Men 774,967 809,238 Women 2,157,870 2,352,921 ---------- ---------- More women than men 1,382,903 1,543,683 These widowed persons were of the following ages: 1890 1900 Men Women Men Women 40 to 60 years 222,286 842,920 225,191 900,357 60 years and older 506,319 1,158,712 537,116 1,299,905 The number of divorced persons were during 1890, 25,271 men and 49,601 women. During 1900, 31,279 men and 60,738 women. These were of the following ages: 1890 1900 Men Women Men Women 40 to 60 years 13,825 24,842 16,976 30,385 60 years and older 4,917 7,244 5,713 8,452 These figures show us that widowed and divorced women are excluded from remarriage, even during the age best suited to marriage. For during the years 1890 and 1900 there were respectively 46,362 and 46,931 widowed men up to the fortieth year of age, while during the same years there were respectively 156,235 and 152,689 widowed women. There were divorced men in 1890 and 1900 respectively 6519 and 8590 and divorced women 17,515 and 21,901. Here the disadvantage of divorce to the women is proved by figures. The following shows the proportion of unmarried persons during 1900: Men Women 15 to 40 years 6,700,352 5,824,464 40 to 60 years 426,388 503,406 60 years and older 141,416 252,134[80] Among the unmarried persons between the fifteenth and fortieth year there are, as above table shows, 875,888 more men than women, which appears to be very favorable to women. But men between the fifteenth and twenty-first year of age,--at which age there are 3,175,453 men to 3,064,567 women,--are, with very few exceptions, unable to marry. The same may be said of men between the twenty-first and twenty-fifth year of age, the great majority of whom are unable to support a family, while women of this age are all marriageable. When we furthermore consider the fact that for diverse reasons a great many men do not marry at all,--the number of unmarried men over 40 years were 567,804,--we find that the position of women in regard to marriage is a highly unfavorable one. A great many women then, under present-day conditions, are compelled to deny themselves the legitimate satisfaction of the sexual impulse, while men seek and find satisfaction in prostitution. The position of women would become a far more favorable one, as soon as a transformation of social conditions would abolish the obstacles that at present prevent hundreds of thousands of men from becoming married.