0
1C 34.5
4 40.0
66 24.8
93.9 .
1 50.0
2 100.0
1.4
4
1 12.5
6
7.9
Number and per cent distribution of women with total dependents
who supported1—
Average weekly
earnings.
age de
3 or more num
ber pend
other
ents
of
relatives. de
per
pend woman.
Num Per Num Per Num Per Num Per Num Per Num Per ents.
ber.
cent.
cent.
ber.
cent.
ber.
cent.
ber.
cent.
ber.
ber. cent.
or more
3 children. 4 children. 5children.
i
9.1
1
9. i
$15
and
$25 and over_____
Total.............
9.2
4
5.3
1
1.3
16.1
4 13. 8
3
5.4
4 1
1
1.8
3.4
44
1.5
25
9.4
8i
7.1
1 12.5
under
$17.50 and under
2 other
relatives.
1 9.1
3 14.3
1 5.9
4 30.8
i
5.9
i 7.7
2 14.3
1 other
relative.
3 30.0
11 4.1
4
5. 3
5 8.8
4 13.8
1 10.0
23 8.6
2
3.6
1 10.0
3 1.1
81
0.4
2
1
4
3
7
22
28
25
20
27
13
2.00
1. 00
2.00
1.00
1.75
2.00
1.33
1.48
1.54
1.93
1.63
127
1.67
111
53
24
467
1.98
1.83
2.40
1.76
1 This number necessarily exceeds number of “ Women with total dependents" in cases where a woman
had more than one dependent.
2 Of the 4,329 women for whom payroll records were secured, 3 did not report number of total dependents.
8 One woman with 4 dependentsm this class.
* One woman with 7 dependents in this class.
PUBLICATIONS OF THE WOMEN’S BUREAU.
BULLETINS.
No. 1. Proposed Employment of Women During the War in the Industries of Niagara
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
No. 12.
No. 13.
No. 14.
No. 15.
No. 16.
No. 17.
Falls, N. Y. 16 pp. 1918.
Labor Laws for Women in Industry in Indiana. 29 pp. 1918.
Standards for the Employment of Women in Industry. 7 pp. 1919.
Wages of Candy Makers in Philadelphia in 1919. 46 pp. 1919.
The Bight-Hour Day in Federal and State Legislation. 19 pp. 1919.
The Employment of Women in Hazardous Industries in the United States.
8 pp. 1919.
Night-Work Laws in the United States. 4 pp. 1919.
Women in the Government Service. 37 pp. 1920.
Home Work in Bridgeport, Connecticut. 35 pp. 1920.
Hours and Conditions of Work for Women in Industry in Virginia. 32pp. 1920.
Women Street Car Conductors and Ticket Agents. 90 pp. 1920.
The New Position of Women in American Industry. 158 pp. 1920.
Industrial Opportunities and Training for Women and Girls. 48 pp. 1920.
A Physiological Basis for the Shorter WorkingDay for Women. 20 pp. 1921.
Some Effects of Legislation Limiting Hours of Work for Women. 26 pp. 1921.
State Laws Affecting Working Women. 1920. (In press.)
Women’s Wages in Kansas. 1920. 104 pp. 1921.
Second Annual Report of the Director.
CHARTS.
I.
II.
III.
IV.
Eight-hour and eight-and-a-half-hour laws for women workers.
Nine-hour laws for women workers.
Ten-hour laws for women workers.
Ten-and a-quarter hour, ten-and-a-half-hour, eleven-hour, and twelve-hour
laws for women workers.
V. Weekly hour laws for women workers.
VI. Laws providing for a day of rest, one shorter work day, time for meals and rest
periods for women workers.
VII. Night-work laws for women workers.
VIII. Home-work laws for women.
IX. Minimum wage legislation in the United States. 3 sections.
X. Mothers’ pension laws in the United States. 4 sections.
@FedFRASER