Washington

AGE OF LEGAL CONSENT:  18.

POPULATION:  Male 304,178; female 213,925.

HUSBAND AND WIFE:  Wife controls own earnings and controls separate estate; but control of community property is vested absolutely in the husband; this includes everything acquired after marriage by the joint or separate efforts of either.  Husband and wife have equal rights of inheritance to one another’s estate; but are not equal guardians of the children, as husband can exclude wife by will.  Support of the family is chargeable upon the property of both husband or wife, or either of them.  No dower or curtesy.

DIVORCE:  Absolute for any cause deemed by court sufficient, when court is satisfied that parties can no longer live together, fraudulent contract, adultery, impotence, desertion for one year, cruel treatment, habitual drunkenness, neglect to provide, imprisonment.

No limited divorce.

LABOUR LAWS:  No female may be employed in a mine.  Every profession and occupation open to women, but they may not hold public office.  No Sunday labour.  Females shall not be employed in any place where liquor is sold.  Seats must be provided for female employees.  Hours limited to ten.  No child under 14 shall labour in factory, mill, or workshop except at discretion of juvenile judge.  Children must go to school between 8 and 15.

SUFFRAGE, POLITICAL CONDITION, INDUSTRIAL AND PROFESSIONAL STATUS:  Women have school and bond suffrage, but cannot vote for State or county superintendents. 38 women in ministry, 7 dentists, 13 journalists, 13 lawyers, 62 doctors, 3 professors, 8 saloon keepers, 1 banker, 8 commercial travellers, etc.

West Virginia

AGE OF LEGAL CONSENT:  14.

POPULATION:  Male 499,242; female 459,558.

HUSBAND AND WIFE:  Wife controls own earnings, but cannot sell or encumber her separate property without husband’s consent.  Husband is legal guardian and must provide.  Dower and curtesy prevail.

DIVORCE:  Absolute for adultery, impotence, imprisonment in penitentiary, conviction of an infamous offence before marriage, desertion for three years, pregnancy of wife at time of marriage or prostitution before without knowledge of husband, in favour of wife when husband was notoriously a licentious person before marriage without her knowledge.

Limited for cruelty, reasonable apprehension of bodily hurt, desertion, habitual drunkenness.

LABOUR LAWS:  No Sunday labour.  No child under 12 may work in factory or mill and no child under 14 shall be employed during school session.  No child under 15 may be employed in any mendicant, acrobatic, immoral, or dangerous occupation, nor in any place where liquor is sold.  Seats must be provided for female employees.  No female may work in mine.

SUFFRAGE, POLITICAL CONDITION, INDUSTRIAL AND PROFESSIONAL STATUS:  No suffrage.  Women cannot be notaries. 26 women in ministry, 4 dentists, 4 journalists, 4 lawyers, 18 doctors, 4 professors, 9 saloon keepers, 2 bankers, 3 commercial travellers, 2 carpenters, etc.