Position of Women Under New York State Law, The. Pamphlet.
[Suffrage, NY] Wiles, Ben. Pamphlet: “The Position of Women under New York State Law.” New York City: New York State Woman Suffrage Association, [ND, but ca. 1915-1917].
Pamphlet: 6-1/4 x 3-7/16,” printed black on gold paper; self-wrappers (stapled). Fine.
Ben Wiles, a lawyer, gives a straightforward précis of women’s rights under New York law. His preface boils down the issue of woman suffrage to one key question: “Shall women be the equal of man in the eyes of the law?” Simply, the pamphlet was written “to direct the attention of thinking people to the present inequalities in the legal status of the sexes.” Wiles canvasses a woman’s property rights, responsibilities in the home, labor laws relating to women and children, the rights of women in court, civic rights and privileges. One intent which may be inferred from the pamphlet is to educate working women of their rights: that they are entitled to “twenty-four hours of consecutive hours of rest in every seven days,” for instance; and that work schedules should be posted. There are work laws for foundaries, others of canneries and yet others for factories. While one may suspect that slippage between enactment and enforcement occurred with frequency, this pamplet represents an effort to inform women, particularly working women, of their rights. The gold color on which the pamphlet is printed is, of course, the signature color of the NAWSA.
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