Part 18 (1/2)

In 1882, there were to every 1,000 persons engaged in industry 176 women; in commerce and transportation, 190; in agriculture, 312.

In 1892, the number of women, employed in the factories of Germany, were of the following ages:

Number Age. Employed.

12-14 3,897 14-16 68,735 16-21 223,538 Over 21 337,499 Besides (for Reuss younger line without designation of ages) 6,197 ------- 639,866

In the Kingdom of Saxony, notedly the most industrial portion of Germany, the number of working-women employed in the factories was:--

Year. 16 Years and Over. 12 to 16.

1883 72,716 8,477 1892 110,555 13,333 ------- ------- Increase 37,839 4,856 52 per cent. 57 per cent.

As a result of the new factory regulations, which limited the hours of female labor, between the ages of 14 to 16, to 10 a day, and wholly forbade factory work to children of school age, the number of working-women between the ages of 14 to 16 sank to 6,763, and of girls between the ages of 12 to 14, sank by 6,334. The strongest increase in the number of working-women, as far as we are informed, took place in the tobacco industry of Baden. According to the reports of the Baden Factory Inspector, Dr. Woerishoffer, the number of persons engaged in the said industry and their subdivisions by s.e.xes; was as follows:

Total Number Year. Employed. Males. Females.

1882 12,192 5,193 6,999 1892 24,056 7,932 16,124 ------ ----- ------ Increase 11,864 2,739 9,125 or 52.8 or 130 per cent. per cent.

This increase in the number of female tobacco workers, denotes the sharpening compet.i.tive struggle, that has developed during the last ten years in the German tobacco as well as many other industries, and which compels the ever intenser engagement of the cheaper labor of woman.

And, as in the rest of Germany, so likewise in Baden the industrial development in general shows a larger increase of female than of male workers. Within a year, it recorded the following changes:--

Year. Males. Females.

1892 79,218 35,598 1893 84,470 38,557 ------ ------ Increase 5,252 2,959 or 6.6 or 8.3 per cent. per cent.

Of the working-women over 16 years of age, 28.27 were married. In the large ammunition factory at Spandau, there were, in 1893, 3,000 women out of a total of 3,700 employes.

As in England, in Germany also, female labor is paid worse than male.

According to the report of the Leipsic Chamber of Commerce for the year 1888, the weekly wage for equal hours were:--

Males. Females.

Industries. Marks. Marks.

Lace manufacture 20 --35 7 --15 Cloth glove manufacture 12 --30 6 --25 Linen and jute weaving 12 --27 5 --10 Wool-carding 15 --27 7.20--10.20 Sugar refinery 10.50--31 7.50--10 Leather and leather goods 12 --28 7 --18 Chemicals 8.50--25 7.50--10 Rubber fabrics 9 --28 6 --17 One factory of paper lanterns 16 --22 7.50--10

In an investigation of the wages earned by the factory hands of Mannheim in 1893, Dr. Woerishoffer divided the weekly earnings into three cla.s.ses: one, the lowest, in which the wages reached 15 marks; one from 15 to 24; and the last and highest in which wages exceeded 24 marks.

According to this subdivision, wages in Mannheim presented the following picture:--

Low. Medium. High.

Both s.e.xes 29.8 per cent. 49.8 per cent. 20.4 per cent.

Males 20.9 per cent. 56.2 per cent. 22.9 per cent.

Females 99.2 per cent. 0.7 per cent. 0.1 per cent.

The working-women earned mostly veritable starvation wages. They received per week:--