Page:Wages in US 1908-1910.djvu/54

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WAGES IN THE UNITED STATES.

the women. In fact, the conditions of many industries are such that men do the skilled, technical work almost exclusively, while women do the semi-skilled work demanding dexterity and speed. Whatever the explanation of the difference may be, there is a marked contrast between the wages of men and of women employed in the same industries.

The statistics of the five industries employing the largest numbers, in which the proportion of males and females was practically the same, appear on the preceding page. Those employees receiving less than $6 a week furnish the following percentages,—

Male Female
Cotton Goods 7 per cent. 15 per cent.
Clothing (Men's) 2" 27"
Carpets and Rugs 2" 27"
Paper Goods 1" 19"
Bookbinding 2" 17"

Thus, practically none of the adult males in these five industries receive less than $6 per week, while the proportion of females receiving less than $6 ranges from one-eighth to more than one-quarter of the total. Similar results are secured by computing the percentage of males and females who receive more than $12 per week.

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