Using the documents provided, evaluate the extent to which the Industrial Revolution negatively impacted the lives of women and children in industrial societies during the nineteenth century.
Answers
Explanation:
Now that we have looked at how and why the Industrial Revolution occurred, it’s time to consider its effects on people. We learned that industrial production increased tremendously, bringing wealth and power to Great Britain throughout the 19th century. But we have yet to explore the effects of industrialization on society, on the daily living and the working conditions of common people. What was life like for the average industrial worker? Was living in a new industrial city and working in a factory an improvement over life in the countryside? Did the new factory life change for the better the roles of family members, including women and children? Were people healthier? In general, did the Industrial Revolution improve life for most people? To answer these questions, we’ll look at various primary source accounts to gather evidence from the people that actually lived through this time period.
Since the Industrial Revolution was so new at the end of the 18th century, there were initially no laws to regulate new industries. For example, no laws prevented businesses from hiring seven-year-old children to work full time in coal mines or factories. No laws regulated what factories could do with their biohazard waste. Free-market capitalism meant that the government had no role in regulating the new industries or planning services for new towns. And those who controlled the government liked it that way—only a small minority of people, the wealthiest, could vote in England at this time. So during the first phase of the Industrial Revolution, between 1790 and 1850, British society became the first example of what happens in a country when free-market capitalism has no constraints. You will learn about the effects of the Industrial Revolution on living and working conditions, urbanization (the growth of cities), child labor, public health, working class family life, the role of women, the emerging middle class, and economic growth and income. You will be asked to reflect about what role, if any, the government should have taken to improve life in the new industrial cities.
Industrial Revolution - Women and Children
Explanation:
During the Industrial Revolution, there was no restriction on the age of workers, nor on the number of hours that they could work. Children soon ended up working in all types of industry. They were cheap, weren’t big enough or educated enough to argue or complain and were small enough to fit between tight fitting machinery. Many schools were expensive to send a child to, so working class families couldn’t afford to send children there. Parents were quite willing to let children work in mills and factories.
Women of the working classes would usually be expected to go out to work, often in the mills or mines. The hours were long and conditions were hard. After work, they had to perform household chores. Women also faced the added burden of the demand for children. Many families had more than 10 children as they brought in extra income.