"'You see I'm dieting,' said a frail slip of a department-store girl as she held out her tray upon which the cafeteria cashier, in the presence of the Bureau's agent, put a two-cent check, covering the cost of the girl's lunch—a small dish of tapioca. She may have been dieting, but the evidences were pathetically against the need thereof, and there were some things telling other tales to a thoughtful observer. The girl's shoes and waist and skirt were plainly getting weary of well-doing, and to hold her position as sales-woman they must soon be replaced" (l. c., p. 17).
The tables on pages 80 and 81, to one who practises the "great transmigratory art" (as Charles Reade calls it) of putting yourself in another's place, tell pitiful stories of making ends meet (l. c., pp. 54-55).
NUMBER OF WOMEN WAGE-EARNERS KEEPING HOUSE CLASSIFIED BY COST OF LIVING AND WAGE GROUPS
| Average weekly earnings | No. of women with average weekly cost of living (food, shelter, heat, light, laundry) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Un- der $1.00 | $1.00 to $1.49 | $1.50 to $1.99 | $2.00 to $2.49 | $2.50 to $2.99 | $3.00 to $3.49 | $3.50 to $3.99 | $4.00 to $4.49 | $4.50 to $4.99 | $5.00 to $5.49 | $5.50 to $5.99 | $6.00 to $6.49 | $6.50 and over | Total | |
| Total | 7 | 17 | 29 | 32 | 26 | 36 | 29 | 19 | 16 | 2 | 12 | 4 | 7 | 236[A] |
| $1.00: $1.49 | .. | .. | 1 | .. | .. | .. | 1 | 1 | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | 3 |
| 1.50: 1.99 | .. | .. | .. | 1 | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | 1 |
| 2.00: 2.49 | .. | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | 6 |
| 2.50: 2.99 | .. | 1 | .. | 2 | 1 | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | 4 |
| 3.00: 3.49 | .. | .. | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | 7 |
| 3.50: 3.99 | 1 | .. | 1 | 2 | 1 | .. | 3 | .. | .. | .. | 1 | .. | .. | 9 |
| 4.00: 4.49 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | 13 |
| 4.50: 4.99 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 6 | .. | 5 | 3 | .. | 2 | .. | 1 | .. | .. | 27 |
| 5.00: 5.49 | 2 | .. | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | .. | 1 | .. | .. | 19 |
| 5.50: 5.99 | .. | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | .. | 2 | .. | .. | 17 |
| 6.00: 6.49 | .. | 3 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | .. | .. | .. | 1 | .. | 20 |
| 6.50: 6.99 | .. | .. | .. | 2 | 1 | .. | 1 | 2 | 2 | .. | .. | .. | 1 | 9 |
| 7.00: 7.49 | .. | 1 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 2 | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | 16 |
| 7.50: 7.99 | 1 | .. | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | .. | .. | 2 | 1 | 1 | 22 |
| 8.00: 8.49 | .. | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 2 | .. | 1 | .. | .. | 23 |
| 8.50: 8.99 | .. | .. | .. | .. | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .. | .. | .. | .. | 5 |
| 9.00: 9.49 | .. | 1 | .. | .. | .. | 2 | .. | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | .. | 1 | 10 |
| 9.50: 9.99 | .. | .. | .. | .. | 1 | .. | 1 | 1 | 1 | .. | .. | 1 | .. | 5 |
| 10.00: 10.49 | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | 2 | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | 2 | 4 |
| 10.50: 10.99 | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | 1 | .. | .. | .. | .. | 1 |
| 11.00: 11.49 | .. | .. | 1 | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | 1 | .. | 1 | 3 |
| 11.50: 11.99 | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | 1 | .. | .. | .. | 1 | .. | .. | .. | 2 |
| 12.00: 12.99 | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | 1 | .. | .. | 2 | .. | 1 | 1 | .. | 5 |
| 13.00: 13.99 | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | 1 | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | 1 |
| 14.00: 14.99 | .. | .. | .. | .. | 1 | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | 1 | .. | .. | 2 |
| 15.00 & over | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | 1 | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | 1 | 2 |
[A] 16.6% of those for whom the information necessary was secured. In the cities investigated (New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Boston, Minneapolis, and St. Paul) there were, in 1905, 400,000 women employed in stores, mills, factories, and other similar establishments.
NUMBER OF WOMEN WAGE-EARNERS KEEPING HOUSE WHO HAVE SPECIFIED
NUMBER OF PERSONS WHOLLY OR PARTIALLY DEPENDENT
ON THEM FOR SUPPORT, BY WAGE GROUPS
| Average Weekly Earnings | No. of women having wholly dependent on them | No. of women having partially dependent on them | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | 2 persons | 3 persons | 4 persons | Tot. | 1 person | 2 persons | 3 persons | 4 persons | Tot. | ||
| Total | 24 | 8 | 10 | 4 | 46 | 54 | 21 | 15 | 11 | 101 | |
| $ 1.00: $ 1.49 | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | |
| 1.50: 1.99 | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | |
| 2.00: 2.49 | .. | .. | .. | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | .. | .. | 4 | |
| 2.50: 2.99 | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | 1 | .. | 1 | .. | 2 | |
| 3.00: 3.49 | 1 | .. | 1 | .. | 2 | 2 | 1 | .. | .. | 3 | |
| 3.50: 3.99 | 1 | .. | .. | .. | 1 | 1 | 2 | .. | 1 | 4 | |
| 4.00: 4.49 | 2 | .. | 1 | .. | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 9 | |
| 4.50: 4.99 | 1 | .. | 2 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 11 | |
| 5.00: 5.49 | .. | .. | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 1 | .. | 2 | 10 | |
| 5.50: 5.99 | 2 | 1 | .. | .. | 3 | 4 | 1 | .. | .. | 5 | |
| 6.00: 6.49 | .. | 1 | 1 | .. | 2 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 10 | |
| 6.50: 6.99 | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | 4 | 1 | 1 | .. | 6 | |
| 7.00: 7.49 | 3 | 1 | .. | .. | 4 | 1 | 1 | .. | 1 | 3 | |
| 7.50: 7.99 | .. | 3 | 2 | .. | 5 | 10 | .. | .. | 1 | 11 | |
| 8.00: 8.49 | 6 | .. | 1 | .. | 7 | 4 | .. | 2 | 1 | 7 | |
| 8.50: 8.99 | 2 | 1 | .. | .. | 3 | 2 | .. | .. | .. | 2 | |
| 9.00: 9.49 | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | 2 | 2 | 1 | .. | 5 | |
| 9.50: 9.99 | 1 | .. | .. | .. | 1 | .. | .. | 1 | .. | 1 | |
| 10.00: 10.49 | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | 2 | .. | .. | .. | 2 | |
| 10.50: 10.99 | .. | 1 | .. | .. | 1 | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | |
| 11.00: 11.49 | 1 | .. | .. | .. | 1 | 1 | .. | .. | 1 | 2 | |
| 11.50: 11.99 | 1 | .. | .. | .. | 1 | .. | .. | 1 | .. | 1 | |
| 12.00: 12.99 | 1 | .. | .. | .. | 1 | 1 | .. | 1 | .. | 2 | |
| 13.00: 13.99 | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | |
| 14.00: 14.99 | 1 | .. | .. | .. | 1 | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | |
| 15.00: over | 1 | .. | 1 | .. | 2 | .. | 1 | .. | .. | 1 | |