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UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
WOMEN'S BUREAU
Bulletin No. 153
WOMEN'S _HOURS AND WAGES
IN THE
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
IN 1937
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
UNITED STATES DEPARTMFNT' OF LABOR
FRANCES PERKINS, Secretary
WOMEN'S BUREAU
MARY ANDERSON, Director
+
WOMEN'S HOURS AND WAGES
IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
IN 1937
By
ETHEL L. BEST
AND
ARTHUR T. SUTHERLAND
B uLLETIN OF THE WoMEN's B uREAu,
No. 153
UNITED STATES
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
WASHINGTON : 1937
For sale by the Superintendent of Documcnta, Washington, D. C. -
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• -
P rice 10 cent,
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CONTENTS
Letter of transmittaL ____ _____________ _____________________ _______ _
Introduction ________ ________________ _______ ____________ ~---------Scopeof survey __ _________________ _____ ____ _________ ____ _____ _
Hoursworked
_____
r -------------------------------------______
------_
Week!s earnings
________________________________________
Comparison with rates fixed by former Minimum Wage Board ___ __ _
Hourly earnings __ __ ___ _______________ ______________ ___ _______ _
Laundry industry ___ ___ ______ __________ ___ ________________ ________ _
Hours worked _______ _____ __________ ___ ________________ __ _____ _
Week's earnings _______ ________ ___ ___ _________ ________ ____ ___ _ _
Hourly earnings ____________ ________ __________ _________ ____ ___ _
Earnings in hotel laundries __________ ______________ ____ ________ _
Dry-cleaning industry _____ ___________ __ __________________ _______ __ _
Hours worked _______ __ ___ ________________ ___________________ _ _
Manufacturing
industries ___=========================================
__ ____________ _______ ____ _____ ____ ____ _ _
:i~:;;::~~~~~=======
Hours worked ____ _______________________ __________ ______ _____ _
Week's earnings ____ ___________________________________ _______ _
Hourly earnings ____ _________________ ___ ______________________ _
Beauty-shop industry _____ _______ ____________ _______________ ______ _
Week's earnings ____________________ ___ ___ _______ ____ _________ _
Tips ______________________________________ __ ____ _____ ______ __
Retail stores ________________________________ ___ ______ _______ __ __ _ _
Hours worked by women regular workers __ ____ __ ________ ___ _____ _
Week's earnings of women regular workers __ _____________________ _
Hourly earnings of women regular workers ___ _____________________ _
Hours worked by women part-time workers __ __ __________________ _
Week's earnings of women part-time workers ___ __________________ _
Hourly earnings of women part-time workers ___ _______________ ___ _
Hotel and restaurant industries ___ __________________________________ _
Hours __________ __ ___________________________________________ _
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Hoursworked ___ ____________
__ ___ __ _____________________
~::;::e:!Fc:1J!ft;;;;e~~
===================
~========= ===========_
Week's earnings ____________________ _________ ________ _____ _
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Office workers in the establishments surveyed _____ ___________________ _
Hours worked __ __________ _________________ ______ _____________ _
Week's earnings __ ____ ________________________________________ _
Hourly earnings __ ______ _____ _________________________________ _
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Week's earnings ___ ==
___========
___________
____ _______
_____ ______ ______
_=
_
Telewi:r~~~;~:d:====
===========
== ================
=== =
Hourly earnings ________________________ ______ _____ ___ _____ ___ _
Telephone operators in other industries __ __ _____________________ _ _
Office workers in telephone service ______ ________ ________________ _
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44
TABLES
1. Number of establishments visited and number of men and women
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
they employed, by industry __ --- ------ -----------------------Week's earnings of women, by industry--------------------------Week's earnings of women in laundries, by time worked____________
Week's earnings of women in dry-cleaning plants, by time worked____
Week's earnings of women in all manufactures, by time worked_____ _
Week's earnings of women operators in beauty shops _______________
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2
4
8
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IV
CONTENTS
7. Week's earnings of women regular workers in stores, by type of
employment_ ______________________ ____ ___________ ____ _______
8. Week's earnings of women regular workers in stores, by time worked__
9. Hourly earnings of women regular workers in stores, by type of employment___ ___ __ _____ ______________________________________
10. Hours of work and spread of hours of employee-days in hotels and
restaurants ______________ _____________ _______________________
11. Median week's cash earnings of women in hotels and restaurants, by
receipt or nonreceipt of additions in the form of meals, lodging, or
both________________________________________________________
12. Week's cash earnings of individual women in hotels and in independent
and store restaurants, by department in which employed, and by
whether or not receiving additions to wages_____________________
13. Week's earnings of women office workers in the establishments visited_
14. Week's earnings of women operators in telephone service____________
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37
42
LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL
OF LABOR,
WOMEN'S BUREAU,
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT
Washington, July 31; 1937.
MADAM: I have the honor to transmit a report on the hours and
wages of women in the chief woman-employing industries of the
District of Columbia in the spring of 1937. The survey was made a.t
the request of the District Committee of the House of Representative s,
and the report was sent to that committee on May 28.
I greatly appreciate the courtesy of employers in supplying the
figures requested.
The survey was directed by Ethel L. Best, industrial supervisor.
The report has been written by Mrs. Best and Arthur T. Sutherland.
Respectfully submitted.
MARY ANDERSON, Director.
Hon. FRANCES PERKINS,
Secretary of Labor.
V
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WOMEN'S HOURS AND WAGES IN THE
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA IN 1937
INTRODUCTION
[N OTE.-The telephone industry, surveyed later than the other
industries, is not included in this introduction. For the findings in
the telephone study see pp. 40 to 44.]
At the request of the District Committee of the House of Representatives, the Women's Bureau of the Department of Labor made a
survey of the chief woman-employing industries in the District to
determine the prevailing hours and wages of the women workers in
the spring of 1937. The survey was conducted in March and April.
The industries surveyed were laundries; dry-cleaning plants; factories; department, ready-to-wear, and limited-price stores; beauty
shops; hotels; and restaurants. Offices as such were not surveyed,
but data concerning office workers in the various industries covered
were secured and these have been reported separately.
About 200 establishments, selected as a representative cross section of woman-employing industries, were covered. Excepting beauty
shops, a few of which had only three employees, no firm was included
that employed less than five women. Pay-roll records were secured
for a total of over 12,500 women. In all but a few cases the investigators received the cordial cooperation of employers.
That the past 5 years has seen great changes in the size and charact er of the population of the District of Columbia is common knowledge.
Unfortunately only the decennial census, in its report on occupations,
supplies comprehensive figures for men and women separately that
indicate the industrial distribution of the two sexes. For this reason
conditions in the later years of every census decade, especially if
changes in employment are known to be considerable, are a matter
of guesswork.
With the exception of Government service and household employment, the largest numbers of employed women in the District are in
clerical work other than Government service or in the distributive
trades, and the groups ranking next probably are those in hotels and
restaurants. Manufacturing, telephone operating, laundry and drycleaning service, and beauty-shop work are other important employers
of women.
Washington is not a manufacturing city, and there are few important
factories. As even the census of manufactures, though taken biennially, shows employment by sex only in connection with the decennial census, the latest figures available are for the year 1929, that
is, the census of 1930. However, large numbers of the small manufacturing plants are known to employ few or no women.
1
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2
H OURS AND WAGE S IN THE DIS'. rRICT OF COLUMBIA.
Scope of survey.
The scope of the survey is shown in the table following, the footnote
to which explains the difference in classification between the s9ope table
and the t ables on wages and hours. More detailed tables ,.than are
presented in this report are available for examination in the office of the
Women's Bureau.
TAB L E
1.-Number of establishments visited and n umber of men and women they
employed, by industry
I ndustry
Number of
establish•
ments
197
All industries-Number......... .... .... ...............
Percent••••••. . . . ...... . . . ... . .. . .. . ....•••••• •.....
Laundries ..••••••••••••••.. ...... . . . . . ........• __.. . __ •. • __ . .
Dry cleaning••••••••. __ . . __ ... ___ .• . ....• . .... •.•..•.••••••..
Manufactures .. •.•.. . .........••..•.... . ..•..•••.......•••...
i~~~l~g~~J;;r
prodii"iits~== ===== ======== == ========== == ==
Other manufactures . ....•.•...•.•.•.•.••.•.•.• . •.•.•.....
Stores:
Department ••••••••. . ... . ·...•.•.•.• . •.......•.•........•
Ready•to•wear •• •.•.. .... . ...•.•. . ... ..... . . . .. . ....•....
Limited•price.••..•.......... . ..... ...... .... . . . . .. . ....•
Beauty shops .. •....... .. . .• ...•.•.. . •. . . .. •....... . .... .•...
Hotels and rest aurants:
Hotels . . .• . •.••.•••••••..... . .,.. ..•...•. ...... . ....... ..•.
Restaurants.•••••••.••......... ...•. . .•..... . .. . ....... . .
Number of employees
Total
21,211
Men
8,404
100. 0
39. 6
3,308
250
981
120
Women
12, 807
60. 4
2, 327
130
613
1, 461
764
291
848
620
157
406
71
134
335
7,412
2,196
265
85
5, 216
932
584
53
311
2, 492
1,678
4,058
2,178
814
1,880
1,197
669
364
144
N OTE.- To indicate the scope of the survey and the size of the establishments visited, these figures for the
various industries include all their employees, but in t he wage and hour tabulations certain groups within
the industries-workers in the offices of all establishments, in the laundries of stores,in the dry•cleaning departments of laundries, and in the restaurants and beauty shops of stores and of hotels- are t ransferred to
t he sections of t he report t hat treat of these specific lines of employment .
Hours worked.
The firm 's scheduled hours are those reported as the regular working
week . Omitting hotels and restaurants, which have considerable
numbers of women on part time, these ranged from 40 to 48, but the
hours actually worked by the women were in many cases much
shorter and in a few cases slightly longer. Personal reasons ordinarily
cause some absence on the part of the employee, but considerable loss
of time is caused by irregularity of work.
In the spring of 193 7, hours of 48 per week were almost unknown
in the department stores surveyed in the District of Columbia, but
three-fifths of the women working in the limited-price stores worked
these hours. Less than one-eighth of the laundry employees worked
as long as 48 hours, but more than one-third of the women in drycleaning establishments had such hours. The largest proportions of
women workers in department stores, laundries, factories, and the
offices of the establishments surveyed worked over 40 but under 48
hours.
In factories and ready-to-wear stores more than one-third of the
women employ~es worked less than 40 hours; in laundries about
three-tenths were so reported.
Though the restaurant industry, like the others, had in most cases
actual working hours of not more than 8 a day , the spread of hoursthe time between beginning and ending the day's work, including
idle (and unpaid) time between meals-was excessive for some
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INTRODUCTION
3
women. Cases were recorded where the interval between starting
work in the morning and quitting work for the night was 14 hours
or more.
Hours worked are shown for each group in the summary following.
For a correlation with earnings, see the section of the report devoted
to the specific industry.
Percent of women who workedIndustry 1
Over 40
hours
Laundries......... ______________________ ._ ...... ____ . ___ _. ____ _
29. 3
Dry cleaning .. __ ---------------··--·_·------- ___ .-· . . ·- .•. _---·
Manufactures .... ·---···-----·········--·-·---·-·-·····-·----··
Stores (exclusive of part-time workers):
Department ... · ·-····---·--·······-·---·---·-···-·-·······
Ready-to•wear. _--·-- --------·--- __ . _______ ·--- -·-·-- ____ .•
Limited-price .. ·--·---------·----·-.. ---·------·---_·--·· ..
Office work 2. __________________ -------------------------------·
16. 4
35.5
11.0
10. 8
17. 6
69.6
72.6
47.0
12. 2
36. 9
8.1
.2
.9
23. 7
60. 9
39.2
8.6
7.3
89. 7
60. 0
84.1
12.1
1. 9
86.1
10.0
48 hours
and over
.5
3
11.1
1 Hours were not obtainable for beauty shops, and in hotels and restaurants the variety of shifts made
the figures noncomparable,
2 Only the office workers in the Industries surveyed. For office workers in the telephone service, seep, 44.
a No Instance of over 48 hours.
Week's earnings.
Week's earnings varied widely from industry to industry and
within the same industry. The largest proportion of the women
(17 percent) earned $12 but less than $14 a week. In each of three
2-dollar intervals there were approximately 13 percent of the women;
that is, 13 percent earned $10 but less than $12, $14 but less than
$16, and $16 but less than $18. Another 13 percent earned less
than $8, and still another earned $20 and more.
Practically two-thirds of the women with cash earnings below $8
were employed in restaurants, where supplements to wages in the
form of meals are customary. Beauty shops not in stores, hotel
lodging departments, laundries, and manufactures paid from 9
percent to 16 percent of their women employees cash wages of below
$8 in the pay-roll week recorded.
The following table shows for each industry the number of women
for whom pay-roll records were secured; the midpoint in their earnings,
with half the women receiving more and half receiving less; and the
earnings distribution in 2-dollar intervals.
12655°-37-2
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TABLE
2.-Week's earnings of women, by industry
Percent of women with week's earnings ofNumber of
Median
women for
whom
payearnings
1
Industry
roll records
of the
less
$6, less
$8, less
$10, less $12, less $14, less $16, less $18, less
$20 and
were
women Less$4than $4,
than $8 than $10 than $12 than $14 than $16 than $18 than $20
less $6
more
secured
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 - - - -- 1- - - - -1- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - TotaL ___________________________________ _
211,349
3. 4
4.1
12. 8
13. 2
5. 4
8. 5
17. 0
13. 6
13. 0
9. 1
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - Laundries ______________________________________ _
2. 8
1,773
2. 0
6. 9
21. 1
32. 3
18. 2
10. 5
1.4
1. 3
$10. 90
3. 6
Dry cleaning ________________________ __________ _
2. 2
268
12. 80
1.9
19. 4
6. 3
3.0
5. 6
1. 9
34. 7
14. 9
10.1
Manufactures __________________________________ _
530
5.1
9. 4
4. 0
13. 35
5.1
5. 5
10. 2
13. 0
18. 1
17. 9
11. 7
Stores (exclusive of part-time workers):
Department _______________________________ _
2,892
3 17. 4
4. 9
26. 3
.5
15. 8
16. 60
.6
1.0
14. 6
18. 3
.6
Ready-to-wear _____________________________ _
4 38. 8
547
18. 60
.4
.2
1. 5
1. 5
.5
8. 0
16. 3
10. 2
22. 7
Limited-price ______________________________ _
303
12. 50
1.0
.7
5. 3
25. 4
56. l
•7
10. 9 ---------- ---------- ---------Beauty shops;
89
3. 4
1.1
2. 2
1.1
15. 7
19. 65
5. 6
12. 4
10.1
'48.3
In stores __ ---------------------------------e 41. 5
282
17. 80
2. 8
7.1
3.5
2. 8
3. 5
11. 3
11. 7
8. 2
7. 4
4.1
507
11. 50
4. 9
1. 6
4. 3
21. 7
19. 5
27. 6
4.1
8.1
3. 9
Restaurants s__________________________________
_
Hot~!~fictginidepartrneiits)
/======= === == ======I
2,382
2.1
9. 45
10. 3
13. 8
15. 8
13. 9
15. 6
14. 2
6. 3
4. 7
3. 4
Office workers •------- _________________________ _
18 26. 2
1,776
16. 65
15. 2
20. 0
17. 8
14. 5
•7
.7
1. 6
1. 4
2. 0
------------
~
H
z
1-3
::i::
~
tj
Half the women earned more and half earned less than the median, the form of average used throughout this report.
Excludes part-time workers in stores, laundry workers in hotels, curb waitresses in restaurants, and telephone operators.
12.3 percent at $20 but less than $25; 3.9 percent at $25 but less than $30; 1.3 percent at $30 and more.
' 20.5 percent at $20 but less than $25; 9.9 percent at $25 but less than $30; 8.4 percent at $30 and more.
6 22.5 percent at $20 but less tlian $25; 21.3 percent at $25 but less than $.'30; 4.5 percent at $30 and more.
8 24.5 percent at $20 but less than $25; 11.3 percent at $25 but less than $30; 5.7 percent at $30 and more.
7 Earnings figures are based on cash wages, excluding allowance for lodgings or meals given to some employees.
_
8 Includes dining rooms and kitchens in hotels. Earnings figures are based on cash wages, excluding allowance for meals or lodging given to most employees. For curb waitresses,
seep. 34.
9 Only the office workers in the industries surveyed. For office workers in telephone service seep. 44..
10 16.6 percent at $20 but less than $25; 5.5 percent at $25 but less than $30; 4.2 percent at $30 and more.
1
2
3
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>
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INTRODUCTION
5
Comparison with rates fixed by former Minimum Wage Board.
During the administration of the former District of Columbia
Minimum Wage Board four industries or groups of industries were
covered by orders. The full-time rates set for experienced women
workers in these groups were as follows: Printing, publishing, and
allied undustries, $15.50; mercantile industry, $16.50; hotel, restaurant, and allied industries, $16.50, from which might be deducted a
maximum of $2 for a week's lodging and 30 cents for each meal
supplied; and laundry and dry-cleaning industry, $15.
In the recent survey by the Women's Bureau printing and publishing was not included, the chief reason being the existence of a union
agreement between the bindery women and their employers that sets
a minimum wage of $20.50 for day workers for a week of 40 hours.
In the other minimum-wage industries, the extent to which the
women's earnings in 1937 equaled or fell below the rates set by the
orders of the board at various dates from 1919 to 1922 may be
summarized as follows :
Percent o! women whose earnings in 1937
survey wereIndustry and rate set by Board
Laundries-$15 ___ _____________________ __ _____ _______ ________ _
Dry cleaning-$15 __ ______________ ______ ______ ____ __ __ _______ _
Storp,g-$16.50:
Department 1_________________ _ _ _ __ __ _ _ _ ____ _ __ ___ _ ______ _
Ready-to-wear 1 __________________________ ___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _
Limited-price 1 ___ -------------------------- -- __ ___ _ _____ _
1
Less than
rate set
by Board
Same as
rate set
by Board
More than
rate set
by Board
89.1
70. 1
1. 9
4.9
9. 0
25. 0
45. 7
8. 0
46. 4
6. 2
63.3
30. 5
100. 0
Excludes part-time workers.
The Women's Bureau study of hotels and restaurants did not correlate the meals and lodgings furnished and the cash wages paid to
each individual employee. For this reason, though 88 percent of the
women working in hotels and approximately 91 percent of the women
working in restaurants had cash earnings of less than $16.50 per week,
it would not be accurate to state that these proportions earned less
than the minimum wage, for such minimum permitted specific deductions for lodgings and meals- $2 a week for the former and 30 cents
a meal for the latter.
Hourly earnings.
When an individual's earnings for a pay period are divided by the
number of hours she worked, a fair basis of comparison of rates of
earnings of the workers in an industry is secured.
Among the six groups of establishments for which data as to hours
actually worked were available, it is obvious that women in ready-towear stores had the highest hourly earnings. Two-thirds of these
workers earned 40 cents an hour and more, as compared with not
much more than a third of the women in department stores and less
than a fifth ·of those in the manufacturing industries surveyed. The
largest groups in laundries, dry-cleaning establishments, and limitedprice stores earned 25 but less than 30 cents an hour.
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6
HOURS AND WAGES IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Detail is given in the tabular statement that follows:
Percent of women with average hourly earnings
ofIndustryt
Median 1- - - - - - , - - - - - - , - -- - - - - - -- - 30, less
35 • less 40 cents
earnings Less than 25, less
0 than 35
t~!it!o and more
25 cents t~e2:;
cents
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - --1-- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Laundries _____________________ ___ _______ _
Dry cleaning _____________________________ _
Manufactures _______________ ________ _____ _
Stores
(exclusive of
part-time workers): _
________________________
Department_
Ready-to-wear _______________________ _
Limited-price______________ _____ _____ _
$0. 250
.292
. 340
25.3
8. 8
11.8
51.3
41.8
10. 5
. 367
. 440
2.3
12. 2
.260
8.6
85.1
.4
7. 7
11.8
28.0
8.0
12. 9
29.1
3. 7
8.4
18. 5
19. 6
13.8
6. 3
30.2
10. 8
35. 7
67.4
30.1
1 Data not obtainable for beauty shops, and in hotels and restaurants the variety of shifts made the
figures noncomparable. Not t_abulated for office workers.
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LAUNDRY INDUSTRY
·
According to the most recent figures-those from the Census of
M anufactures of 1935-there are 29 power laundries, employing 3,900
persons, in the District of Columbia. The study completed by the
Women's Bureau in May 1937 includes 20 establishments with 2,925
persons.
The laundry industry, because of the character of its work, has
always been especially suited to the employment of women. They
mark and sort the clothes as they come into the laundry ; t hey do hand
washing on fine garments; they iron the clothes, in presses or by hand;
and finally they fold and assemble the finished work. M en collect
and deliver the bundles, operate the washing machines and those for
drying (extractors), and assemble and wrap the heavier packages.
The 2,083 women in the 20 laundries included in this study formed
71.2 percent, or nearly three-fourths, of the total number of employees.
Hours worked.
Hours worked were reported for a large majority of the women for
whom pay-roll records were obtained. In the week recorded, about
three-tenths of the women worked less than the 40 hou.rs that constituted the shortest regular schedule of any firm. Two-fifths worked
40 and less than 45 hours, and almost one-eighth worked 48 hours or
more. For details as to hours worked see table 3.
Week's earnings.
The most important thing to the worker is the actual money that
she has to live on. This amount varies with the number of hours she
actually works, with her rate of pay, the efficiency of the management,
and- if on piece work-her own speed. In the present laundry study,
the average of the week's earnings was $10.90 for the entire group of
1,773 women with earnings reported. Out of these weekly earnings
must come rent, food, clothing, carfare, and all other necessities.
Not far from one-eighth .of the women earned less than $8; one-fifth
earned $8 and less than $10; and the largest group-about one-thirdearned $10 and under $12.
Another point of view of the earnings of all women, arrived at
from the figures in table 3, may be had from the cumulative percents,
which are as follows:
Week'8 earning8
Less
Less
Less
Less
Less
Less
than
than
than
than
than
than
Percent of
women
$6 ____ ___ .. ____ _______ _______.., __ _
$8 __________ __________ _________ $10 ______ _________ _____ ____ ____ _
$12 __ ______ _____ ___ ________ __ ___
$14 __ _____ _________ ___ ______ __ __
$16 __ _________ ________ ___ ______ _
4. 7
11. 7
32. 8
65. 1
83. 3
93.8
$16 and more ___ __ __ __ ______ _______ ______ _
$18 and more ____ ______ _____: ___ _____ __ ____
$20 and more ___________ ____ __ __________ __
6. 2
2. 7
1.3
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.,
TABLE
Week's earnings
3.-Week's earnings of women in laundries, by time worked
00
Total women
Number of women with earnings as specified who workedNumber
•-------~of~ilien1------,-----r----.,------,------,----.,------,-----1
Over 40, Over 44,
32, less
24, less
48
Number Percent ~o~f:d Less than than 32 than 40 4.0 hours including less than 48 hours Over
hours
reported 24 hours
hours
44 hours 4 hours
hours
Hours
worked
not reported
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - --1---- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ----,1----1---- - - - - - -
TotaL ______ _________ ___ _____________ ____ _____
1,773
100. 0
Percent distribution _____ ___ _____ ___ __ ______________ _____ __ _____ __ _____ _
Median earnings 1___________ ___ __ ___________ _____ ___
$10.90 _________ _
Less than $4_ -------- -- -- --- - __________ ____________ _
U, less than $6 ______ ____ _______ ___ _________ ________ _
$6, less
than $10.
$8----------------- --_______
-- -- --------$8,
less than
____ --________
_________
__ _____ -_
$10, less than $12. ___ __ __ __ ___________ ___ ______ _____ _
$12, less than $14. __ ___ ___ __ ___ _____ ________________ _
$H, les.c; than $16 ___ __ __ _____ _______ ___ _____________ _
$16, less than $18. ________ __________ __ ______ ________ _
$18, less than $20 . ___ _____ ___ _____ ___________ ____ ___ _
$20 and more ______ ____________ _______ __ ________ . ___ _
35
49
123
374
573
323
186
63
24
23
2. 0
2. 8
6. 9
21.1
32. 3
18. 2
10. 5
3. 6
1.4
1. 3
1, 478
100. 0
$10. 95
27
33
101
320
499
260
148
53
20
51
3. 5
$3. 90
67
4. 5
$7. 40
314
21. 2
$9. 55
~ --------;; --- - ----21
41
15
3
1
--- - ----- - - ----------------- - ------------------- ----------
27
180
61
16
25
2
1
17 --- - -- - - - - --- ------- --- - ------
162
11.0
$10. 95
305
20.6
$11. 85
396
26. 8
$11.30
137
9. 3
$12.10
46
295
3. 1 ---------(1)
--------i- ---------- ---------- --------- ---------1 ------ 5
16
34
88
215
29
59
17
49
6
27
2
2
2
5
-
14
44
108
77
33
13
10
6
12
31
22
42
18
3
5
4
2
36
6
2
8
16
22
54
74
63
38
10
4
6
PERCENT OF WOMEN
E:;
1
1
$15_ - ----- ---- ------ - - -- --- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Medians computed on I-dollar distribu tion.
Not computed; base less t han 50.
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--1.
1,5:
160
,.,~33 I- --------, • I-- ------, •-- I (2)~· I (2)n, I (2),,_. I (2)~· I
I ".
1.9
9. 0 I
6. 7
10.1
41. 2
27. 7
119 --------- - - -------- -
(2)8, •
11. 8
--------1------'2.- - 52- - 1------···----------
LAUNDRY INDUSTRY
9
How little the variation in earnings may be attributed solely to the
difference in hours worked is indicated by the fact that though a large
group, well over two-fifths of the women, worked 44 hours and over,
the earnings of these same women varied from $6 to $25. As shown
in the accompanying table, which correlates earnings and hours, a small
group worked less than 24 hours, and naturally their earnings, on the
whole, were low.
The range of average earnings was from $3.90 for the group working less than 24 hours to $12.10 for those working 48 hours. The
women who worked 40 hours had the same average earnings, $10.95,
as the average for the entire group with hours reported; for the
women in each of the hour groupings above 40 hours the median wa~
more than $10.95, and for those in each hour group of less than 40
hours it was below that amount. ·
A standardization of hours does insure less variation of earnings
than when hours have a wide range, but when in a week of at least 40
hours practically seven-eighths of the women earn less than $15,
something more than full time is needed to insure a living wage.
Under the former Minimum Wage Board the minimum wage for
laundries in the District of Columbia was set at $15 for a full working
week. Using this as a measure it is interesting to note, in table 3,
the proportion of women reported to have such earnings in the recent
survey. About nine-tenths (89 percent) of the women earned less
than $15 in the week recorded, though practically 7 in 10 of these
worked at least 40 hours; only 2 percent earned $15 and 9 percent
earned over $15.
Of the women who earned less than $15, almost one-third worked a
week of more than 44 hours; nearly one-eighth worked at least 48
hours. Only about one-third of this group had a workweek of less
than 40 hours.
More than nine-tenths (93 percent) of the women who earned $15
or more worked at least 40 hours; more than two-fifths (43 percent)
worked over 44 hours.
Of the women who worked 40 hours or more, the following proportions had earnings as specified.
Week'a earn i ng&
Less
Less
Less
Less
than
than
than
than
Percent
of w omen
$10 ___ _:_ ____ ____ __ ____ ___ _______
$12__ _______ ____________ __ _____ _
$14_ ___ __ __ ___ ___ ___ ______ ______
$16_ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ __ __ ___ _
$16 and more__ __ ______ __ _______________ __
$18 and more___ ____ ______ _____ __________ _
$20 and more___ ___ ___________ __ ___ ______ _
15.
56.
79.
91.
l
7
9
7
8. 3
3. 4
1. 6
Hourly earnings.
When week's earnings are reduced to an hourly basis, the average
is found to be 25 cents. Almost one-third of the women for whom
hour records were obtained had earnings of 25 but less than 26 cents.
No other group approaches this in size; the next largest group, at
25, but less than 28 cents, comprised only 7 percent. More than onetenth of the women, 12 percent, earned at least 35 cents, considerably
more than the 25-cent average for the total. In contrast to these,
over 6 percent had hourly earnings of less than 20 cents.
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1Q
HOURS AND WAGES
IN THE DISTRiCT OF COLtJM131A
The following tabulation shows the proportion of women with
hourly earnings as specified:
Hourly earnings (cents)
Less than 20 __________________________ _
20, less than 2L _______ ___________ ____ _
21, less than 22 _______________________ _
22, less than 23_ -------- - -------------23, less
than 24_
------- ---------------_
24,
less than
25 ______
_________________
25, less than 26__________ ________ _____ _
26, less than 27 _--------------~-------27, less than 28 ________ __________ _____ _
2a, less than 29_ ---------------- -------
Percent of
women
6.4
5.3
2.6
2.4
4.8
3.8
32. 9
3.9
7.4
3. 4
Hourly earnings (cents)
29, less than 30 ___________________ ___ __
30, less
less than
than 32
3L______________
----------- ---_______
--------31,
: __
32, less than 33_ -- ---------- ---------- 33,
less than
34____
------ -------·-- ---_
34, less
than 35
_:____--____
___________
35, less than 40 ____________________ __ __
40, and
less more
than ___
45_____
----------- ----------45
_________
__ ________ _
Percent of
women
3. 7
3. 8
3. 0
1. 4
2. 2
1.4
8. 0
2.6
1.1
Earnings in hotel laundries.
Earnings data were obtained for 133 women in seven laundries
operated by hotels. Because many of these women were given meals
in addition to their cash wage, they have not been included in the
tables for other laundries. The average week's earnings of these women amounted to $10.65. The largest group, 24 percent, earned $10
and less than $11; the next largest group, 16.5 percent, earned $7
and less than $8, and almost as many, 15.8 -percent, earned $12 and
less than $13. Only 3 percent of the women earned as much as $15.
Hours worked were reported for not quite half the women. For
these the average hourly earnings were 25 cents. The range of hourly
earnings was from 23 to 33 cents, but just over half the women, 50.8
percent, earned 24 and less than 26 cents.
More than one-half, 55.7 percent, worked over 40 and under 44
hours in the week scheduled; 23 percent worked over 44 hours, the
remaining 21.3 percent working less than 40.
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DRY-CLEANING INDUSTRY
Establishments where cleaning and dyeing work is done usually
employ comparatively few persons. For the entire United States, the
figures of the Census of Manufactures for 1935 show an average of
about 10 wage earners to a plant. For the District of Columbia,
however, figures from this same source show an average of 19 persons,
or almost twice as many as for the United States. The number of
wage earners reported for 36 plants in the District of Columbia in
1935 was 689, a.nd the number employ ed (including office help and
drivers) in the 18 plants ii;icluded in the Women's Bureau study of
1937 was almost as large, namely, 633.
The proportion of women in the plan ts surveyed was almost threefifths (374 women), not so high as in laundries but nevertheless a
majority of the workers in dry-cleaning establishments.
Hours worked. .
In most cases the hours worked, reported for all but a few of the
women, were below the firm's schedule. Though no firm had a
schedule of less than 40 hours, one-sixth of the women actually
worked less than 40. For details as to hours worked see table 4.
Week's earnings.
The average week's earnings for the 268 women for whom earnings
were reported, regardless of time worked, were $12.80. Nearly
three-fifths of the women earned $10 and less· than $15. The lowearnings group of less than $8 comprised 6 percent of the women.
Only 3 percent bad earnings as high as $20.
The cumulative percents, which show earnings levels from a somewhat different point of view, may be arrived at from the figures in
table 4. They are summarized as follows:
·
lVeek' s earnings
Less
Less
Less
Less
Less
Less
than
than
than
than
than
than
Percent
of w omen
$6__ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ __ __ _ _ __ _ __ _ __ ____ _ _ 4.
$8_ _____ _____ _____ ___ __ ______ ____ 6.
$10 ___ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ __ _ __ _ _ ___ __ __ 11.
$12 ______ ________ _____ __ _____ ____ ; 31.
$14 ____ ____ ________ ______ __ ____ __ 65.
$16 __ ____ ___ ____ ____ ____ ______ ___. 80.
1
0
6
0
7
6
$16 and more ___ ___ ___ __ ______ ___ ______ ____ _19. 4
$18 and more__ _________ ________ _____ __ ____ 9. 3
$20 and more_ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ __ __ _ _ __ __ 3. 0
The accompanying table shows the week's earnings of the women
and the number of hours they worked in the week surveyed.
:
Five-sixths of the women worked 40 hours or more, and practically
two-thirds of this group earned less than $15. Only eight wbmen
earned as much as $20 . Average earnings were .$12.95 for the women
who worked over 44 but under 48 hours, and $13.40 for those who
worked 48 hours; both averages were somewhat higher than that for
'
12655°-37-
3
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
11
TABLE
Week's earnings
4.-Week'a earnings of women in dry-cleaning plants, by time worked
Number of women with earnings as specified who workedTotal women
Number
1 - - - - - - -iof women 1_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 1
with
24, less
32, less
Over 40, Over 44,
than than 32 than 40 40 hours including less than 48 hours Over 48
Number Percent :irr:d Less
hours
reported 24 hours
hours
« hours 48 hours
hours
I
Hours
worked
not reported
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - TotaL ____________ __ __ __ __ __ _________________ _
268
100. 0
Percent distribution ________________________________ ________ ____________ _
Median earnings 1____________________ _______________
$12. 80 ___ ___ ___ _
1
Less than $4 ____ _______ _______ _____ _________________ _
$4,
------------------ ------------------_
$6, less
less than
than $6_
$8 ______
____ _____ ___ ___________________
$8, less than $10 ______________ ______________________ _
$10, less than $12 __ __ __________ _____________________ _
$12, less than $14 __________________________ _________ _
SH, less than $16 ____ _______________________________ _
$16, less than $18 ___________________________________ _
$18, less than $20 __________________________ _________ _
$20 and more ___________ ___ _____ ________ ___________ __
11
4. 4
249
100. 0
$12. 75
(')
6
2. 4
(')
24
9. 6
(')
- - - - 1 - - - - 1 - -- -1 - -- -1 - --
5
6
5
15
52
93
40
'n
17
8
1. 9
2. 2
1. 9
5. 6
19. 4
34. 7
14. 9
10. 1
5
6
5
15
48
27
10. 8
(')
62
5
87
34. 9
24. 9
$12. 95
$13. 40
(')
19
2. 0 ------ --- -
-1----1----1-----1---- - - - - - - - -
5 - --------- -------- -- ---------- ---- --- --- ---------- ------ ---- ---------- ---------5
88 ---------- ----------
1 ---------- --- --- -- - 2
4
1 -- -------- ------ --- - ---------5
3
2
2
15
8
7
10
2
8
12
23
37 ---------- - -- ------- ---------5
22 ----- - ---- ---- -----1 ---- -- ----
6. 3
3.0
'n
10.8
(2)
15 -- -------- ---------- ---------8 --------- - --- --- ---- ---- - - ----
3
3
2 ---------1 ----------
10
8
6
43
15
4
9
1
7
4
6
3
5
3
5
2
PERCENT OF WOMEN
1881
13
67
1 Medians
2 Not
computed on 1-dollar distribution .
computed; base less than 50.
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70.1
4. 9
25. 0
I
1m60 I-----6. 2-I ______ 3. 4-I----_ 13. 1-I
---------- ---------1. 7
(')21. 0
38. 3
I
(2)31.
81
36. 7
(2)0.
61-------------------
5. 0 ----------
DRY-CLEANING INDUS'.rRY
13
all women. Only 3 women of the 41 who worked less than 40 hours
earned as much as $12.
Under the minimum-wage order of 1921 that included dry cleaning,
the minimum rate was set at $15 for a full working week. Using
this rate as a measure, table 4 shows that in the recent survey 70
percent of the women earned less than $15, 5 percent earned $15,
and 25 percent earned more than $15. The hours worked by these
women also may be seen in table 4.
More than three-fourths of the women who earned less than $15
worked a full week of 40 hours or more; almost one-third worked
at least 48 hours. Practically all the women who earned $15 or over
worked at least 40 hours; almost half had a week of 48 hours or more.
The following summary shows the week's earnings of women who
worked 40 hours and more.
Percento1
women
Wee k's earnings
Less
Less
Less
Less
than
than
than
than
$10 ______ __________________ ____ _
$12 __ _______ ___________________ _
$14 __ ______ _________ _________ ___
$16 __ ____ _________ ___ ____ ______ _
$16 and more ___ ________________ __ ______ __
$18 and more ___ ____________ _______ ______ _
$20 and more ______ _______ _____ ____ ______ _
4.
19.
61.
78.
8
7
1
8
21. 2
11. 1
3. 8
Hourly earnings.
Average hourly earnings for the 249 women for whom hours worked
were reported were 29.2 cents. Less than one-tenth had earnings
below 25 cents. The better-earnings group, those whose hourly
earnings were 35 cents or more, comprised a little more than ·a fifth
of the women workers.
There was no concentration of hourly earnings in any I-cent interval,
but not far from three-tenths of the women earned 25 and less than
27 cents. The following tabulation gives the proportions of women
with hourly earnings as specified.
Hourly earnings (cents)
Less than 2() ____ ____ __________ ________ _
20, less than 25____ ____________ ___ __ ___
25. less than 26 __ __________ _______ ____ _
26, less than 27 ____ __ _________________ _
27, less than 28 _____ _______ __ _____ ___ __
28, less than 29 ____ _____________ ______ _
29, less than :io __ _____________________ _
30, less than 31. __ ____ ____ __ __ ________ _
P ercent of
women
2.0
6.8
12. 9
14. 9
6.8
4. 4
2. 8
11. 2
Hourly earnings (cents)
31, less than 32 ______ _____________ ____ _
32, less than 33 ___ _______ _____ _____ ___ _
33, less than 34 ______ ____ ___ __________ _
34, less than 35___ ___ ________ _________ _
35, less than 40 ____ ____ ____ ____ ______ __
40, less tban 45 ______ ___ ______________ _
45 and more __ _____ _____ ______________ _
Percent of
women
8.8
3. 6
2.8
1.6
12. 9
4.4
4. 0
More women earned 45 cents and over than earned below 20 cents;
almost equal proportions earned less than 25 cents and 40 cents and
more.
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MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES
The manufacturing industries of the District of Columbia furnish
employment to only a small proportion of women. Offices, hotels and
restaurants, and stores offer far greater opportunities of employment
to the woman worker than does manufacturing.
According to the United States Census of Manufactures for 1935
there were only 9,396 men and women in manufacturing establishments in the District at that time. The census figure included workers
in printing and publishing plants, but this industry was excluded from
the Women:s Bureau survey. 1
In the present study records for 596 women, in 17 establishments,
were secured. There were too few plants in any one class to divide
by specialized product. Seven establishments-two candy factories,
three bakeries, one peanut-butter plant, and one making potato chips
-are thrown together to make up the food group. Classed as paper
and paper products are four plants- one making paper, one paper
straws and tubes, and t wo paper boxes. "Other m anufactures" comprises two clothing, one pharmaceutical-supply, and three awning
factories. Women composed 41 percent of the entire group of employees. They outnumbered the men five to one in the miscellaneous
group "other manufactures."
Women
All
Indu~try
employees
. All manufactures ____ ____ __ _________ :_ ____________ ____ _____
1- -Food products ______ ____ ______ ___ ________ _____ __ _______ : ____ ____
Number
1,444
-
~tE: :!Effc!~:S~~~~~s-~~====================================
Percent
/596 -
- ,- --
-
41. 3
1- -
747
127
~
m
-
-
17. O
:~J
Uours wor~ed.
:· In many cases hours actually worked by the women were much
below the scheduled hours of the firms. More than one-fourth of the
w.o_m en worked less than 32 hours, and about one-tenth worked 32
Q.ild under 40 hours. · · ~ ·
. - Percent of women with hours as specified -
Hours worked
Less than 32. · ----- ----- - --------- ------------ -- ------ -- ----- 32, less than 40---------- ---- ----------------------- --------- --
· Food prodI'apllr a nd Other ~a~u- ucts · · ~per prod• ,· factures
ucts
• ,_ .:
14. 6
19. 5
4() __ ___ _ - -- -- ----- -- - - ___ . _ __ ------ - - . --- - _. ___ -- -- -- -- -- -- -- _ _
26. 8
44 ___ __ _- - _-- - - _- -- _-- _-- __ -- --- -- -- __--- __-- - - _----- ---- -- ____
More than 44, less than 48_ ____ __ ___ _____ _____ _____ _____ ___ __ _
48 and more__ _____ __ ____ __ ______ _______ ________ ________ _______
14. 6
14. 6
More than 40, less than 44- ---- ------ ------- ------------------ ___ __ ___ __ ___ _
1 See
p. 5 of Introduction.
14
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
9. 8
7. 6
11.0
4◄ . 9
.8
3. 4
6. S
25. 4
35.1
6. 8
6. 3
2. 5
«. 7
6.6
MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES
15
P aper products had the large.s t proportion of women who worked
a week of 40 hours or more, but in each of the three groups more than
half of the women worked such hours. A considerable number worked
short time, however, the proportion at less than 40 hours ranging
from 19 percent in paper products to 42 percent in "other manufactures", where more than one-third of the women worked less than 32
hours. One-fourth in paper products, in contrast to one-seventh in
food products and none at all in the miscellaneous group, . worked 48
hours. The details for the total manufacturing group appear in table 5.
Week's earnings.
Pay-roll records were obtained for 530 of the women employed, and
hours worked were reported for practically oll of these. The average of
. the week's earnings for the entire group was $13.35. Average earnings
in the food and the paper industries were $14.10 and $14.15, respectively. "Other manufactures", with an average of only $11.85,
brought down the figure for the entire manufacturing group to the
$13.35 cited.
Nearly 10 percent of the women in "other manufactures", where a
large group worked short hours, had earnings of less than $5, and for
almost one-fifth the earnings were less than $8. For all manufactures,
food products, and "other manufactures" the proportions earning .
$15 or more were between 29 and 31 percent, but the paper group,
with one-fourth of the women working 48 or more hours, had 36
percent with earnings of at least $15.
The actual week's earnings, without regard to hours worked, are .
shown by industry in the summary following.
Percent of women with earnings as specified
Week's earnings
Food prod•
ucts
Paper and
paper prod•
urts
3.5
9. 2
58. 3
25. i
3.5
4.2
6. 8
52. 5
33. 9
2. ll
9. 5
25. 3
36.2
24. 15
4. 6
10.2
15. 7
25. 8
38. 9
57.0
74. 9
5. 8
9.3
12. 8
18. 6
47. 7
75. 6
7.6
10. 2
11. 0
18. 6
47. 5
73. 7
12. 3
19. 3
34. 7 ·
61.5
62. 9
75. 2
25.1
24. 4
26. 3
24.8
Allmanu•
factures
Less than $5-----·-·----- -- -- _____ __-------· ....
.$5, less than $10_ ······ -························
$10, Jess than $15 .•• ••· ··· · -···· · · ··············
$1/i, Jess than $20 .•••. ·· · ····· · ······-··········
$20 and more-............ . ·········-·· · ····· · · ·
7. 3
18. 5
43. 4
26. 9
4. 0
Other manu•
factures
CUMULATIVE PERCENTS
Less than $6...... . . .... . . . ....... .. ....••.. ... _
Less than ~.S·· -· · · .. ...... _.. ..... .......... ... .
Less than $10... . . _. ....... . .... . . . .. . ..... .... .
Less than $12••.••.•• •• •.•• ••• • • ••••• •••••••••••
Less than $14••. • . . .. . • - · · .•••.• ••• . .. .••••• • •••
Less than $16•••• ·-· · · ·········· ········· ···-·· ·
$Hi
and more .. . ............................... .
One-fourth of the women in all manufactures for whom hours
worked were reported worked less than 32 hours. Three-tenths of
• these had earnings below $6, but more than one-fifth earned $10
and less than $14. Nearly two-thirds of the women worked 40 hours
or over. The largest group of these earned $14 and less than $16
and the next largest group earned $12 and less than $14, together
comprising almost one-half of the women who worked 40 hours or
more.
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TABLE
5.-Week's earnings of women in all manufacturu, by ti~ worked
Number of women with earnings as specified who workedNumber
ofwomen1-------------------------------1
with
hours Less than 24, less
32, less
Over 40, Over «,
Over 48
Percent worked 24 hours than 32 than 40 40 hours including less than 48 hours
hours
reported
hours
hours
44 hours 48 hours
Total women
i - - - - - -- - 1
Week's earnings
umber
Hours
worked
not reported
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- ·1 ---- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - -- TotaL ________ ______ __ ___ __ ____ ___ ____ ______ __
530
100. 0
Percent distribution ___________________________ __________________ ______ _
Median earnings 1________ ______ ____________ _________
$13. 35 _________ _
Less than $4 ____________________.___________ _________ _
$4, less than $6 ______________________________ _______ _
$6,
less than
than $10
SS-------------------------------------_
$8, less
___ __________ ____ ___ __ _______ _______
$10, less than $12 ___________________________________ _
$12, less than $14 ______ ___ _____ ______________ _______ _
$14, less than $16 _________________ _________ ____ __ ___ _
$16, less than $18 _____ ___________ _____ ______ ______ __ _
$18, less than $20 ___________________________________ _
$20 and more ___________________ ______________ ______ _
1
2
Medians computed on I-dollar distribution.
Not computed; base less than 50.
27
27
29
54
69
96
95
62
50
21
522
100. 0
$13. 40
(2)
43
8. 2
91
17. 4
$9. 20
51
9. 8
$11. 75
17. 6
165
31. 6
$14. 15
$15. 60
92
38
7. 3
(2)
(2)
41
7. 9
(2)
1
8
.2
--- -------
- - - -1-----1-----1-- - -1- - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - -- 5.1
5.1
23
27
19
12
1
8
2
1
5. 5
29
10. 2
13. 0
10
13
54
69
2
39
2
5
26
18. 1
92
17. 9
11. 7
9.4
4. 0
95 - - ------ - - - - ---- ---62 ---------- - ---------
4
19
17
1
3
g~ ----------1---------- --------1-
3
1
4
3
35
43
7
ii
1 ---------- - ------- -4
3 -- ------ -- ---------- ----- ----2
---------- - ------- - - - ---------
4 ---- --- --- --- - ------ - - - -------
21 ---- ---- -- ----- ----- - --------- -- ------ --
32
28
30
34
12
4 - ---- --- - - -- -- -----4
9
1 - --------2
20 ----- --- -- --- ------ -
z
5
4
1-3
13
9 ---------- ------ ---3 --- ------- - ---------
H
~
t;J
tj
H
U)
1-3
~
H
0
1-3
0
~
0
0
t"'
0
~
t:d
H
>-
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES
17
The average earnings for the groups of 50 or more varied from $9.20
for the women who worked 24 and under 32 hours to $15.60 for those
who worked over 40 and including 44 hours.
The earnings of women who worked 40 hours or more had a distribution as follows:
Percent of women working 40 hours or more with earmings
as specified
Week's earnings
All manu•
factures
Less than $10 .. ......... ..... .... . . .... ... ·--- ·
$10, less than $15-- ···-··· ···· · ·······- · -· ······
$15, less than $20 . .. •· ·· ··· ········ ·· · ······-· -•
$20 and more. . ·- ·-··················· ··· ··· ····
5.6
47.2
41.2
5. 9
Food
products
Paper and
paper
products
53. 7
40. 7
5. 6
155.2
41. 7
3. 1
Othermanu•
factures
10.2
41.2
41. 2
7.5
In food industries 15 percent of the women worked less than 32
hours, and their earnings were scattered over a wide range. Earnings
of those who worked 40 hours and over showed more than half earning
$11 but less than $15, with none earning less than $11.
In paper and paper products the small group of women who worked
less than 32 hours all earned less than $8; a few earned less than $3.
Where a full week of 40 or more hours was worked, earnings varied
from $10 to over $20. More than four-fifths of all the women worked
at least 40 hours and more than half of these earned $10 and less
than $15.
Considerably more women in "other manufactures" than in either
the food or the paper-products industry worked short time. More
than one-third of the women worked less than 32 hours-roughly less
than 4 days. Of those working less than 32 hours, only one-fourth
earned as much as $10 and three of every five women earned less
than $9.
Hourly earnings.
Average hourly earnings for the entire group of women with hours
and earnings reported were 34 cents. This was the figure also in paper
and :paper products, with that in food a little above (35 cents) and
that m "other manufactures" a little below (33.6 cents).
The differences in levels of hourly earnings are shown in the accompanying summary.
Percent of women
Hourly earnings (cents)
All manufac•
tures
Less than 20 .• __....•............ ··· ·· ·· · - ··· · ·
20, less than 25 .. . ................... . ... · ·· ·· - 25, less than 30 •. . .. ... .. . • . . . •······ ····-·-··· ·
30, less than 31. ....................... . . . ----·81, less than 32 ............ . ........ .. .. . . ... . . .
32, less than 33 .. ............ . ......... ... --····
83, less than 34 ... •-···················· · ·· · · · ··
34, less than 35 .............. . . . ........... .. . . .
35, less than 36 . . ... ·•··················· ·· ·· ·-·
36, less than 37 .. ...... ... ........... ... ·-·-····
37, less than 38_······················--· · ···· · ·
38, less than 39 .. ..... .. ·-·· ·······-· -·· - · ·- - -- ·
39, less than 40 . · -·-·-· · ················· · · ···--
40, less than 45 ._ . ......... . ......... . .... ... . . .
4,5, less than 50 . ...... .................... .... . .
50 and more-............... . . ............... . . .
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Food prod•
ducts
Paper and
paper prod•
ucts
5. 9 ···-·--······o. 8
5. 9 ·-·· - --·· ··- ·5. 1
2. 4
2. 5
10. 5
8. 2
34. 1
.8
4. 2
2. 4 ·- ---- - -· ··· ··
12. 1
1. 2
40. 7
2. 9
1. 2 · --- - - ··· ···-2. 7
1. 7
19. 2
29. 3
37. 3
3. 1
.8
2. 5
3.4
4. 9
2.1
1. 3
12. 5
5.1
20. 7
2. 4
3. 3
2. 5
2. 7
1. 2
Other manu•
factures
9. 3
7.8
15. 5
4. 3
6.2
4. 3
4.3
3. 7
9. 9
4. 7
3.4
3. 4
2. 2
13. 0
4. 7
3. 1
18
HOURS AND WAGES IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
In food products the largest group of women (34 percent) had hourly
earnings of 30 and under 31 cents, but almost as many (29 percent)
earned 35 and under 36 cents. In paper and paper products the
largest group (41 percent) earned 32 and under 33 cents, and almost
as many (37 percent) 35 and under 36 cents. "Other manufactures"
showed no such concentration in any I-cent interval, the largest
group, at 35 and under 36 cents, comprising not quite 10 percent of
the women.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
BEAUTY-SHOP INDUSTRY
In 1935, the date of the latest available census figures, there were
441 beauty shops in the District of Columbia, and these employed
1,243 women and men. In the current survey agents visited 39
establishments, employing 487 workers, of whom the large majority
(86 percent) were women. Thus the employees included in the survey
represented almost two-fifths (39 percent) of the number reported
by the Bureau of the Census.
The beauty shops visited in this survey were small establishments,
as is generally true; 22 of the 39 visited employed less than 10 workers
and only 9 had 15 or more. One had as many as 57. Eight of the
39 establishments were connected with stores, and these employed
110 women and 13 men. The other 31, designated as independent
beauty shops, employed 311 women and 53 men.
Approximately 90 percent of the women included in the study were
manicurists, hair dressers, shampooers, and other operators, the small
remainder being managers, office workers, and maids. Learners were
very few; 17 were employed in 5 shops, and 17 shops reported that
they never hire learners.
The working schedule for employees in the beauty shops in stores
was 7½ hours a day and 45 hours a week; employees in other beauty
shops were on an 8-hour day and a 48-hour week. Figures showing
actual hours worked were not available in the majority of the shops.
Week's earnings.
The records of a week's earnings, regardless of time worked, were
secured for 282 women in independent beauty shops and for 89 in
store beauty shops. The average earnings were $17.80 in the independent shops and $19.65 for those in stores. Managers, office
workers, and maids are excluded from these wage figures.
The range of earnings of the women in independent shops was from
$4 to almost $49, and there was very little concentration at any dollar
interval. Approximately one-eighth of the women earned less than
$10 and only 6 percent of the women earned as much as $30.
In the store beauty parlors a few women earned less than $10 and
a very small group earned $30 or more.
Most women in beauty shops were paid a weekly rate, and in a
considerable number of cases this was supplemented by a commission.
A negligible proportion of the women in independent shops, but
one-fifth of those in store shops, received a commission only.
In the table on page 20 is shown the distribution of week's earnings
of the operators in independent shops and in stores.
19
12655°-87---4
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
20
H OURS AND WAGES IN 'l'HE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
T A BLE
6.-Weelc's earnings of women operators in beauty shops
P ercent of women with earnings as specified
Week 's earn inits
All shops
Less than $10 _____ ______ ___________ ______ __ ___------ -- - _
Independen t
shops
11. 3
19. 4
26. 1
24. 0
13. 7
5. 4
m: ~:~~~:~IM==========·==============================
$20, less t han $25 __ _____ ________ _____ _____ ______ _____ ____
$25, less than $30________ ___ __ ______ ___ _____ _____ ______ __
$30 and more ___ ______ ____ _________ ____ _____ _______ __ ___ _
Store shops
6. 7
12. 7
22. 3
10. 1
34. 8
22. 5
21.4
4.4
23. 5
24. 5
11. 4
5. 7
C UM U L ATIVE PER C ENTS
Less than $6 ______ __ _______ ____ ____ __ ___ ____ ___ ______ __ _
Less than $8 _________ __ _______ ______ _____________ ___ ___ _
Less than $10 __ _________ ____ __________ _________ ______ __ _
Less than $12 _____ _____ ____ _______ __ ___ ____ ____ ____ ____ _
Less than $14_ -- -- ------- ---- --- ----- ------- ------- --- --------------- -_______
-- -- ---___
-- ----- - -- ---__--_
Less than
Less
than $16
$18 _
___
__ ____ __ -_______
_______
_____
Less than $20_ - - --- - -- -- ---- ----------- - -- ----------- - - $20 an d more ______ _____ ___ __ _______ ________ ______ ___ ___ _
$22 and more ____ ___ __ ___ _________ ___ ___ ______ ___ ____ ___ _
$24 and more___ ___ ____ _________ ___ _____ ______ ___ __ _____ _
$26 and more _____ ______ __ ______ ____ ____ ______ ______ ___ __
$28 and more ____ _____ ________ ___ __ __ ____ __ __ ____ ____ ____
$30 and more ______________ ________ ___ _____ ___ __ __ ______ _
5. 7
8. 1
11. 3
17. 0
.J
27. 0
38. 8
47.4
56. 9
43. 1
27. 5
21. 6
12. 9
8. 9
5.4
3. 4
6. 4
9. 2
12. 8
4. 5
6. 7
7.9
13. 5
19. 9
31. 2
42.9
61. 1
58. 5
25.8
36.0
51. 7
48.3
34. 8
41. 5
25. 2
19. 9
12. 8
27. 0
13. 5
8. 9
5. 7
9. 0
4. 5
For the majority of the workers on a weekly salary t he rate of th e
salary, that is, the amount paid for a full week's work, was repor ted .
Thes'e rates are given in the following summary. They do not include
such commissions as were received.
P ercent of women with
weekly rates as specified
Weekly rate
1ndepend - Store shops
ent shops
Less than $10__ ____ __________ ____ ___ _________ ______ ___ ________ _______ ___ ________ _
$10, less than $15_________________ _________ ___ ______ ___ ___ ___ __ _______ ___________ _
$15, less t han $20 ___ ______ _________ __ ___ --- - --------- - --- - ----- - --- --------- ----- $20, les" than $25 _____ __________ __ ___ ___ ______ ___ _________ ___ ____ ____ ___________ __
$25 and more __ _______ ____ ______ __ ___ _______ __ __ _----------- - -- --- - ---- ---- --- ---
8. 5
18. 8
31. 4
25.1
16.1
I
'I
I
17. 6
31. 4
29. 4
21.6
Tips.
Because of the nature of the beauty-shop service, tips often form
a substantial part of the operators' earnings, though a few shops
reported that this practice was not allowed. Tips are extremely
uncertain, the amounts varying greatly among individual operators
a nd also in the different shops. Due to this irregularity tips should
not be regarded in a consideration of wage rates. In the week re•corded the amounts of tips received by operators were obtained in
4 small independent shops and 1 store shop; the number of operators
:reported was 71. The range in the amount of tips was from less
than 25 cents to $6.50, 35 percent of the women receiving less than
$1 , 18 percent $1 but less than $3, and 22.5 percent $3 but less than $4.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
RETAIL STORES
In the spring of 1937 agents of the Women's Bureau obtained data
from 8 department stores employing 7,412 men and women, 24
ready-to-wear stores with 1,197, and 4 limited-price stores with 669.
The large majority of the workers, ranging from 70 percent in department stores to 87 percent in limited-price stores, were women.
Store employees are classed in two groups: Regular employees, on
a definite weekly schedule, and part-time or extra workers, employed
during rush-hour periods, Saturdays, when special sales are held, or
as substitutes. Pay-roll records were obtained for 2,892 regular and
848 part-time women workers in department stores, for 54 7 regular
and 228 part-time women in ready-to-wear stores, and for 303 regular
and 200 part-time women in limited-price stores. In the following
discussion regular and part-time employees will be discussed separat dy because of the difference in the earnings and hours of the two
groups.
Women were employed chiefly on the sales force in each of the
three types of stores, but ready-to-wear stores and department stores
also employed a substantial number in alteration departments. The
proportion of regular workers who were saleswomen ranged from 60
percent in r eady-to-wear shops to 97 percent in limited-price stores.
Almost three-tenths of the women regular workers in ready-to-wear
shops were in alteration departments, and one-eighth of those in
department stores were so employed.
Hours worked by women regular workers.
Hour records were secured for practically all the women in stores.
Because of the regularity of business, the majority of the women
worked the scheduled hours of the store.
Percent of women who workedType of store
Department_ _________________
Ready-to-wear ________________
Limited-price __ _______________
Less than
32 hours
3. 7
5. 8
2. 6
32, less
than 36
hours
0. 2
1. 3
2.3
36, less
than 40
hours
6. 1
32. 1
3. 6 ,
40, less
than 45
hours
1. 0
.9
17.'2
Over 45
hours
45 hours
::~ /
2.6
0. 7
23. 7
71.6
This summary shows that almost nine-tenths (88 percent) of the
women in department stores worked 45 hours, less than 1 percent
worked longer, and only one-tenth worked less than 40 hours.
The hours worked varied much more in ready-to-wear stores than
in department stores. Though three-fourths of the ready-to-wear
stores had a 48-hour schedule, only 23 percent of the women worked
that many hours; more than one-third (36 percent) worked 45 hours
21
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
22
HOURS AND WAGES IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
and almost as many (32 percent) worked 36 and under 40 hours.
Only 7 percent worked less than 36 hours.
Three-fifths of the women in limited-price stores worked 48 hours,
and more than one-sixth worked 44 and under 48 hours. Only 9
percent worked less than 40 hours.
Week's earnings of women regular workers.
The average of the week's earnings of women regular workers was.
highest in ready-to-wear stores, $18.60, second in department stores,
$16.60, and lowest in limited-price stores, $12.50.
The averages for women in sales and on alteration work in department stores were both $16.95. For other occupations (office work
excluded) the average was much lower, $13.20; in this group 71
percent of the women, in contrast to 21 percent of the saleswomen
and 10 percent of the alteration workers, had earnings of less than $15.
Earnings data regardless of time worked show that 54 percent of
the women in department stores earned $15 and less than $20, more
than one-half of this group earning less than $17. One-fourth of all
the women had earnings of $10 but less than $15.
TABLE
7.-Week's earnings of women regular workers in sto1·es, by type of
employment
Percent of women with earnings as specified
Total
Sales
Alteration
Limitedpric<'
stortJS
Ready-to-wear stores
Department stores
Week's earnings
Other
Total
Sales
Alteration
Other
Totall
------------ ----Median earnings ____ $16. 60
Less than $10. _______ _____
2. 6
$HJ, less than $15 __________
25. 6
$15, less than $20 __________
54. 3
$20, less than $25 __________
12. 3
$25, less than $30 ____ _____ _
3. 9
$30 and more ______________
1. 3
$16. 95
$16. 95
$13. 20
$18. 60
$18. 90
$18. 75
- - - 2.8
-- 2.-6 - -3.-3 - 1.-9
- - -.8
3.0
18. 4
59.5
13. 9
4.3
1.2
9. 4
64.9
15. 9
5. 7
3.4
67. 7
25. 4
2. 8
.8
.2
12. 8
45. 9
20. 5
9. 9
8.4
11. 2
42. 5
21. 9
9.1
11. 9
3.1
52. 2
23. 9
15.1
3.8
$15. 10
-------47. 5
47. 5
3. 4
1. 7
$12. 5()
7. 6
90.1
2.a
----------------------------
CUMULATIVE PERCENTS
Less
Less
Less
Less
Less
Less
than
than
than
than
than
than
$10 _____________
$12. ____ ________
$14 _____________
$16. ____________
$18. ____________
$20. ____________
$20 and more ______________
$25 and more ______________
$30 and more ______________
1 All
2. 6
7. 5
22. 1
40.4
66. 7
82. 5
2.8
5. 9
15. 5
34. 2
62. 6
80. 6
.8
1.4
6.8
23. 2
59. 2
75. 0
3.0
19. 0
61.1
79.0
89. 7
96.1
2. 6
4. 0
12.1
28.3
38.6
61.2
3. 3
4.8
11. 5
22. 7
34. 5
57.1
1.9
2. 5
4.4
21.4
30. 2
57. 2
-------3. 4
17. 5
5. 2
1.3
10.4
5. 5
1. 2
25.0
9. 1
3.4
3. 9
1. 0
.2
38.8
18. 3
8. 4
42. 9
21.0
11. 9
42.8
18. 9
3.8
5.1
1. 7
1. 7
35. 6
78. 0
83.1
94.9
7. 6,
32. 7
89. 1
100. 0
-----------------------------------------
saleswomen except a few in other occupations.
In ready-to-wear and in depa,rtment stores much the largest group
of women-46 and 54 percent, respectively-earned $15 and less than
$20, but the ready-to-wear shops had the next largest group at a higher
level, and only 13 percent of their women employees were paid $10
and less than $15. Considering earnings in 1-dollar intervals, the
largest group, 19 percent of the total, earned $18 and under $19, and
the next largest group, 13 percent, $15 and under $16.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
RETAIL STORE S
23
Saleswomen in the ready-to-wear stores had the highest average
earnings, $18.90, and the alteration workers' average was only 15
cents lower. The average earnings of the women in other occupations
were $15.10; only 5 percent of these women, in contrast to 43 percent
of the saleswomen and of the alteration women, earned as much as $20.
In limited-price stores more than one-third of the women (35
percent) earned $12 and under $13, and over one-fifth (21 percent)
earned $13 and under $14. Only just over 2 percent earned as much
as $15.
The accompanying large table shows for the three types of store
the earnings of women according to time worked. In all comparable
hour groups with 50 or more women, average earnings are seen to be
higher in ready-to-wear shops and lowest in limited-price stores.
In ready-to-wear stores the averages for the women working 45
hours or more were lower than the average for those working 32 and
under 40 hours.
The former Minimum Wage Board set a rate of $16.50 a week for
experienced women working in stores. In the 1937 survey, almost
h alf (48 percent) of the 3,742 women in the three types of store earned
less than $16.50, while nearly as large a proportion, 45 percent, earned
over $16.50, and only 7 percent had earnings of $16.50 even. By
type of store the proportions with earnings of less than $16.50 ranged
from 31 percent in ready-to-wear shops to 100 percent in limitedprice stores.
·
More than three-fourths (78 percent) of the women in department
stores who earned less than $16.50 in the week recorded worked 45
hours, and in ready-to-wear stores nearly two-thirds of the women
enrning less than such minimum worked either 45 or 48 hours. As
stated, all the women included in limited-price stores earned less than
the minimum, and three-fifths of them worked 48 hours.
This correlation of earnings with hours worked shows very grea.t
differences by type of store. In department stores ·all but about 2
percent of the women who earned $16.50 or more worked 40 hours or
over, the vast majority working 45 hours, but one-fifth of those at
less than $16.50 worked less than 40 hours. Nearly one-sixth of the
2,595 women who worked 40 hours or more earned less than $14.
In ready-to-wear stores almost three-fifths of the women who
earned $16.50 or more worked at least 40 hours, more than one-fifth
working as long as 48 hours. However, one-third of the women with
earnings below $16.50 worked less than 40 hours. Less than 1 per.cent of the women who worked 40 hours or more earned less than $12,
but one-third earned less than the former minimum rate of $16.50.
Though a full week of 40 hours or more was worked by over ninetenths of the women in limited-price stores, and a week of 48 hours
by six-tenths, none earned so much as $16.50, the former rate, and
almost 1 in 12 of the total number earned less than $10. Forty-six
percent of the total worked 48 hours and earned $12 and under $14.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
TABLE
8.-Week's earnings of women regular workers in stores, by time worked
Total women
Week's earnings
nmbo,
I
Po,""nt
Number
of women
with
hours
Less
worked than 24
reported
hours
Number of women with earnings as specified who worked-
I
~. Joos
than
32
hours
32, 1-.
than
40
hours
I
I
40 hours
I
I
I
Ovo,than
40, 45 hours less
Ow%,
less
than
45 hours
48 hours
I
48 hours
I
o
48 h:~s
Hours
worked
not
reported
DEPARTMENT STORES
TotaL ___________________ _________ _,
2,892
100. O
Percent distribution____ ______ __ ____ _____ _ ____ ______ ________ __
Median earnings 1____ __ __________ ____ ____! $16. 60 __________
Less than $4 _____ ___ ____________ ________ __
$4, less than $6 ___________________________ _
$6, less than $8 ______________________ ___ __ _
$8, less than $10_____ __ _____ ___________ ___ _
$10, less than $12____________ __ _________ __ _
$12, less than $14 ______ _______ ______ _____ __
$14, less than $16 ____ ____ _______ _______ ____
$16, less than $18 _________________________ _
$18, Jess than $20 _____________ ____ ________ _
$20, less than S'.'5 ___ ___ __ ______ _________ __
$25, less than $30 _________ ____ ___________ _
$30 and more_---- ----- -------------------
60
2. 1
$6. 00
49
1. 7
$10. 85
184
6. 4
$13. 35
7
.2
(')
21
•7
(2)
2, 547 1
88. 2
$16. 5
5
•2
(2)
15
•5
(J)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ---·1----1- - - - - -- - - - - - -- -1-- - -- 1--- 16
14
17
29
143
422
529
761
457
355
112
37
1. 321
230
1,341
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
2,888
100. O
$16. 60
I
•6
•5
16
.6
17
1.0
28
4. 9
14. 6
18. 3
26.3
15. 8
12. 3
3.9
1. 3
142
421
529
761
457
354
112
37
14
16 ---------- ---------14
15
2 ---- ----- 14
9
5
18
5
55
10
53
1
38
3
18
12
1
1
1
- --------- ---------- - --------- -------- -- - --------- ---------- ----------------- -- ---------- - - -------- ---- ----- - --------- - ---------- ---------- -------- - - -- ------- --- ---- --- - -------- - - --------- ---------1
63
8
342
2
4
2
9
476
2 ---------- ---- -----2
730
5 ---------- ---- -- ---441 -------- ----------1
3
------1 __ ________ --_____
__ ___ ---- ------l
349
2 - ---- ----110
1 - --------- ---------36
Percent of womm
45.
8. 71
0
46. 4
~g l------~~~-1------~~~-1
.2
l. 340 ---------1,
12
~I
1.: 9
..421
.2
.4
1.41
.1
31 .51----------1----------
77. 51
. - ---------- ---------- ------- - -98.
7 --------96. 9
.1
. 6 ---------- -------- --
READY-TO-WEAR STORES
·---------1
-----·---·1
TotaL _____ ___ ____ __ . __ ........... .
547
100. 0
545
17
14
182
5
198
127
Percent distribution .. . ................... ····-·-·-· -·-·-·--- 100. 0
3. 1
2. 6
33. 4
. 9 -·-· ··---·
36. 3 ·----·-··23. 3
Median earnings 1 · - · · · · - - - · · · · · · · · - · - -·· _ _$1_8_.60
__
··_··_-_··_··_· __$1_8_._60___<_'>_ _ ,___<_')__ ,__s_18__._8_5 __
c1_) - - =-=-==: ~~ =-=-==: ~
Less than $4.. ______ . . _--· ------- ·-·---·· ·
$4, less than $6·-- - ---- · - ·· -···-·····--····
$6, less than $8. . . . .. . . ... .. - ... . .... ..... .
$8, less than $10....... .................. .
$10, less than $12.•.... ....... ......... . ...
$12, less than $14 ••• •-·· · · -·-········ ······
$14, less than $16••.•. .. . ······· ··· · ·· ·-···
$16, less than $18 .• ••. ...•. ·-··· .. ... ··-··.
$18, less than $20•.... . .... - •... .... ...... .
$20, less than $25•...... ........ . .. ... .... .
$25, less than $30....... ............... -.- ·
$30 and more. --·-·--···- ---------··------
1.5
.4
.5
.2
1. 5
8. 0
16. 3
10.2
22. 7
8
2
3
1
8
«
89
56
124
112
54
46
8
2
•4
__(_1)_ _ f - - --
8 ··-·--··· · ·- ---· -·-· --- ----·- · ··--····-· ···--·---- ···· ··-··· · ---- ·-··· · ·-·-----· - ·-·--·- --
2
2
3
3
1
1 --········ ···· - ---- · ·······--· ----· --··· ····-·-··· · ·-·- ---- ·
3
2 · ···----··
1 ····---·-· ·-··-·---· -··--·- ·-·
5 ··•······· · ···---···
16
20
20
25
2 ··· - -·····
34
l
19
12
1 ··- -- --···
23
62 -- - ·-·-·-- · ··----· · ·
24
1
37
44 -·--····· · · · - ·-·-·· ·
21
42
21
12
1 · ···-- -·· ·
18
7 -----·---- ···------15
24
8
43
89
56
124
20. 5
111
3
9. 9
54
2
8. 4
46
·· ····-···
......... .
1
··· --- ··· -
····-·····
1
Percent of w omen
167
34 1
346
51
30.
6. 2
18.1
(2)
40. 3
63. 3
I
8
(2)1.
1--·----·-·1
. . .•......
. 3 ··-------·
1-·--··---·
·-·--·--·-1
36. 1
l
(2)
36. 2 ---------·
71
.
61····---··-
(2)27.
--- -- ····· -·- ---- · ·21. 2
. 3 ··-·--- -- -
~
t,:tj
t-3
>
H
~
Ul
LIMITED·PRICE STORES
t-3
0
TotaL------·· ·········· -··-···-···
303
100. 0
Percent distribution .. ...... ··· ·· ·····-·· ··· ··-----· ··-------Median earnings 1 ___ · · · · · · · · · · · · · - ·- · · · · ·
$12. 50 _________ _
Less than $4.. ·--····· · ................. .
$4, less than $6 .......... ..... ... ......... .
$6, less than $8 ... .... . ................... - .
$8, less than $10...... . ........... ........ .
$10, less than $12....... ....... .... - .. ·-· - ·
$12, less than $14 ••..........•.•...•. - -- ·-·
$14, less than $16•••.... .• .•.•.•. -·- --·- ---
3
2
2
16
77
170
33
Less than $16.50. -------- ----------- -·-·- · \
303
1.0
.7
.7
5. 3
25. 4
56. 1
10. !)
302
100. 0
$12. 50
3
1. 7
(2)
18
6. 0
3
1.0
5
(2)
(2)
22
7. 3
(2)
(2)
30
9. 9
32
8
(2)
2. 6
10. 6
(2)
183
60. 6
$13. 00
(1)
~
t,:tj
1
.3
Ul
3 · · ······-· ....... . .. ······•··· ·----····· ··---·-·-· ··---·· · ·· ·····-·-·· · ·---····· · ···-····-
2
2
2
16
76 · -------- 170 ·-------- ·
33 ________ __
·-····-· -· ........• . · ·-·-·--·- -- ------·· · ··----··· ····-·-··· · ·--- - --- · ·------·· · · ·····-·--
2 ····--·-· · ··· ------- ·------· - · ····-····· ··· ·····-- ···------· -------··· · ····· · - -1
14
1 ··· ---·-·· ·-·----·-- - - -··· ·-·- ----- ----· ·--·-····· ··-··--·-·
······· · - ·
4
20
25
3
10
14
l
......... . ..........
1
5
5
20
139 --·-··· ·· · · · ·--·---···-·-···- . ----·-··· __________ ---------· ·--------2
30
l -· --------
Percent of u·omen
1 Medians computed on I-dollar distribution.
1 Not computed; base less than 50.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
I
100. o
I
10.
61
60.
61
.3
I··--------
26
HOURS AND WAGES IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Hourly earnings of women regular workers.
It was possible to reduce earnings to an hourly basis for practically
all the women regular workers for whom earnings were reported in
the three types of store. The average was highest for the women in
ready-to-wear stores, 44 cents. For the women in department stores
it was 36.7 cents. The lowest average, of 26 cents, was in limitedprice stores.
The very great differences in levels of hourly earnings, except in the
case of limited-price stores, are shown in the following summary.
TABLE
9.-Hourly earnings of women regular workers in stores, by type of
employment
P ercent of women with earnings as specified
Hourly earnings (cents) i----,-D-ep_a_rt_m...,.e_n_t_st_or-es,----- i---R--,--e_ad_y_-t_o....,-w_e_ar_s_to_r.-es_ _ Limited1
prioo
stores 1
Total
Sales
Other Total
Sales
Other
!lfi~-
!lfi~-
- -- - - - - --1- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Median earnings____ $0. 367 $0. 382 $0. 378
$0. 30
$0. 44
$0. 48 $0. 444 $0. 333 ·
$0. 26
Less than 25 _____________ _
.4
3. 4
2. 3 -------13. 2
8. 6
.7
5. 1
25, less than 26_ ---------.1
.4
.3
11.0
3. 3
2.4
16. 9
26, less than 27 _ ---------4. 7 ----2:4.a 17. 5
,1.1
2. 4
27, less than 28_ ----- ----3.1
2. 6
1.1
6. 5
1.8
1. 3
8. 5
20. 9
1.8
28, less than 29_ ---------.3
3. 3
.4
.6
1.8
10. 9
29, less than 30_ ---------2. 5
.3
8. 1
.9
1. 2
1. 7
l. 5
7.3
2. 3
2. 3
7. 7
.4
.3
30, less than 3L ---------1.0
1. 7
2. IJ
31, less than 32_ ------ ---5. 3
6. 4
10. 2
3. 8
l. 7
7. l'i
1. 3
3. 0
3. 3
32, less than 33_ ---------l. 7
2. 0
1.8
.6
.6
1. 7
.7
33, less th an 34_ ----- ----7.6
6.8
11. 0
8. 3
5. 5
1. 5
12. 6
8. 5
4. 2
2. 0
2.4
34, less t han 35_ - --- -- -- -4. 7
2. 5
3. 3
1. 9
3. 0
85, less t han 36_ ------- --5. 7
6. 4
5. 7
l. 8
1.8
1. 3
3. 4 - - ---- ---3.1
2. 4
36, less than 37_ --------- 11. 1
10. 3
21. 5
7. 3
5. 0
1. 7 --------- 4. 6
4. 7
5. 7
4. 2
•6
4. 6
5. 7
37, less t han 38_ -------- -1. 7 ------- - -·
88, less than 89_ --------- 4. 7
6. 2
1.1
1. 7
.6
1. 8
89, less than 40_ -------- -4. 0
3. 7
.2
.3
4. 8
.6
7. 9
2. 1
40, less than 4L --------- 8. 2
8. 6
11. 6
4. 3
12. 6
27. 1 ------ --- 41, less t han 42_ -------- -3. 1
2.8
2. 6
3. 4
.6
.8
4. 4
1. 7 --- ----- -42, less than 43_ --- -- ----3.0
3. 9
1. 4
.6
1. 8
2. 4
1. 3 - ------- ----- - - - -43, less than 44_ -------- -2. 5
.2
.4
1. 9
.6
.6
7. 2
44, less t han 45_ --------- 4. 4
4.1
10. 2
1.8
8. 9
6. 3
45, less than 50_ --------- 6. 8 .
8. 3
6. 2
13. 9
14. 1
1.0
18. 2
1. 7 - --------50, less t han 55_ -------- -3.1
3. 7
3.4
.2
9. 4
12. 2
5. 7
3. 4 --- - -----55, less t han 60_ ---------2. II
2. 8
3. 4
.8
6.1
6. 4
7. 5
60, less than 1a_ --------- 4.8
10. 6
11. 6
2. 7
2. 8
.4
12. 6
75 and more ____ ------- --7. 0
.4
1. 1
10.1
2. 6
.5
1. 7 -- --------
-----:a-
1
Practically all saleswomen.
No woman on sales or alteration work in department stores had
average hourly earnings of les~ than 25 cents. Fifteen percent of all
the employees earned less than 30 cents and 16 percent earned 45
cents and more.
In ready-to-wear shops saleswomen had the highest hourly earnings,
the average (48 cents) being almost one-tenth higher than the average
for all women in such stores. Next in rank were the women on alteration work, shown by an average of 44.4 cents, and women in other
occupations had an average of only 33.3 cents. The largest proportion in any I-cent interval in ready-to-wear stores was 11 percent
with earnings of 48 and less than 49 cents.
In limited-price stores there was considerable concentration of
earnings, as 62 percent of the women had an average of 26 but less
than 28 cents; in fact, more than one-third averaged 26 cents. Only
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
RETAIL STORES
27
1 woman in 16 earned as much as 30 cents. One in 12 earned less
than 25 cents.
Hours worked by women part-time workers.
The hours worked by part-time women-the extras or contingents
employed chiefly for busy periods-varied considerably in the three
types of store. More than two-fifths (44 percent) of the part-time
workers in department stores worked less than 16 hours, slightly more
than one-fourth working less than 8; about 44 percent worked 16 and
less than 40 hours. Only one-eighth had worked 40 hours or more
in the week recorded.
In ready-to-wear stores the proportion working less than 16 hours
was only 29 percent; more than one-third (34 percent) worked 36 and
under 40 hours, and 4 percent worked 40 hours and over.
More than one-third (36 percent) of the part-time workers in
limited-price stores worked less than 16 hours, about one-fourth
worked 32 and under 40 hours, and over one-fifth (21 percent)
worked 40 hours.
Week's earnings of women part-time workers.
In department stores the average week's earnings of part-time
workers were $6.85. Not far from two-fifths (37 percent) earned $5
and less than $10; just over one-fourth (26 percent) e~rned less than
$3. There were a number of cases of earnings of less than $10 for 28,
and even 36, hours of work.
In ready-to-wear stores the average was $10.35; 49 percent of the
women earned less than $10 and 15 percent earned less than $3.
A few women who were paid less ·than $10 worked 28 hours or more.
The average for part-time workers in·limited-price stores was $7.15. ·
A substantial proportion (27 percent) of the women had the e~tremely
low earnings of $1 but less than $2. Only 6 percent earned as much
as $10. All the women who earned less than $5 worked less than 20
hours, but of those who earned $5 and less than $10 almost two-fifths
worked 40 hours.
Hourly earnings of ·women part-time workers.
The average hourly earnings of part-time women in department and
ready-to-wear stores were 4 cents lower than those of regular workers,
33 and 40 cents, respectively, as compared to 37 and 44 cents for
those on a regular schedule. In limited-price stores the average was
the same for the part-time as for the regular workers, 26 cents.
The range of earnings in department stores was from 24 to about
60 cents, but there was some concentration at 33 and less than 34
cents, where are shown one-fifth of the part-time women. More than
one-eighth earned less than 30 cents.
- Of the part-tiine women in ready-to-wear stores more than onehalf averaged 40 ~nC:. less than 41 cents, and one-sixth averaged 32 and
tess than 33 cents. As in department stores, more than one-eighth
.
earned less than 30 cents.
The .r ange of earnings of the part-time women in limited-price
stores was narrow-from 23 to 35 cents-with one-half of the women
f!.Veraging 26 cents. Almost one-fourth (23 percent) averaged 23 but
less than 25 cents, and for three-fourths the amount was 25 to 30
cerits'.
·
·"
..,. .
\
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
HOTEL AND RESTAURANT INDUSTRIES
The Women's Bureau survey in April and •May of 1937 r:overed 9
hotels with 2,492 employees, 77 independent restaurants with 3,811
employees, and 10 store restaurants employing 459 workers. The
proportion of employees who were women ranged from 26 perc~nt
in hotel restaurants to 79 percent in store restaurants. In the lodgmg
departments of hotels women formed 37 percent of the total.
Number of women
Type of establishment
Hotels _________________________________________ ____ ___ _
Lodging departments _______________________ ______ _
Food departments ________ __ ______________________ _
Independent restaurants ________ _____________________ __
Store restaurants ________________ ______ _____ ___________ _
Number of 1establishments
9
9
9
77
10
- - - --
Total
814
542
272
1,832
364
-----,----
With earn- With hours
of work reings reported
ported
779
507
272
1,749
361
700
467
233
1,675
263
Hours.
In general, the women with hour schedules reported in hotels and
restaurants were on a 6-day week of over 40 but not exceeding 48
hours.
Because of the irregularity of working hours, the actual condition
as to working time is shown by the use of "employee-days"-similar
to the use of man-hours in manufacturing industries. These are
obtained by multiplying each daily work shift, of whatever duration,
by the number of times such shift was worked by· any woman in the
week covered. As a rule the number of employee-days for the week
is about 6 times the number of women. Further, as many women
have broken shifts, that is, periods of free time between two or more
work periods, the employee-days have been tabulated according to
spread of hours, the number of hours from the beginning to the end
of the workday. As shown in the table following, the proportion of
employee-days with a spread that exceeds by more than one hour the
longest actual hours worked was greatest in hotel food departments
(24 percent) ;-it was least in store restaurants, with no instance of an
excessive spread, and in hotel lodging departments, where the proportion was less than 1 percent.
It is clear that the lodging and food departments of hotels differed
greatly in the spread of hours. Though 22 percent of the employeedays of the food departments had a spread of hours of 12 or more,
there was no spread in the lodging departments of as much as 12
hours.
More than one-half (51 percent) of the employee-days of independent restaurants had 8 hours of actual work and no day exceeded
9 hours. For about three-fifths of the total the spread was 8 to 9
28
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
29
HOTEL AND R E STAURANT INDUSTRIES
T AB LE
10.- Ho urs of work and spread of hours of emplo'!}ee-days in hotels and
restaurants
I
Hours
I
I
~otel lodg- , Hotel food Independent Store restaum~e~!rt- departments restaurants
rants
P ERCENT DISTRIBUTION OF E MP LOYEE-DAYS W I TH HOURS OF WOR K AS
S P ECIFIED
12. 9
2. 5
1. 9
1. 7
3. 0
8. 7
16. 4
51. 3
32. 9
2. 5
1. 4
7. 7
1. 4
6.1
33. 2
15. 8
.4
l. 2
P E R CE
T D ISTRIB UTION OF EM PLOYEE-DAYS WITH SP REA D OF H OURS AS
SPECIFIE D
Less than 5__________ _______ _______ _______ ____ __
o. 4
5_______ ____________________________ ___________ _ -- ------- - -- - -
O. 9
2.1
Over 5, less than 6______ ___ _____ __ ___ ___ _____ __ __ ____ _____ __ ____ _____ ______ _
1
t ver 6, less than 7----------------------------= = ·--------- ~~~ :
7___ __________ ____ ____ ___ __ ____________________ _
18. 8
3. 9
Over 7, less than 8_________________________ _____
5. 8
1. 5
g_______ ________ ___ _________________________ ____
27. 3
11.1
36. o
31. 8
Over 8, less than 9____ _____ _______________ ______
g__ __________ ___________________________________
4. 9
22. 9
Over 9, less than 10_____________ ____ ______ __ ____
.2
.4
!
.4
Over 10, less than 11 _______________ _____ ___ ___ ___ ____ ___ ____ ____ ___________
_
10________ -- -- __ -- --- - ____ -- _-- _-- __ --- _-- __-- __ __ -- - -- - - - - ---
ll___ ______________ __ _______ ____________________
.2
.4
Over 11, less than 12____ ______ ________ __ __ _____ _
.2
.4
18. 5
12____________ ______________________________ ___ _ · --- ---- --- - -·
Over 12, less than 13 __ _____ _____ _______________ _ . ____________ _
.9
13 ___ ______ _________ ----- _---- __ -- -- ____ --- __ _. _ . ___ --- . -- -- __
.9
Over 13, less than 14----- -----~-- -- --- ------ --- - . _____________
2. 1
14__ ___ _________________ ____ --- _____ -- __ -- __ -- ___ ____ ----- -- _.. . _-- -- --- --- __
Over 14, less than 15 __________________________ ___ ____________ _ . __ __________ _
Over 12___ ________________________ ____ ________ __ .. ___________ _
3. 9
11. 4
1. 5
.9
1. "3
.8
2. 2
3.1
21.6
13. l
24. 8
4. 7
4. 4
2. 0
32. Q
2.1
1. 7
4.8
2.8
.1
3. 0
3. 8
34. 0
14. 7
1. 8
.7
1. 3
3. 1
.6
.4
.1
.1
4. 3 ------ ------ --
hours inclusive. However, on 15 percent of the days the spread was
from over 9 to as much as 12 hours. On 4 percent of them it exceeded
12 hours, the longest spread being between 14 and 15 hours.
As a ru1e, on account of hours of business, in store rest aurants the
hours worked and spread of hours differed only by the hour or part
of an hour allowed at noon. About half (49 percent) of the employeedays of actual work were over 7 to as much as 8 hours long, and a like
proportion of the days had a spread of hours of more than 8 to as
much as 9 hours.
Week's earnings.
Because of the practice of including in wage payments to hotel and
restaurant employees supplements in the form of meals or lodging,
there is much variation in cash earnings with type of establishment
and with department within each establishment. Some employees
are given living quarters only, some have living quarters and meals,
some have three meals and others only one or two. Inadequacy of
records in many firms and irregularity of shifts for a large part of the
employees made accurate information on the number of meals given
to each individual during the week covered by the 1937 survey
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
30
HOURS AND WAGES IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
difficult to obtain: For this reason the figures shown here for the
women who were given meals included all such women, whether they
received one, two, or three meals a day.
The practice of customers giving tips to employees in certain occupations in hotels and restaurants also causes variations in the total
earnings of employees in these industries. In many establishments
those employees who receive tips were not required to report them;
as a result, information concerning the amounts received in tips was
not obtained for the majority of the workers.
Gash earnings and wage supplements.-The earnings figures given in
the following analysis are the actual cash earnings paid to women in
the week recorded. Supplements to cash earnings- meals, lodging,
or tips- obviously have an influence on the total cash wages of the
various employees and must be kept in mind when considering such
wages.
The proportion of women in restaurants receiving supplements to
their money wage in the form of meals ranged from 80 percent in
store restaurants to 95 percent in independent restaurants. The
figures for hotels show that 84 percent of the women in the food
departments, but only 7 percent of those in the lodging departments,
had wage supplements.
T ABLE
11.-Median week's cash earnings of women in hotels and restaurants, by
receipt or nonreceipt of additions in the for m of meals, lodging, or both
Women with median cash earnings
as specified
Establishment and department
All women
Hotels:
Lodging departments:
Number of women __ _____ __ ___ _________ ___________ __ ______
Median earnings ___ _____ ____ ____ _________ _______ _______ ___
Food departments :
Number of women _______ _______ ____ ______ ___ ____ ____ _
M edian earnings ______ __ ___ __ __ ______ ___ ____ ___ _______
Dining room :
N umber of women _________ ____ ___ __ ______ ___ ______ __ _
M edian earnings _____ _______ ____ ______ __ _________ ___ __
Kitchen
:
Number
of women __ ___ ____ ________________ ______ ___ __
Median earnings __________ ---- -- -- ----- -- -- ---- -- -- --Independent
restauran
ts:
Number
of women _____ __ __ _____ __ __ ______ ___ __ ___ ____ ____
Median earnings __ ____ ___ ___ _______ __ ____ ____ ____ _____ ___ _
Dining room :
Number of women __ _____ ________ ___ __ ______________ ____ __
Median earnin gs ___ ____ ___ ___ __ _____ _____________ ___ _____ _
Kitchen:
Number of women ___ ____ __ ___ _____ __________ _____ ___ _____
M edian earnings __ _____________ _______ ____ ____ _____ ______ _
Store restauran ts:
Number of women _______ ___ ____ ____ ____ __ ___ __ _______ ___ _
Median earnings __ __ ____ __• ______ ___ ______ ______ _____ __ ___
Dining room:
Number of women ___ ______ ____ _________ __ __ ____ _______ __ _
Median earnings _____ ___ ___ ____ __ ____ ___ ____ ____ ___ __ __ ___
Kitchen
:
Number
of women ____ ____ ___ ____ ____ ___ _____ ______ _____ __
Median earnings __________ __ _____ __ ____ ____ __ ____ ___ __ __ __
1
N ot computed; base less than 50.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
507
$11. 50
Women
receiving
additions
(1)
Women not
receiving
a<lditions
35
472
$11.05
272
$9. 60
229
$9. 20
(1)
191
$6. 90
148
$6. 55
(1)
81
$11. 25
81
$11. 25
---------- -----------------
1,749
$9. 30
l, 656
$9. 20
93
$9. 90
1,371
$8.20
1, 301
$8. 05
70
$9. 40
378
$11. 95
355
$11. 95
361
$11. 15
290
$11. 15
$11. 20
276
$9. 75
215
$9. 10
61
$10. 85
85
$13. 25
75
$13. 00
43
43
23
(I)
71
(I)
10
HOTEL AND RESTAURANT INDUSTRIES
31
Table 11 shows that in each class of service women receiving additions to cash earnings in the form of meals and lodgings earned less
than women in the same service who did not receive such additions.
However, kitchen workers were the highest-paid group, whether cash
earnings alone are considered or cash earnings and the receipt of one
or more meals in addition. All kitchen workers in store restaurants
averaged $13.25 cash a week, those in independent restaurants $11.95,
and those in hotel restaurants $11.25. Women working in the lodging
departments of hotels averaged $11.50 cash a week; very few of these
workers received any supplement to earnings.
Dining-room workers in different types of restaurants had widely
varying cash earnings. Those women who were not given meals had
earnings of $10.85 a week in store restaurants and earnings of $9.40
in independent restaurants. When one or more meals were given,
weekly cash earnings fell to $6.55 in hotel dining rooms, $8.05 in
independent restaurant dining rooms, and $9.10 in store restaurants.
This marked difference in the average cash wages of kitchen and of
dining-room workers is due ]argely to the low wages paid the diningroom waitresses, who are in direct contact with the customers and
consequently are in a position to receive tips. As tips are dependent
on the beneficence of the customers, they are an extremely uncertain source
of income and should be disregarded when determining wage payments.
11 hey vary considerably in the different types of restaurant, and are
very irregular from day to day and week to week in each restaurant.
In the week recorded the proportion of the dining-room women who
were reported by the management t9 have received tips varied considerably, the percents being 41 in store restaurants, 47 in independent restaurants, and 58 in hotel restaurants. In each type of
restaurant the average cash wages paid to dining-room women who
received tips were substantially less than were paid to those not receiving tips; the average cash wages were $6.30 in hotel restaurants,
$6.85 in store restaurants, and $5.95 in independent restaurants for
the women receving tips, in contrast to $10.95, $11.60, and $10.85,
respectively, for those not receiving tips. The proportion of diningroom women receiving tips who had cash earnings of less than $5 was
25 percent in hotel restaurants, 13 percent in store restaurants, and
31 percent in independent restaurants, compared to 20, 10, and 11
percent, respectively, of those not receiving tips. From approximately 60 to 70 percent of the women receiving ti:ps, but only from
20 to 30 percent of those not receiving tips, had earmngs of $5 and less
than $10.
In several establishments the amount of tips received by the
women in one week was reported by the management. The range
in the amount of tips was from less than $1 to over $31 in independent restaurants, but only from less than $1 to less than $6 in store
restaurants. Eight-ninths of the women in store restaurants received
tips of less than $5 and the remaining women received $5 and less than
$6. Two-fifths in hotel restaurants received tips which amounted
to $1 and less than $5, and a similar proportion received $5 and less
than $9. In independent restaurants the amount received in tips ran
somewhat higher; nearly three-tenths (29 percent) received $10 or
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
32
HOURS AND WAGES IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
more, but for over two-fifths (42 percent) the tips amounted to $5
and less than $10, and for about three-tenths they amounted to less
than $5.
Individual, cash earnings.-The range of the week's earnings for
individual women workers in hotels and restaurants was from less
than $1 to somewhat over $40 and there was very little concentration
in any dollar interval. Table 12 shows the earnings of each woman
by the several departments in hotels and in the two types of restaurant.
Almost half of the lodging-department women and more than half
of the kitchen-department women in hotels earned $10 and less than
$15, but in the dining-room department the largest group, just
over two-fifths, were at the lower level of $5 and less than $10. Half
of the workers in hotels not receiving meals or lodging earned $10
and less than $15, not far from three-tenths earned $5 and under
$10, and well under one-tenth earned less than $5. Of those who
received wage supplements one-third earned $5 and less than $10,
more than one-fourth earned $10 and less than $15, and about onesixth earned less than $5. (See table 12.)
In independent restaurants about one-fifth of the women were
divided almost equally between $6 and less than $7 and $5 and less
than $6. Almost two-fifths of the total earned $5 and under $10,
three-tenths earned $10 and under $15, and more than one-sixth
earned less than $5.
The proportion of dining-room employees earning less than $10
was much larger than that of kitchen workers, the respective percents
being 64 and 28. Additions in the form of meals were received by
all but about 5 percent of the dining-room women and of the kitchen
workers who earned less than $10.
The largest group of store restaurant women in any I-dollar interval (17 percent) earned $12 and less than $13; the next largest group
(13 percent) e.a rned $6 and less than $7. Meals in addition to cash
earnings were received by four-fifths of the women; two-fifths of these
earned $10 and less than $15, and a somewhat larger group earned
less than $10. Almost one-third of the women not receiving additions
had earnings below $10 a week.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
TABLE
12.-Week's cash earnings of individual women in hotels and in independent and store restaurants, by department in which employed
and by whether or not receiving additions to wages 1
HOTELS
INDEPENDENT RESTAURANTS
Percent of women with earnings as specified
STORE RESTAURANT
Percent of women with earnings as specified Percent of women with earnings as specified
Week's earnings
Total
Lodging departments
Food departments
Total
Women
receiving additions
Dining
to
room Kitchen wages
--- - - - - - - - -Number of women __________ _
779
Median earnings ____________ $10. 75
507
$11. 50
272
$9. 60
191
$6. 90
Women
not receiving
additions to
wages
--- --- --81
$11. 25
264
$10. 15
515
$11. 00
Total
--1,749
$9. 30
Women
receiv Dining
ing adroom Kitchen ditions
to
wages
Women
not receiving
additionsto
wages
--- --- --- ---
Total
Dining Kitchen
room
Women
receiving additions
to
wages
Women
not receiving
additions to
wages
--- - - - - - - - - - - - -
1,371
$8. 20
378
$11. 95
1,656
$9.20
93
$9. 90
361
$11. 15
276
$9. 75
85
$13. 25
290
$11. 15
71
$11. 20
20. 4
43. 8
24. 9
7. 7
3. 1
5. 0
23. 0
50. 8
15.1
6.1
17. 5
39. 2
30. 7
8. 7
3. 8
8. 7
43. 1
27. 0
19. 3
2. 2
8.8
32. 7
43. 0
13. 0
2. 5
11. 2
40.6
37. 3
9. 1
1. 8
1. 2
7. 1
61. 2
25. 9
4. 7
10. 0
33. 7
40. 7
12. 4
3. 1
28. 2
52. 1
15. 5
PERCENT
Less than $5 _________________
$5. less than $10 ______________
$10, less than $15 ____________
$15, less than $20 _____________
$20 and more ____________ __ __
9. 8
29.9
42.1
14.9
3.3
5. 7
26. 8
47.9
15. 4
4.1
17. 3
35. 7
31. 2
14. 0
1. 8
22. 5
42. 4
22. 0
10. 5
2. 6
4. 9
19. 8
53.1
22. 2
---------
15. 5
33. 0
27.3
20. l
4. 2
6. 8
28. 3
49. 7
12. 2
2. 9
17. 1
39. 3
30. 4
9. 3
3. 8
4. 2
--------
CUMULATIVE PERCENTS
Less than $4 ______ ________ ___
Less than $6 _________________
Less than $8 _____ ____________
Less than $10 _______ ________ _
Less than $12 ____ ____________
Less than $14 ________________
Less than $16 ________________
6.9
12. 7
22.5
39. 7
59. 4
80.4
84. 6
4. 9
6. 5
10. 8
32. 5
52. 0
79. 6
83. 8
10. 7
24. 3
44. 2
53. 0
73. 2
81. 7
86. 1
14.1
32. 4
57. 5
64. 8
77. 9
85. 8
87. 4
2. 5
5. 0
12. 4
24. 7
61. 7
71. 6
82. 7
9.1
22. 3
41. 7
4.8. 5
67.4
73. 5
79. 2
5. 8
7. 8
12. 6
35. 1
55. 3
83. 9
87. 4
11. 3
26. 3
40. 9
56. 5
71.4
84. 7
90. 4
13. 1
31. 6
48. 8
64. 3
77. 1
87. 4
91. 8
4. 5
7. 1
12.1
28.0
50. 2
74. 8
85. 4
11. 5
26. 9
41. 5
56. 7
72. 1
85. 2
90. 4
6.5
15. 2
29. 2
51.8
57. 2
76. 6
90. 3
5. 3
13. 0
31. 6
41. 6
57.1
79. 5
89. 8
6. 5
16. 3
39. 5
51. 8
69. 2
85. 9
92.1
1. 2
2.4
5. 9
8. 3
17. 7
58. 9
82.4
5.9
14. 8
35. 2
43. 8
56. 6
79. 3
89. 7
$16 and more ________________
$18 and more ________________
$20 and more ________________
15. 4
6. 5
3. 3
16. 2
8.0
4.1
13. 9
3. 6
1. 8
12. 6
4. 7
2. 6
---------
17. 3
1. 2
20.8
10.3
4. 2
12. 6
4. 6
2. 9
9. 6
5. 9
3. 8
8. 2
4. 8
3.1
14. 6
9. 8
6.1
9. 6
5. 8
3. 8
9. 7
5. 4
2. 2
10. 2
5. 0
2. 5
7. 9
3. 2
1.8
17. 6
10. 6
4. 7
10. 3
5. 9
3. 1
1
Chiefly meals.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
In the case of hotels, some lodging.
2. 8
5. 6
16. 9
32. 4
59. 2
80. 3
90. 1
9. 9
1.4
--------
34
HOURS AND WAGES IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMB I A
Under the former Minimum Wage Board the minimum rate was set
at $16.50 for the hotel and restaurant industries. Using this as a
measure, it is significant to note that in the 1937 survey only a small
proportion of the women had cash wages of $16.50 or above. Undoubtedly, the customary wage supplements in the form of meals or
lodging account for some of this, though it is not known for how much.
The minimum-wage order of 1920 allowed a deduction from the cash
wages of 30 cents for each meal furnished and $2 a week for lodging
furnished.
Percent of all women with cash earnings as specified
Hotel lodging
departments
'l'otal women ___ ___ ______________ _
507
Hotel restaurant
departments
Independent
restaurants
272
Less than $16.50___ ___________ __________
88. 2
88. 2
$16.50. __ -- ----- -- ---- - --- - -- ---- - --- - -- ---- -- -- -- - -- -- - ------ -- ---- - --Over $16.50______ ___ __ ___ __ ______ ____ ___
11. 8
11. 8
Store restaurants
1, 749
361
91. 7
.9
7. 4
91.1
1.9
6.9
As shown in the summary, roughly nine-tenths of the women in
each classification earned less than the former minimum rate, and
from 7 to 12 percent earned more than this amount.
CURB-SERVICE WAITRESSES
Employment data were obtained for 264 curb-service employees in
five restaurants; 65 of them were women. Separate tabulations
covering hours and earnings of these women have been prepared
because their earnings were very much lower than the earnings of
waitresses working inside. The curb-service business is very seasonal,
with little or no business in the winter months and rush periods during
summer months.
Hours worked.
All the women were on a 6-day-week schedule. Almost seventenths had an 8-hour day and a 48-hour week, and just over one-fourth
had a 28-hour week of five 4-hour days and one 8-hour day. Less than
one-fourth of the women (23 percent) were on shifts that ended
before midnight. For more than one-third the shifts ended at from
midnight to 1:30 a. m., and two-fifths were scheduled to work until
2 or 2:30.
Actual hours worked were somewhat less than the scheduled hours
of the firm, but two-fifths of all the women worked at least 40 hours
and practically one-third worked 48. The hours worked by the
curb-service waitresses are shown in the following summary.
Hour8 worked
Less than 28 ______ ;. ____________________ _______
28 _____ __ ____ __ __ ____________________________
Over 28, less than 40____ _____ __________________
40, less than 48_______ _____ ____________________
48 _________ _______ _______ ____________________
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Percent
of women
27. 7
20. 0
12. 3
7. 7
32. 3
HOTEL AND RESTAURANT INDUSTRIES
35
Week's earnings.
The cash wages of these women were extremely low, and it is
apparent th at supplemental earnings-meals and tips- were relied on
to form a substantial part of the women's earnings. About threefifths of the women (59 percent) received no cash wage at all, and
about one in five of these had no meals. The extremes of earnings of
those receiving a cash wage were 50 cents and $9.60, nearly one-h alf
of th e women receiving $3. Only about one-fifth of the women who
received cash wages were given meals also.
Weeks' earnings
Percent
of women
No cash wage_____ ______ ___ ____ ____ _______ ___ _ 58. 5
6. 2
Less than $2 __________________________________
$2, less than $3_____ ____ ____ __ ___ ______ _______ _ 7. 7
$3, less than $4_ __ __ ________ ___ ___________ ____ _ 21. 5
6. 2
$6, less than $10__ ________ ___ ________ __________
For 60 of the women the amounts received in tips, as estimated
by the management, ranged from $2 to $29. In practically every
case estimated tips were higher than cash wages.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
OFFICE WORKERS IN THE ESTABLISHMENTS SURVEYED 2
In the Women's Bureau study of District of Columbia industries
the pay-roll data obtained for office workers in the establishments
visited have been combined as one group to show the wage levels
in such employment. Figures were reported for 1,776 office women,
distributed among the various industries as follows:
Industry
Office
workers
Total women _____________ ___ __________________ 1,776
Laundries__________ ________ ___ ________ ____ ___
291
Dry cleaning_______ ___ ___ _____ ___ ____ __ ____ ___
88
65
Manufactures___ __ _____ ______ __________ ____ ___
Department stores_ ________ _________________ __ _ 1, 093
Ready-to-wear stores_ ___ ____ ___________________
129
Limited-price stores____________________________
8
Beauty shops_________________________________
16
Hotels ___________________ · ______________ _____
35
Restaurants___________________________________
51
Hours worked.
The number of hours worked by office women varied considerably
from industry to industry, but in general hours were more regular
for them than for the other workers in the same places of employment.
The proportion of women who worked a full week of 40 hours or more
ranged from 55 percent in ready-to-wear stores to 96 percent in
laundries. More than nine-tenths (93 percent) in dry-cleaning establishments worked 48 hours, and a similar proportion in laundries
worked over 40 and including 48 hours. Almost nine-tenths in
department stores worked 45 hours. Nearly two-fifths in manufacturing had a week of 32 and under 40 hours, and almost as many
(37 percent) worked 40 hours. In ready-to-wear shops the variation
was much greater; three-eighths had a week of 32 and under 40 hours,
three-tenths one of 45 hours, and one-fourth one of 48 hours.
Week's earnings.
The average week's earnings of office workers ranged from $13.80
in dry-cleaning establishments to $24.30 in manufacturing firms.
In the other industries in which as many as 50 office women were
employed- laundries, department and ready-to-wear stores, and
restaurants-the averages varied only from $16.50 to $17 .85. The
accompanying table 13 shows the week's earnings in each industry.
The range of earnings of office workers was extremely wide, particularly in laundries and department and ready-to-wear stores, but
in each industry the modal group on the basis of the 2-dollar intervals
shown in the table contained at least one-fifth of the women. Nearly
one-half of the office women in dry cleaning earned $12 and under $14,
and more than three-tenths (32 percent) earned $14 and under $16.
In each of the other industries the largest groups had one-fifth of the
2
Excludes telephone service. For office workers in that industry, seep. 44.
36
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
TABLE
13.-Week's earnings of women office workers in the establishments visited
1
Number and percent of women with earnings as specified
Week's earnings
N umber
TotaL________________ ____________ ____ ________
Median earnings_ ______ ____________ _____ ___ ______ ___
Less than $4 ____ ___ ___ _________________ _____ _______ ___
$4, less than $6 ____ __ -----··- ___ _____ _________ _______ _
$ti, less than $8 ___ ________ --- --------- -··- ___ _______ __
$8, less than $10 ____ __ ________________ ____________ ___ _
$10, less than $12 __------- --------- ·· - ----- -- -·· ---- ___
$12, less than $14 ___________________ ___ ____ __ ___ __ __ _
$14, less than $16 ____ ______ _____ _______ _________ ____ _
$16, less than $18 __ ___ __ ___ ____ _____ ______ __________ _
$18, less than $20 ________ __ __ ____ ________ _____ ______ _
$20, less than $22 ______ ____ __ ___________ _______ __ ___ _
$22, less than $24 __ ____________ __ ________ _______ ____ _
$24, less than $26 ______________ ______ ________ _______ _
$26, less than $23 ______ ________ ___ ______________ ___ __
$28, less than $30 _______ __ ______ ___ _______ ____ ______ _
$30 and more _____ ___________________ __ ____ ____ _____ _
Dry cleaning
Laundries
Percent
291
100. 0
$16. 50
2
3
4
11
4
48
58
61
53
12
15
9
2
1
8
0. 7
1.0
1. 4
3.8
1. 4
16. 5
19. 9
21. 0
18. 2
i. 1
5. 2
3. 1
.7
•3
2. 7
Number
Percent
88
100. 0
$13. 80
3
2
1
43
28
6
1
2
Manufactures
Number
65
100. 0
$24. 30
3. 4 ---------- - --------2. 3 -- -------- ---------1. 1 ---------- - -- - -----1
1. 5
-ill. 9
4
31.8
6. 2
6.8
5
7. 7
1.1
4
6. 2
2. 3
9
13. 8
10.8
7
13
20. 0
Ll
7. 7
5
4
6. 2
1.1
13
20. 0
t Too few workers for percent distribution reported in limited-price stores, beauty parlors, and hotels.
120 earned $16; 2 earned $17.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Percent
Department stores
Number
Percent
1, 093
100. 0
$16. 60
8
7
18
8
28
156
225
204
167
92
65
47
19
10
39
o. 7
.6
1. 6
.7
2. 6
li. 3
20. 6
18. 7
15. 3
8. 4
5. 9
i. 3
1.7
.9
3.6
Ready-to-wear
stores
Number
I P"'ent
129
100. 0
$16. 70
2
1
3
3
2
13
26
1 22
17
17
8
6
4
l.6
.8
2. 3
2. 3
1.6
10.1
20.2
17.1
13. 2
13. 2
6. 2
4. 7
3.1
----------5 ---------3. 9
R estaurants
Numb,,
I Po,..,nt
51
$17. 85
----------
100. 0
2.0
---------- ------------------- -------------------6
11.8
5
15
4
8
3
4
1
2
2
9.8
29.4
7.8
15. 7
5. 9
7.8
2. 0
3.9
3.9
38
HOURS AND WAGES IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
total, but the earnings of these groups varied with the industry, as
follows: One-fifth in manufacturing earned $24 and under $26; in
laundries one-fifth earned $16 and under $18 and nearly as many
earned $14 and under $16; and one-fifth each in department and readyto-wear stores earned $14 and under $16. In independent restaurants,
where almost three-fifths of the women received one or more meals
also, the largest group, three-tenths of the total, earned $16 and
under $18. None in manufacturing earned less than $12, but in the
other industries the proportion with earnings of less than $12 ranged
from 2 percent in restaurants to 9 percent in ready-to-wear stores.
Unpublished figures, available in the Women's Bureau, reveal that in
every industry a great majority of the women in this low-earnings
group for whom time worked was reported had worked less than 32
hours. At the other end of the wage scale were one-fifth of the
women in manufacturing, but less than one-twentieth in each of the
other industry groups, who earned $30 or more.
In laundries and dry-cleaning establishments all the women with
earnings of $12 or more for whom time worked was reported worked
40 hours or over. The proportions of women in department stores,
ready-to-wear stores, and manufacturing plants with earnings of $12
or more for at least 40 hours of work were respectively 98 percent, 59
percent, and 60 percent.
·
The former Minimum Wage Board did not set a separate rate for
office workers, but they were covered by the rates set for the industries
in which employed. On that basis wages of the office workers in the
industries surveyed in 1937 are indicated here in relation to the former
minimum-wage rates.
Percent of women office workers 1 with earnings as
specified
Week's earnings
cleanLaundries Drying
($15)
($15)
Less than minimum rate . _________________
Same as minimum rate ____ __ _____ _________
More than minimum rate _________________
31. 6
11.0
57. 4
69. 3
18. 2
12. 5
Department
stores
Ready-towear
stores
($16.50)
($16.50)
46. 8
8.4
44.8
40. 3
14. 0
45. 7
Restaurants a
($16.50)
31.4
2.0
66. 7
1 Too few office workers reported in hotels and limited-price stores for distribution.
• Exclusive of meals.
Nearly 32 percent of the office women in laundries earned less than
the $15 minimum set for that industry, and in dry-cleaning plants the
extremely large proportion of 69 percent earned less than $1Q.
In ready-to-wear shops, department stores, and restaurants the rate
set for the industry was $16.50. The proportions of office women
earning less than this amount were, in the same order, 40, 47, and 31
percent.
Manufacturing plants were not covered by an order of the former
board, but in contrast to stores and restaurants only 9 percent of the
women doing office work in factories earned less than $16.50.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
39
OFFICE WORKERS IN ES'l'ABLISHMENTS SURVEYED
Hourly earnings.
Hourly earnings were highest in manufactures, shown by an average
of 64.1 cents, and lowest in dry-cleaning establishments, where the
average was 28.1 cents, the highest earnings being 128 percent above
the lowest. Average earnings in ready-to-wear stores (40 cents),
laundries (37.5 cents), and department stores (36.7 cents) were
roughly 40 percent below the average in manufactures.
Percent of women 1 wlth earnings as specified
Hourly earnings (cents)
Laundries Dry cleanina
Median earnings_ ____________ _______
$0. 375
$0.281
Manufactures
$0. 641
Department
stores i
$0.367
Ready-towear
stores 2
$0. 400
1- - - - 1 - - - - - f - - - - - 1 - - - - 1 - - - -
25, less than 30___________________________ __
80, less than 35___ ______ ______ ________ _____ _
35, less than 40____ ___________________ __ ____
40, less than 45__________________ ____ _____ __
45, less than 5()__________________ _________ __
60, lessthan 60____ _________________________
60,lessthan76 _____ ___ ____ _________________
76 and more_ ______ _____ __ ____ _______ ____ __
8. 7
29. 7
18. 8
23. 2
5.1
9.4
3. 6
1. 4
63. 5
____________
29. 7
1. 6
1. 4
7. 9
2. 7
6. 3
____________
3. 2
1.4
20.6
1.4
41.3
____________
19. 0
13. o
25. 2
19. 4
. 23. 8
4. 9
7.6
4. 6
1. 3
8. 7
17. 3
8. 7
34. 6
7.1
11.8
10. 2
.8
1 Too few office workers for percent distribution reported in hotels, restaurants, beauty parlors, and
limited-price stores.
1 A. small proportion-less than 1 percent-earned less than 25 cents.
Though less than one-half of 1 percent had average earnings below 25
cents (and these were all in stores), earnings of 25 and under 30 cents
were received by an important proportion of the women. More than
three-fifths of the women in dry-cleaning establishments earned 25
and under 30 cents, but less than one-tenth in laundries and ready-towear shops and just over one-eighth in department stores had such
earnings. Lowest earnings in manufactures were 34 cents, and the
largest proportion, four-fifths of the total, earned 50 cents or more.
The largest group in laundries (30 percent) and in department stores
(25 percent) earned 30 and under 35 cents, but in ready-to-wear
stores tbe largest group (35 percent) earned 40 and under 45 cents.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
TELEPHONE SERVICE
A survey of the telephone industry in the District of Columbia
was made in June 1937, and pay-roll records of 1,600 operators and
495 office clerks employed by the telephone company were obtained.
The large majority of the operators, 1,341 (84 percent), were experienced workers who had been employed for a year or more. T he
remaining 16 percent were practically equally divided between student
operators, those in the first 6 months of employment, who numbered
133, and junior operators, those in the second 6 months of employment,
of whom there were 126. Forty-four percent of the experienced operators were relief operators and were qualified to work at any position
on the switchboard. A small number of women included with the
experienced operators were public telephone attendants, service observers, and dial instructors. In addition, 156 regularly employed
operators were reported as on leave of absence during the week surveyed ; 79 were on vacation with pay, 58 were on furlough (leave without pay), 3:nd 19 were out because of sickness.
Because the telephone service must be available at all times, many
of the operators work at night and on Sundays, and some of the relief
operators may work both day and night shifts in a pay period . In
the week recorded almost 9 percent of the operators were on night duty.
I n the downtown business district each operator must work 1 out of
every 4 Sundays, and in residence sections each operator works 2 out
of every 3 Sundays. During June, 47 percent of the operators worked
on one or more Sundays.
Although all operators are on a weekly rate of pay, they receive
additional pay for evening, night, or Sunday work . When the operat or works after 7 p . m. and up to and including 9 p . m . the additional
pay is 20 cents a day, and when she works after 9 p. m. or on the allnight shift the additional pay is 40 cents a day. For each ·sunday
shift the additional pay equals 10 percent of the weekly rate. In the
week recorded nearly five-sixths of the women received additional pay
for evening, night, or Sunday work.
Hours worked.
All operators were on a full-time schedule of 5 days a week, but for
regular operators the daily schedules were 7 or 8 hours and the weekly
hours were 35 or 40. Operators on the day shift or night shift had an
8-hour day and a 40-hour week, but those on the straight afternoon and
evening shift or the broken morning and evening shift had a 7-hour day
and a 35-hour week. The relief operators frequently had both 7and 8-hour days in 1 week, and consequently their weekly hours varied
from 35 to 40.
Although the women generally worked the full schedule, some were
absent one or more shifts because of sickness or because they had taken
time off without pay. However, this group was small and only about
7 percent of the women in the present study worked less than 35 hours.
40
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The largest group, 36 percent, worked 35 hours and the next largest
group, 31 percent, worked 40 hours. None worked over 40 hours.
Women with hours worked as specified
Hours worked
All women
Total number ____________________________________ _
Women on
straight pay
1,600
Women with
additional pay 1
1,326
274
PERC ENT
Less than 35 _______________________ _____ __________ _____ _
35
_______
-- ---- --- - ---__---- ----- --- -- ----- --_
Over
35, --less- --than
36 ________
____
___ ___--__--_____________
36, less than 37______________ ______________ __________ ___ _
37, less than 38 __________________ ___ ____ ____ ___ __ _______ _
38, less than 39 _____________ ____________ ____ ______ ___ ___ _
39, less than 40 __ ______ __________________ ___ __ ___ ___ ____ _
7.3
36. 3
.9
7.4
43. 8
.4
2. 2
8. 9
1.0
10. 3
6. 0
4.9
5.1
7. 2
19. 2
4. 3
6. 0
31.4
40_ --- ------------------ - -- -- -- -- ---- - - -- - - - - -- -- -- -- -- - 1
6. 9
90. 5
Additional pay fo r evening, night, or Sunday work.
More than nine-tenths of the day-shift women who received only
the regular rate of pay worked 40 hours, but over two-fifths (44 percent) of those who received pay for evening, night, or Sunday work
in addition worked 35 hours, and almost one-fifth worked 40 hours.
Due to the irregularity of hours worked by relief operators and the
operators on broken shifts, the actual time worked and the spread of
hours from beginning to end of day have been tabulated on the basis
of employee-days, obtained by multiplying each daily work shift by
the number of times such shift was worked by any woman. As
shown below, 45 percent of the employee-days had 8 hours of actual
work, and for this group the spread of hours exceeded the actual by
only 1 hour, the usual lunch recess. On 55 percent of the employeedays actual time worked was 7 hours, but on three-tenths of these the
spread of hours was 12 and less than 13; on one-fifth it was 13 and
less than 14, only a negligible proportion exceeding 13; and on onefifth it was 11 and less than 12. The spread of hours exceeded the
actual by only the 1-hour lunch period on three-tenths of these
employee-days.
N
Actual hours
Number
of
women
b
0~~m~r
ployeedays
Percent of employee-days on which spread of
hours was-
i----,----....,.......---,-----:---11, less
than 12
8
12, less
than 13
13, less
than 14
----------1---- --- --- --- --- --- --TotaL___________________
7_______________________________
5___________ ·------- - -----------
1
1,600
1,071
931
7,997
16. 5
4,426
29.9 ----- -----
44. 7
11. 2
- - - 1 - - - - 1 - - --1-3,571
16.6
11.1
20. 1
29.8
20.1
100. 0 ------- --- ---------- ----------
1 Details aggregate more than total because some relief operators worked on both hour shifts in one payroll period.
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42
HOURS AND WAGES IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBtA
Week's earnings.
The earnings figures presented in this study are the actual amounts
earned by the operators in a week in the first half of June 1937. The
recent wage raise announced by the telephone company was not in
effect at the time this survey was made, and consequently the amount
of the raise is not shown in the figures given below. However, beginning the latter part of June, the increase in pay was to average about
$3 a week per person. New operators hired after June with less than
4 months' experience will receive $1 more, those with 4 months and
up to 5 years service will receive $2 more, and those with more than
5 years service will receive $3 more.
The average week's earnings of the 1,600 operators was $22.03.
Earnings ranged from $1 to $57, but, as shown in the accompanying
table, more than ·two-thirds of the women earned $18 but less than
$26. One-fifth earned $22 and under $24, sligh tly less than one-fifth
earned $24 and under $26, and about one-ninth earned $26 or more.
The lowest rate of pay was $14, but some of the women were absent
on one or more shifts in the week studied and consequently their
earnings fell below the weekly rate of pay. Seven percent worked less
than 35 hours, but only 2 percent earned less than $14.
TABLE
14.-Week's earnings of women operators in telephone service
Women with earnings as specified
Week's earnings
All women
'rota! number __ -- ------------ -------------- -- -- --
1,600
Women on
straight pay
274
Women with
additional pay 1
1, 826
PERCENT
Less than $14 ______ _______________________________ . ___ __
than $16--- ------------------- -- -- -- -----------than $18___ __ _____ . _. _____ . __ . _______ _. ____ ... _.
than $20___ ___ ____ __ __ ___ _____ ________ _________ _
than $22___ ___________________________ _________ _
than $24 _____ __ ______________ __ ________________ _
than $26____ _______________________ ___ ___ __ ____ _
than $28 __ ___________________________________ ___
than $30__ __ _____ ______ __________ ____ ____ _______
$30 and more ______ ________________ . . ___________________ _
$14, less
$16, less
$18, less
$20, less
$22, less
$24, less
$26, less
$28, less
1
2.0
8. 7
10. 1
16. 1
12. 7
20. 2
18. 8
5.4
3. 0
s. 0
3. 6
31. 4
6.2
2. 6
8.8
32.8
4. 0
1. 7
4. 0
10. 9
18. 9
13. 5
17. 5
21. 9
.7
5. 4
3. 5
4. 4
2. 8
5. 5
Additional pay for evening, night, or Sunday work.
For the day-shift workers who did not receive additional paythat is, who had no evening, night, nor Sunday work- the average
was $21.56. The earnings of these women had an extremely wide
range, with considerable concentration at two points-one-third
earned $22 and under $24 and over three-tenths earned $14 and under
$16. Five percent earned $28 or more. The large proportion earning from $14 to $16 in this group is due to the fact that student operators usually are em ployed on the day shift.
•
For those who received additional pay, the week's earnings averaged
$22.12; 22 percent earned $24 and under $26, 19 percent earned $18
and under $20, and nearly as many earned $22 and under $24.
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Hourly earnings.
.
Average hourly earnings for all operators were 56 cents. The average was 55 cents for the day operators on straight pay and 60.7 cents
for those who received additional pay for evening, night, or Sunday
work. No operator received less than 35 cents, and only one-fifth of
the group received less than 50 cents. About one-third earned 50
and less than 60 cents, and three-tenths 60 and less than 70 cents.
Women with hourly earnings as specified
Hourly earnings (cents)
All women
Total number ___________________________________ _
1,600
Women on
straight pay
274
Women with
additional pay ·
1,326
PERCENT
35 ______________ -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - - - -- --- ----Over 8ll, less than 40 __________________ _________________ _
40, less than 45,_ ________________________________________ _
45, less
than 50-----------------------------------------50,
less than
55 ___ _____________________________________ _
gg: l:! ~:~ ::::::=::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
65, less
than 70-----------------------------------------'10,
less thnn
75 ___ _____________ ____ _____________________ _
75 and more ·------------- -------------------------- ----
5.3
.8
3.9
10.3
14.8
18.8
16.6
13.9
9.3
a.,
31. 0 -------------- __
2.9
0.4
2.9
4. 1
1.8
12.1
10. 6
15. 7
136. 2
15. 3
4.0
19.2
5.5
15.6
.7
11.0
,.,
6. 7
Additional pay for evening, night, or Sunday work.
• Almost nine-tenths of this group at 115 cents even.
1
The largest group of those on straight pay, 36.2 percent, earned 55
and less than 60 cents, but, because so many student operators were
on this day shift, almost as lar~e a pro~ortion, 31 percent, earned
35 cents. For those who rec01ved additional pay, earnings were
somewhat higher; nearly one-fifth earned 60 and less than 65 cents,
and roughly one-sixth were in each of the 5-cent earnings intervals of
50 and less than 55 cents, 55 and less than 60, and 65 and less than 70.
None in this group earned so little as 35 cents.
Telephone operators in other industries.
In addition to data for the operators employed by the telephone
company, pay-roll data were obtained for 50 operators employed in
other industries. The majority (35) were in department stores, while
the others were in laundry, dry-cleaning, and manufacturing establishments and ready-to-wear stores. Almost three-fourths of the 48
operators with hours reported worked 45 hours; over one-tenth worked
46 and 48 hours. Onlv four worked less than 40 hours.
Only about one-fourth of these operators earned as much as $20,
and well over one-half earned $15 and under $20.
Average hourly earnings ranged from 27 to 79 cents, but the majority earned 30 and less than 45 cents; about one-fifth fell in each of the
5-cent intervals, 30 and less than 35, 35 and less than 40, and 40 and
less than 45 cents. Slightly more than one-sixth earned 50 cents or
more.
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44
HOURS AND WAGES IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Office workers in telephone service.
Wage and hour records were obtained for 495 women doing clerical
work in the telephone industry.
Nine-tenths of these employees worked a week of 37½ hours. Only
9 percent exceeded these hours-none exceeding 40-and only 5
women had a week of less than 37½ hours.
The earnings figures following do not include the wage increases of
$1 or $2 a week that were to go into effect in the latter part of June.
The distribution in the pay-roll week recorded was as follows :
Office workers
Office workers
Week 's earnin gs
Week's earnings
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ,_N_u_m
_ b_ e_r 1-Pe_r_
ce_n_t _
__________
,_N_u_m_b_
er _P_er_ce_n_t
11
Total number___________
Median earnings______________
Less than $12___ __________ ____
$14, less than $16______ ___ __ ___
$16. less than $18________ ______
$18, less than $20____ __ ___ _____
495
100. 0
$25.38
7
0
6
----i1
0. 2
4. 4
2. O
5. 3
$20, less than $22_________ ___ _
$22, less than $24____________ _
$24, less than $26________ ___ __
$26, less than $28 ___ __ ___ ___ __
$28, less than $30_____ _____ ___
$30 and more___ _________ __ ___
38
101
60
60
57
L20
7. 7
20. 4
12.1
12.1
11. 6
24. 2
The average for the group was $25.38. One-fifth of the women
earned $22 and less than $24; practically one-fourth earned $30 or
·more.
Hourly earnings averaged 65 cents. The distribution follows:
Hourly earniugs (cents)
P ercent of
women
M ed ian earnings ____ ______ _____ _
$0. 65
35, less than 40 _ ___ __ _______ __________ _
40, less than 45 ______ ______ ____ __ ___ ___
J. 2
4. 0
H ourly earnin gs (cents)
45, less than 50 ___ __ ___ ____ ___________ _
50, less than 60. ________ ____ __________ _
60, less than 75 __________________________ _
75 and more _____ __ ______ ____ __ _____ ___
Percent of
wom en
4. 8
20. 2
39. 0
30. 7
Only one-tenth of the women earned less than 50 cents an hour,
the lowest averag being 37}i ents, and three-tenths earned 77 cents
or mor .
0
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