Just what proportion the women in stores, mills and factories—or the women usually in mind when the term 'women in industry' is used—are of the whole number of bread winning women is best shown by the circle on the following page, which has been divided to illustrate the relative proportion of 'women in industry' and other •bread-winitmg women' according to the occupation census of 1910.
This circle throws into bold relief the fact that of the millions of women who are earning their own bread, scarcely 37 per cent are earn ing it in stores, mills, factories and other mechanical establishments or in offices. These women have 'invaded' the great domain of modern industry. The other 63 per cent are earning their living in the professions, in agri culture, and in domestic service, or they are winning their bread as waitresses, boarding and lodging-house keepers, nurse maids, etc.
only the rate of increase in the numbers of all bread-winning women, but exceeds the rate at which the total female population over 10 years While bread-winners in all pursuits as com pared with the total female population 10 years of age and over have been steadily in creasing during the last half century, the rate of increase in the proportion of women entering factories, mills and stores since 1870 is much greater than the rate of increase in the pro portion of women entering all bread-winning pursuits. This is clearly seen in Table I.
Women in Manufacturing and Mechanical Mechanical invention, the de velopment of the factory system, the conse quent decline of production and increase of unemployment in the home, forced many needy women into factory and mill environment. The skill acquired in the home industries exerted a controlling influence on the choice of industries into which women went for a livelihood. In deed, this early influence is apparent even at present. The largest number of women em ployed in factories in 1914 were making per sonal apparel; a slightly lesser number were spinning yarn and weaving it into cloth. Al most 200.000 were preparing food products for our consumption.
Table II showing the largest ing industries in the United States, therefore, gains in instructive interest when the indus tries represented therein are compared with the division of work as described at the begin ning of the article between men and women before the development of the modern factory system.
Such a comparison brings out dearly the fact that women "invaded' principally the mills and factories producing commodities which were once woman's chief, if not exclusive, con cern, when such commodities were of household origin.
Women in Mercantile and Clerical Pur suits.-- The rate of increase in the number of women going into mercantile and clerical pur suits and professions since 1870 outstrips not of age has increased. This is shown by the table on page 459.
The women in mercantile and clerical pur suits are concentrated, as might be expected, in a very few occupations. The five occupations of saleswoman, stenographer and typewriter, bookkeeper and accountant, clerk and telephone and telegraph operator claim neatly 90 per cent of all women engaged in mercantile and clerksl pursuits according to the occupation census of 1910.
Table III illustrates the pressure which the stream of women entering mercantile and clerical pursuits put upon the five occupational groups named.
Women in Professions.— Until shortly be fore the war school teachers in public and private institutions constituted an overwhelming majority of the "Women in Professions.' Even in 1910 the teaching profession furnished nearly 500,000 of the total number of the approximately 750,000 reported in the occupation census of 1910. Beginning in the latter part of the last century, however, the number of women in other professions began to increase with im rapidity. While there were fewer than women physicians and surgeons in this country in 1880, there were nearly 14.000 in The same contrast is afforded by the number of 'literary and scientific persons.' The 1910 census of occupations shows but 579 chemists, assayers and metallurgists, but there are ample evidences that these and many other technical occupations were attracting large numbers of women even before the war.
The profession of law is drawing thousands of women, not all of them engaging in general practice by any means. Many are taking courses in law and securing admission to the bar in order to qualify for positions in legal departments of large corporations, civic and educational organizations and institutions, and frequently in various departments of the State and Federal governments.