Essay about Women In The Industrial Revolution - 1202 Words

Womens Work in the Industrial Revolution The industrial revolution swept through Europe and North America during the 19th century, affecting the class structure, economy, government, and even the religious practices of everyone who lived in or did commerce with these new industrialized nations. It made the modern age possible, but it was not without its growing pains. The position of women before the industrial revolution was often equivalent to chattel, and then as now, they were expected to take naturally to housework and child rearing. The history of working women in the Industrial Revolution is rife with accounts of abuse and tragedy, but overall it improved their position in capitalist societies. Below, I will explain the†¦show more content†¦But towards the end of the 1850s, the growing industrial world had developed a hierarchy of jobs that were gender-appropriate based on a combination of stereotypes, market demands, and real differences in physical strength. Although by the 1840s women represented 50 percent of factory workers in the shoe and textile industries, they rarely worked alongside men. Instead, they held jobs reserved exclusively for women, jobs whose low wages affirmed the belief that womens work was less skilled than mens and less important to family survival. The trend towards delicate or weak women as ideals of beauty in the Victorian era (e.g., the corseted waist) was in part a contrast to the great strength and physical fortitude that average, working women had to display in order to survive and be employed in the Industrial Revolution. Women in Industry In pre-Industrial Revolution America and Britain, women and girls performed much of the labor necessary for the survival for the small household, including the manufacture of yarn, cloth, candles, and food. By 1790, the availability of water-powered machinery such as spinning frames and carding machines enabled industrial magnates to substitute power tools for womens hand labor in the manufacture of cloth. Similar inventions made homemade candles, jellies, and similar labor-intensive products obsolete. Early womens positions in industry included coal-pickers, spinning-machine operators, andShow MoreRelatedWomen Of The Industrial Revolution1417 Words   |  6 Pages The industrial revolution in England was a time of technology, rapidly increasing populations, urbanization, and social change. This economical and societal change triggered an increase of women choosing to work as prostitutes. In this essay, prostitution refers only to street based sex solicitation, done by women. 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The Industrial Revolution has to do with the time between the late 18th century and mid-19th century where there were profound advances in production, manufacturing, and other fields of engineering. It began in Great Britain in the late 1700s which then spread to the United States and then to many other parts of the world. Societies were very ruralRead MoreWomen Workers During The British Industrial Revolution Essay1313 Words   |  6 PagesWomen Workers in the British Industrial Revolution During Britain’s Industrial Revolution, a multitude of different jobs were opened to the working class of men, women, and children. While this era offered a wide variety of new opportunities for everyone, women were somewhat excluded in areas such as occupation availability and wage due to the cultural norms of the time period. The Industrial Revolution was an age of mechanization—businesses were moving away from completing tasks by hand, and insteadRead MoreWomen And Their Roles During The Second Industrial Revolution3502 Words   |  15 PagesWomen and Their Roles in the Second Industrial Revolution When discussing history, it is often assumed that the history of men is also the history of women. Historians often forget that women constantly experience historical processes differently because of the roles that they play and their biological differences. The second Industrial Revolution affected women uniquely, and their involvement and contributions were distinctive as well. The second Industrial Revolution lead to many advantages andRead MoreThe Industrial Revolution and Its Impact on Family Life and Women2656 Words   |  11 PagesThe Industrial Revolution and its Impact on Family Life and Women World Civilization II Edmund Burke once said, Make revolution a parent of settlement, and not a nursery of future revolutions. This comical yet straightforward quote can be related to a time in history called the Industrial Revolution. Throughout history there has been a political, economical, social and cultural revolution. These revolutions has had complex and long lasting impacts on people’s lives, one revolution that hasRead MoreImpact Of The Industrial Revolution On Women s Roles1756 Words   |  8 Pagespower machinery referred to as the Industrial Revolution which affected chiefly Great Britain, the bulk of which spanned until roughly 1850 . Many of the consequences of this industrialization were shifts in the conditions of working and living. This investigation will explore the degree of social change that occurred to the roles and expectations of women during this time period as a result of these shifts. In order to determine the extent to which the Industrial Revolution’s influenc es correlated