The economic position of womenAcademy of Political Science in the City of New York
History
The economic position of women
Academy of Political Science in the City of New York
Women -- Employment -- United States; Women -- United States -- Economic conditions
The important fact common to these stories is that there was no
systematic effort to prevent the maladjustment which was due not to the
inefficiency of the workers but to change in industrial organization.
The displaced employes had not been in a position accurately to foresee
these changes; the appearance of the machine in the workroom was
usually their first warning that they must seek other occupations. Time
was lost in the effort to make the required readjustments. It does not
appear that this loss of time was a necessary evil. On the other hand,
it is evident that solutions were possible, and that the suffering of
the workers was due to the fact that readjustments were matters of
chance rather than forethought.
There is another fact, almost as important as the introduction of
machinery, and that is the failure to introduce it. Of the 306
binderies visited in the course of this investigation, including
temporary departments of printing offices, lithographing establishments
and other branches of the industry, there were only nine in which no
handworkers were employed.
In 234 some machine was used.
In 66 no machines were used.
In 6 the use of machines was not ascertained.
In 20 a gathering machine was found.
In 269 no gathering machine was found.
In 17 the use of a gathering machine was not ascertained.
In 112 a folding machine was found.
In 181 no folding machine was found.
In 13 the use of a folding machine was not ascertained.
Several employers discussed the use of machinery and gave their reasons
for not introducing it. Small firms could not run the risk of investing
capital in machines which might change soon again. It was better to
be a specialist in one process and give out part of the work to other
establishments. Others did not have large enough orders to keep a
machine for one process in motion all day. High rents prevented others
from providing larger space for machinery. Others were inert. As long
as there were girls willing to take low wages for handwork, it was just
as well to continue in the old way.
This failure to introduce machines brings about a diversity in methods
which is very confusing to the worker. It prevents the establishment
of a standard and makes necessary a different bargain in each factory.
“You see every bindery is a little different,” said one woman; “when
you go to a new place you never can tell what it will be like.” In
so far as machines compel uniformity, they help to standardize both
processes and conditions of work.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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