The Industrial Condition of Women and Girls in Honolulu: A Social StudyBlascoer, Frances
General
The Industrial Condition of Women and Girls in Honolulu: A Social Study
Blascoer, Frances
Child labor -- Hawaii -- Honolulu; Honolulu (Hawaii) -- Social conditions; Women -- Employment -- Hawaii -- Honolulu
All the managers agree that native girls are desirable saleswomen, but
that they lack energy. One manager said he would like to employ more
native girls if he could secure efficient ones, because of their
amiability.
There are a fair number of openings for new employes in the shops each
year—from fifteen to twenty in all—and each manager has a waiting list.
The requirements are: a fair knowledge of arithmetic, a good appearance
and good English. The saleswomen are not required to wear black because
of the heat; but there is little extreme dressing, and the general tone
of the shops is exceedingly good. Perhaps it will not be out of place to
say a word in regard to the surprisingly quick time in which new styles
reach Honolulu shops. All the buying is done in New York, and in general
an excellent stock of goods is carried.
In the book, florist, jewelry, curio and art shops, and in the various
stores, there are about 100 young women employed, some of whom combine
office duties, bookkeeping or stenography with selling in the shop. The
wages vary from $5.00 a week—paid the small Chinese beginner of
fifteen—who has here clothed herself in American garb—to $85.00 a month
for years of experience and a multiplicity of duties. The average wage
is from $10.00 to $12.00 a week, and the majority of the saleswomen are
Spanish, Portuguese and Irish. The restaurants employ girls as cashiers,
but there are no waitresses.
These clerkships afford excellent employment for untrained girls with
good manners, a good appearance and average intelligence, and during the
winter season an extra force is maintained in practically all the shops.
SEAMSTRESSES AND NEEDLEWOMEN
The seamstress investigation developed two interesting facts: i. e.,
that the supply of workers is not keeping pace with the demand; and that
the seamstresses at present available are for the most part
self-trained.
A circular sent to 250 women who have households in Honolulu brought 110
replies, of which 8 stated that no seamstress was employed because of
scarcity or inefficiency; 78 employed a seamstress regularly in periods
varying from one week to eleven months, but for the most part from three
to six weeks in the year. Of these more than half complained either of
incompetence or slowness. Seamstresses who had served with dressmakers
were the best paid and most satisfactory; but they formed a small group
of only eleven. The majority were found satisfactory for plain sewing,
but incapable of planning work, or incompetent in execution.
The remarks in reports are generally as follows:
“Satisfactory if watched.”
“I have been able to get only one girl, who is entirely untrained,
though willing.”
“Competent for plain sewing and mending.”
“Competent for plain work.”
“For very plain sewing and mending her work is very neat.”
“Qualified for plain sewing; not to cut or fit.”
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