8
"Sex: Fem ale—Dependents: Yes"
By ELIZABETH DOTSON
A member of the Oregon State I
Employees Association Membership
Committee.
It is axiomatic that single women,
like single men, must work to support
themselves; but it is less generally real
ized how many single and married
women are working to support depend
Have many people ever stopped to ents. They are giving, this support from
consider who are the breadwinners , of salaries which often cannot sustain min-
American families? Those who deter imum living standards. Though all of
mine wage levels, and many others, us know fellow women workers who
have long assumed that men, and men support children, parents or relatives,
only, are breadwinners. Statistics clear many persons regard such examples I as
ly reveal that, this assumption is not exceptions. On the contrary, these as
correct.
sumed "exceptions” statistics shown
The Women’s Bureau of the U., S. us are multiplied by hundreds of thou
Department of Labor and various wom sands.
en’s organizations have long been study
Tlie Business and Professional Wom-
ing census reports and numerous sur e’p’s Clubs'in 1931 conducted a survey,
veys to determine the facts regarding which included statistics on 14,000
the general assumption that women members of their organization. Results
work for ''pin money” only. Many of show that 17% of these women had
the statistics quoted in this article are complete responsibility for the support
from the 1930 census and surveys in of one <5r more persons and sometimes
the first half of the thirties, but they partial support of others. One-tenth of
are not "outdated.” They represent the women having dependents were
what we are wont to consider a '-'nor supporting three or more persons. In
mal” period. The 1930 figures did not* cluding those who gave partial sup
yet reflect the- more acute eif’crimW port, the total number report n g de
stances of the depression period and are pendents was 63.6. “Sixty percent of
free from war time changes in the la these women were riot married.
bor force. Thus, the figures represent
Other studies of that period further
a period free from these economic ab eniphasize the financial' dependence up
normalities, to which we can add the on working women. A -summary of 34
logical conclusions of successive per studies of over 153,000 single and .mar
iods. Although each survey contacted ried women shows that 6 ^ ^ e o n tr ib u -
a limited number of women, they all ted to the maintenance of dependents?
prove representatives as each makes the Another summary of 10 studies made
revelation that an overwhelming ma between 1930 and 1937 in which over
jority of women work outside their 369,000 women were contacted, shows
that 13^ .- of these women were the
homes from economic necessity.
sole support of orie or more persons.
In 193 5 the American Associatnn, of
A Park for the Capital City
University Women surveyed 8,796 of
■ (Continued from Page 7)
their members, representing S l j of
park for the indefinite future. I feel the employed and 2 5 ^ d of the total
sure that state employees will see the members of their group. It is safe to
wisdom of procuring this park to be Say that the results indicate a general
come a civic asset matching the capitol trend as this survey covers a period
group.
from 19.25 to 1935 and includes worn-