The endeavors of employers to lengthen the work day in order to extract larger profits from their workers is met with little resistance by women workers. That explains why in the textile industry, for instance, in which more than half of the workers are women the work day is longest. It was necessary therefore that government protection by limiting the hours of work should begin with this industry. Women being accustomed to an endless work day by their domestic activity, submit to the increased demands upon their labor power without offering resistance.

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PERSONS EMPLOYED IN GAINFUL OCCUPATIONS.
COUNTRIESYear
of
Census		Entire PopulationGainfully employedPersons gainfully employed in percentage of population
MaleFemaleBothMaleFemaleBothMaleFe­maleBoth
German Empire190730,461,100 31,259,42961,720,52918,599,236 9,429,88128,092,11761.1 30.445.5
Austria190012,852,693 13,298,01526,150,7088,257,294 5,850,15814,107,45264.2 44.053.9
Hungary19009,582,152 9,672,40719,254,5596,162,298 2,668,6978,830,99564.3 27.645.9
Russia189762,477,348 63,162,673125,640,02125,995,237 5,276,11231,271,34941.6 8.424.9
Italy190116,155,130 16,320,12332,475,25310,998,462 5,284,06416,272,52668.0 32.450.1
Switzerland19001,627,025 1,688,4183,315,4331,057,187 498,7601,556,57765.0 29.546.9
France190118,916,889 19,533,89938,450,78812,910,565 6,804,51019,715,07568.2 34.851.3
Belgium19003,324,834 3,368,7146,693,5482,123,072 948,2293,071,30163.8 28.145.9
Netherlands18992,520,603 2,583,5355,104,1381,497,159 433,5481,930,70759.4 16.837.8
Denmark19011,193,448 1,256,0922,449,540 752,559 353,9801,106,53963.1 28.245.2
Sweden19002,506,436 2,630,0055,136,4411,422,979 551,0211,974,00056.8 21.038.4
Norway19001,066,693 1,154,7842,221,477 599,057 277,613876,67056.1 24.039.5
England and Wales190115,728,613 16,799,23032,527,84310,156,976 4,171,75114,328,72764.6 24.844.1
Scotland19012,173,755 2,298,3484,472,1031,391,188 591,6241,982,81264.0 25.844.3
Ireland19012,200,040 2,258,7354,458,7751,413,943 549,8741,963,81764.3 24.344.0
Great Britain and Ireland190120,102,408 21,356,31341,458,72112,962,107 5,313,24918,275,35664.5 24.944.1
United States of Ame­rica[126]190039,059,242 37,244,14576,303,38723,956,115 5,329,80729,285,92261.3 14.338.4

[126] These figures include 91,219 persons of the army and navy who were absent from the country while the census was taken.

In other trades, such as millinery, manufacture of artificial flowers, etc.,[127] they reduce their own wages and lengthen their own work day by taking home extra work. They frequently do not even notice that thereby they become their own competitors and do not earn more in a sixteen hour day than they might in a well regulated ten-hour day.

The [table on page 212] shows to what extent female labor has grown among various civilized nations, both in relation to the other sex and in relation to the entire population.[128] Our table shows that the number of women employed in gainful occupations constitutes a considerable percentage of the entire population. The percentage is largest in Austria, France and Italy. This may be partly due to the manner of census-taking, as not only those female persons are counted, whose principal occupation is a gainful employment, but also those who perform incidental work for wages. The percentage is lowest in the United States. It is also important to compare the growth of the laboring population with former periods. Let us begin with Germany:

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Years in which census was takenEntire PopulationPersons gainfully employedPersons gainfully employed in percentage of populationOf 100 persons gainfully employed
Male FemaleMale FemaleMale FemaleMale Female
188222,150,749 23,071,36413,415,415 5,541,51760.57 24.0271.24 28.76
189525,409,161 26,361,12315,531,841 6,578,35061.13 24.9670.25 29.75
190730,461,100 31,159,42918,599,236 9,492,88161.06 30.3766.21 33.79