-about two-thirds of the
workers are women. In no trade in which both sexes are employed is the
difference in their work more apparent. The weight of materials
decides to some extent the division of operating between men and
women. Some employers are of the opinion that garments made of such
thick materials as plush, corduroys, and cheviots are too heavy to be
manipulated under needle machinery by women and consequently employ
only men operators. Where light weight materials are used, as in the
manufacture of dresses and waists, delicacy in handling is required,
and nearly all the operators are women.

[Illustration: Diagram 7.--Distribution of 8,337 clothing workers by
sex in the principal occupations in the garment industry]

Four-fifths of the men and two-fifths of the women employed in the
industry are of foreign birth and the majority of the native born
workers are of foreign parentage. There is an increasing demand for
workers who understand English, due to the fact that they are able to
follow directions more intelligently.

There are relatively few workers under the age of 18. Many firms will
employ no one under this age because of various complications which
arise in connection with the age and schooling certification of girls
between the ages of 16 and 18. Of 25 women's clothing factories
visited during the Survey only nine had any workers under 18.
According to the report of the Industrial Commission of Ohio for 1914
only eight per cent of the workers employed in making men's clothing,
and less than two per cent of the workers employed in making women's
clothing were under 18 years of age.

EARNINGS

In general the wages paid in garment making compare favorably with
those of other manufacturing industries. This is particularly true
with respect to the earnings of women workers. A considerably larger
proportion of the women employed in the garment industry earn what may
be considered high wages for industrial workers than in any of the
larger factory industries of the city. This is clearly shown in
Diagram 8 which lists nine of the principal fields of industrial
employment for women. The proportions of women receiving under $8 a
week are lower in men's and women's clothing than in the other seven
industries. In the proportion of women receiving $12 and over, women's
clothing ranks first and men's clothing third.

[Illustration: Diagram 8.--Percentage of women in men's and women's
clothing and seven o