Women Wage-Earners: Their Past, Their Present, and Their FutureCampbell, Helen
History
Women Wage-Earners: Their Past, Their Present, and Their Future
Campbell, Helen
Women -- Employment -- United States
7. I knew an educated woman--a lady--who tried it as a sort of
upper housemaid. The work was easy, the pay good, and she never had
a harsh word; but they just seemed unconscious of her existence.
She said the gentlemen of the house, father and son, would come in
and stand before her to have her take their umbrellas or help them
off with their coats, and sometimes without speaking to her or even
looking at her. There was something so humiliating about it that
she couldn't stand it, but went back to slop shop sewing.
8. Many mistresses have no standard of the amount of work a girl
ought to do. They know nothing about housework themselves. If a
girl is deliberate and saves herself, they call her slow; if she is
ambitious, and gets her work done early, and they see her sitting
down in working-hours, they conclude that she is not earning her
wages, and hunt up some extra job for her. No matter if you can't
find anything undone, if she is found sitting about she _must_ be
lazy.
9. Some employers think that after the more violent work is done,
it is only a rest for the girl to look after the child awhile. They
don't seem to realize that if the mother finds it such a relief to
get rid of her own child for an hour or so, it is likely to be
still less interesting to take care of somebody else's child.
10. Many people think the position of a child's nurse is very light
work indeed,--mostly just sitting around; so they don't hesitate to
give her the care of one or two children all day, not even
arranging for her to get her meals without the oversight of them;
and then most likely put the baby to sleep with her at night. Any
one minute of such a day may not be heavy, but to have it for
twenty-four hours is enough to wear out the strongest human being
ever made.
11. I knew a school-teacher who thought more active occupation
would better suit her health; she took a place as child's nurse.
She loved children, and found no objection to the work; but soon
the employer concluded to put her in a _bonne's_ cap and apron. My
friend would have worn and liked a nurse's uniform, but she
objected to a family livery. On this question they parted; and her
employer hired an uncouth, ignorant woman to be her child's
companion and to give it its first impressions.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account