Family and the Industrial Revolution

Misconceptions• “Machines destroyed the working class

family.”– Home replaced by factory.– Father permitted to employ wife and children– Families relocated closer to factories

Factory Wages

• Skilled men earned nice wages• Unskilled men, women, children- average

to poor wages

English Factory Act of 1833

• No Children under 9.• 9 Hour Maximum Work Day• 2 Hours of Education• Adults/ Teens- Max. 12 hr.

work day

~~ 1847- Changed to a Max 10 hr work day

Mines Act of 1842

• Prohibited underground work for all women as well as boys under 10 years old.

Women in the Industrial Revolution

Women in factories• Most were women of the lower classes• Many were unmarried• Had to deal with male supervisors

Harsh Working Conditions• At homes or sweatshops• Lace making, glove making, garment

making, and needlework• Low wages, low skills• Frequently faced exploitation

Problems arise

• Low wages forced many women into prostitution.

• Similar to situations to that of “A Factory Girl” was common.

• The primary reason for this: the transformation of an economy of skilled artisans to that of low skilled factory workers.

Changes in marriage

• Cohabitation becomes more common.• Less arranged marriages.• Fewer family, community ties.• More available young men.• Illegitimate births increased w/ fewer men

willing to marry those fleeting love affairs

More changes

• Husband was the sole provider.• Children, not women, sent to

work.• More children.

Domestic duties

• Homemaking- an essential part of family life.

• Cooking, finances• Working class marriages

tended to imitate the family patterns of the upper classes.