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Women during the Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution started in Britain during the 18th century. The Industrial Revolution was a result of changes in the agricultural economy. The goal of women in the Industrial Revolution was to quickly produce low cost items for high pirces, this is known as mass producing. Economic changes caused social changes, including the movfement of people to cities, and a way of accessing material goods. The Industrial Revolution was the first step in the modern economic growth and development. Women began participating in jobs outside of the house as they wanted to change the traditional beliefs of women being house wives. What had women accomplished during the time period of the Industrial Revolution? Did women make a difference?

Working Conditions

The English laborers had to put in long hours, as much as sixteen or seventeen hours a day and six days a week. Women claimed that they could only get enough work out of their laborers with such long hours. To justify the women’s positions, factory owners pointed to the group of the number of workers who only go to work four days a week. A women at the factory says “the worst conditions were in the cotton mills, where temperatures were especially harmful. In the cotton-spinning work, these creatures are kept, 14 hours in each day, summer and winter, where temperatures from 80-84 degrees. I feel that I’m locked up” (The Industrial Revolution pgs 80-81). Struggles between the workers and factory owners over the length of the working day became very stressful to them and the industrial society. Besides, working in the factories, women had to stay home and “cook, clean or wash…manipulating the stove to heat it” (World History Companion to the Industrial Revolution pg 113).

Women's contributions

The Industrial often reduced the value of women’s work in the factories. Many women were contributors to the labor force. Three women that contributed their works during this time and are still used today such as, Margaret Knight, Mary Walton, and Josephine Cochrane. Let's begin with Margaret Knight! Margaret was born on February 14, 1838 in York, Maine. She was an American inventor. At the age of nine through her teenage years, she was a cotton mill worker. Years later, she moved to Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1868. During this year, Knight invented a machine that glued and folded paper to form the brown power bags. Two years later, she awarded for inventing the machine. Next, in 1879, Mary Walton developed a method of preventing smoke stack through the water tanks. Walton adapted the system for the use on locomotives, later on. She also invented a sound-dampening system because there were the noisy elevated trains. She was awarded on February 8, 1881. Many other inventions followed the locomotives (more advanced ones) such as, the railway crossing gate and the railway tracks. Finally, Joesphine Cochrane invented the dishwasher in 1886. Cochrane was a rich woman, therefore she didn’t have to wash any of the dishes. However, she wanted a machine that could do the job in a faster way. In 1893, she was awarded with the Chicago award.

How did their works impact the countries?

The impact of industrialization on women depended the cultural and economic conditions of their works. Women who contributed their works played a major role “as early factory workers, particularly in light industries where machines reduced the strength requirements…low-wage labor force” (Industrial Revolution in American History pg 277). “Women [usually] comprised a significant portion of the work force in textile manufacturing” (278). This was what made women become popular of the countries that they are living in. Women played a very important role in the growing labor force because they were “inexpensive and presumabily docile.” For example, in the West, middle-class women held jobs and married working-class women work occasionally. “By 1900, 20 percent of manufacturing labor force was female in most Western countries” (277). “It is harder to induce women to compromise, they are likely to hold out to the bitter end to obtain exactly what they want (285). This quotation means that women had been working hard for a long time and women also participated in strikes, arguing that employment “should pay men a high enough wage.” Since women had contribute so many works, they were “hire them as employers during the World I and II” (289). Also, people allowed women to do “nontraditional” manufacturing jobs in bomb factories, steel mills, and shipbuilding.” Finally, for what women contributed, they were offered to do more jobs, later on in life.

As a result, the women during the Industrial Revolution had made many accomplishments though they were not noticed during the time. It is obvious to state that without the aid of women, the men would be unable to become successful with their inventions or businesses. Women had worked as low class workers and were paid below the amount men received. Women had slowly increased their involvement to the society and economical world, instead of remaining house wives; women took part in the Industrial Revolution and made the future a better place for women. Their accomplishments had lead to a more equal society as women and men had equal pay, opportunities, and jobs.

Works Cited/References

Comanor, William S. “Industry” World Book. Chicago: World Book, Inc., 2005. 

Corrick, James A. The Industrial Revolution. San Diego: Lucent Books, Inc., 1998. 

Dudley, William. The Industrial Revolution and Opposing Viewpoints. San Diego: Bender, David L., 1998. 

Jacob, Margaret C. “Industrial Revolution.” World Book. Chicago: World Book, Inc., 2005. 

McCormick, Anita Louise. The Industrial Revolution in American History. United States: McCormick, Anita, 1998. 

Stearns, Peter N., and Hinshaw, John H. World History Companion to the Industrial Revolution. Santa Barbara: Sterns, Peter and Hinshaw, John, 1996.