TABLE XIV
Average Weekly Wages by Occupations

OccupationAverage weekly wagesPer cent receiving more than the averagePer cent receiving the same or less than the averageHighest wages receivedLowest wages receivedTotal number
General servants$3.1640.559.5$5.00$1.50914
Second girls3.3462.237.84.501.50475
Cooks4.4550.050.010.501.00574
Chambermaids3.8657.442.65.003.0082
Waitresses3.7648.451.65.002.5050
Parlor maids3.9480.419.65.003.5057
Nursery maids3.2651.348.77.001.00233
Laundresses4.4444.455.66.002.0053
Total2,438

It is seen from Table XII that the average weekly wages in domestic service are $3.23—a fair average in this case, since forty-eight per cent receive more than the average and fifty-two per cent the same or less than the average. The average domestic employee, therefore, is able to earn in money during the year $167.96—a fair estimate, since in seventy-five cases out of every hundred the vacation granted women employees during the year is given without loss of wages.[210] This forms, however, but a part of the annual earnings. To this sum must be added board and lodging, fuel and light. For the equivalent in quality and quantity to that furnished by the employer the employee would in general be obliged to pay for board, lodging, and other incidental expenses at a reasonable estimate five dollars per week, or $250 annually, deducting board for two weeks’ vacation. The total annual earnings of a domestic employee, therefore, amount to nearly $420. To this the negative facts must be added that there is no expense for laundry work, and that the work involves few personal expenses in the way of clothing, and that these necessary expenses are often partially met through gifts from the employer. Again, the position entails no expenditures for car fares in going to and from work, or other demands such as are made in a business way by other occupations, and it involves no outlay for appliances for work, as a sewing-machine, type-writer, text-books, etc. Moreover, no investment of capital is necessary in learning the principles of the work, since employers have thus far been willing to make of their own homes training-schools for employees. The domestic employee is therefore never obliged to pay back either the capital invested in preparing for her work or the interest on that amount. It thus seems possible for the average household employee to save annually nearly $150 in an occupation involving no outlay or investment of capital in any way, and few personal expenses.

TABLE XV
Classified Annual Salaries of Women Teachers

City Earning Annually
Under $300 $300, but under $400 $400, but under $500 $500, but under $600 $600, but under $700 $700, but under $800 $800, but under $900 $900, but under $1,000 $1,000, but under $1,200 $1,200, but under $1,500 More than $1,500 Total
Albany, N.Y. 1 26 34 153 22 11 6 1 254
Atlanta, Ga. 7 1 32 31 3 4 1 2 81
Baltimore, Md. 628 246 101 1 1 40 3 1,020
Cambridge, Mass. 1 22 19 146 10 3 11 2 214
Cincinnati, Ohio 26 50 59 359 98 1 5 19 2 619
Cleveland, Ohio 119 124 269 89 16 8 14 10 4 653
Detroit, Mich. 54 63 111 20 121 35 5 3 14 1 427
Lawrence, Mass. 43 49 6 2 1 1 1 103
Lowell, Mass. 8 5 155 9 1 1 1 180
Milwaukee, Wis. 2 76 72 197 19 7 15 9 2 399
New Haven, Conn. 54 73 38 107 14 11 1 2 1 301
New Orleans, La. 2 172 174 3 18 7 5 1 382
Paterson, N. J. 55 97 26 8 9 2 197
Rochester, N. Y. 45 57 287 3 7 14 6 1 2 422
St. Louis, Mo. 61 36 182 362 122 133 42 20 12 13 13 996
Syracuse, N. Y. 35 52 139 21 3 13 1 264
Total 116 493 1,916 1,431 1,261 803 244 107 52 67 22 6,512

A comparison may be made between these wages and the annual salaries received in sixteen representative cities by the women teachers in the public schools. Tables XV and XVI show the annual classified and average salaries received.[211]

TABLE XVI
Average Annual Salaries of Women Teachers

CityAverage salaryPer cent receiving more than the averagePer cent receiving the same or less than the average
Albany, N.Y.$505.7327.7072.30
Atlanta, Ga.459.0548.1251.88
Baltimore, Md.500.9237.1262.88
Cambridge, Mass.628.3522.3277.68
Cincinnati, Ohio702.8720.6079.40
Cleveland, Ohio625.6043.2056.80
Detroit, Mich.607.9696.023.98
Lawrence, Mass.511.1626.2273.78
Lowell, Mass.608.666.7193.29
Milwaukee, Wis.588.0063.5934.41
New Haven, Conn.536.4152.9647.04
New Orleans, La.429.7828.0871.92
Paterson, N.J.455.2022.8477.16
Rochester, N.Y.431.6357.3442.66
St. Louis, Mo.574.6834.8965.11
Syracuse, N.Y.494.9867.0432.96