MAKING BOTH ENDS MEET

'MAKING BOTH ENDS MEET: THE INCOME AND OUTLAY OF NEW YORK WORKING GIRLS' is an in-depth look at the teens and women who were working in factories, textile mills, and laundry services in the early 1900s. At the time, around seventy percent of the working force were young women under twenty-five years old, many of them starting out at around thirteen or fourteen years old. At the time, a great many of the workers were new immigrants to New York, often from Jewish, Russian, or Yiddish background. Some of them were forced to work long hours, taking in extra shifts, or missing their breaks, in order to provide for their families. Many came from large families, or had parents who could no longer work due to sickness, or disability. It is an interesting look at the way they lived during such times, as the women worked excessively long hours, often for a meagre paycheque of three to four dollars a week - barely enough to pay for their food and rent costs, never mind the clothing costs, or transit costs to get to and from work. The authors spent a year and a half researching their book, and interviewing the various workers to find out the working conditions, living conditions, and the stories the young women were willing to share.

Contents:
The income and outlay of some New York saleswomen --
The shirt-waist maker's strike --
The income and outlay of some New York factory workers. (Unskilled and seasonal work) --
The income and outlay of some New York factory workers. (Monotony and fatigue in speeding) --
The cloak maker's strike and the preferential union shop --
Women laundry workers in New York --
Scientific management as applied to women's work

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