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Tania Hariman
Ms. Hannah Meeuwse
Individuals and Societies 9
29 September 2015
Women During the Industrial Revolution
A woman is often regarded as being less important to a man. This has been an issue
that the world has dealt with for so long. Because of so, our generation has somehow started
showing acceptance of womens rights and has even fought for gender equality and womens
empowerment. Although gender equality might not currently be one hundred-percent
accepted by everyone in our society, it has clearly become more accepted than it had been
back then, which was much worse than what it has become today. During the Industrial
Revolution, the working class of women suffered as they were taken away from their homes
to work long hours and for less pay than men (The Plight of Women's Work in the Early
Industrial Revolution in England and Wales). Though the working environment of the
Industrial Revolution had suffered women back then, it was beneficial in the effectiveness of
initiating the movement on womens rights, which progressed to resulting how society views
women today.
During the late 19th century began a long journey, which changed how the world
works. This long journey was the Industrial Revolution. During 1760 to 1830, the
development of industrialization lead to a problem on figuring out how to further expand the
number of workers, while still being beneficial in finances. This resulted in the introduction
of women labor. Traditionally, women were considered to being in charge of raising the
children and taking care of house chores (domestic services). Before the industrialization,
women often helped out on farms with the rest of the family. After the industrialization drove
women off to depend on labor duties for financial income, many women landed jobs in

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domestic services. Since women were traditionally expected to do housework, domestic
services took up the bulk of womens time during the Industrial Revolution period (Burnette).
These services include cooking, cleaning, caring for children and the sick, fetching water,
making and mending clothing. Burnette continued on to state that most of this work was
unpaid, but some families were financially stable enough that they could employ and pay
other women to do this work as live-in servants, charring women, or service providers. In
London women were paid 2s.6d. per day for washing (Burnette). A days work in washing
could last 20 hours (Burnette).
During the Industrial Revolution, women would often work in factories, particularly
in the textile industry. Burnette mentioned that men were often considered more valuable in
other occupations, but mule-spinners were mostly made up of males due to the more physical
requirements and the fact that male mule-spinners actively opposed the employment of
female mule-spinners. Women mule-spinners in Glasgow became victims of violent attacks
by male spinners trying to reduce the competition in their occupation (Burnette). He went on
to state that this caused women to move out of spinning and find employment in weaving.
Employers during the Industrial Revolution preferred women workers because they
thought they were easier to manage than men. The working conditions were often unsanitary
and dangerous for women as they faced the double burden of factory work followed by
domestic services for house chores and childcare (The Plight of Women's Work in the Early
Industrial Revolution in England and Wales). Men often supervised over women and
received higher wages (The Plight of Women's Work in the Early Industrial Revolution in
England and Wales). Societal fears started occurring in unsupervised young women away
from home (The Plight of Women's Work in the Early Industrial Revolution in England and
Wales). Working women suffered many horrible conditions such as those that were just
mentioned.

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The realization of the suffering of women became more and more recognized. The
Womens Rights Movement marks July 13, 1848 as its beginning as a Elizabeth Cady Stanton
and her four friends discussed that women had not gained freedom even though they had
taken equally tremendous risks (History of the Womens Rights Movement). This was
definitely not the first small group of women to have such a conversation, but it was the first
to plan and carry out a specific, large-scale program, which lead to the first womens rights
convention held in Wesleyan Chapel in Seneca Falls on July 19 and 20, 1848 with
discussions on the social, civil, and religious condition and rights of woman (History of the
Womens Rights Movement). After the revolution, many women started protests and
campaigns for equality in marriage, divorce, property laws, and suffrage. Many have even
started receiving a more proper education to become doctors and lawyers.
Women have been regarded as being less important than men, by definition that is
discrimination between genders, which is sexism. Sexism has been an issue that the world has
to deal with for quite some time now. Discrimination towards women and their rights is
something that should be acknowledged so that it could be eliminated. The Industrial
Revolution has helped in the movement of womens rights. The developments of equal rights
during the Industrial Revolution have impacted society today as it sparked a beginning of
equal rights for women. Though the Industrial Revolution may have been harsh and made
many women suffer, it played a big role in initiating the movement on womens rights, which
progressed to a more accepting society for women today. The revolution sparked The
Womens Rights Movement and it has now transgressed into the much more open-minded
current views of women. Women are becoming more and more accepted as equals to men.
And although not everyone has agreed in gender equality, much have changed since the
Industrial Revolution. Society has become more accepting of women and their rights, which
means a step forward in eliminating sexism.

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Works Cited
Burnette, Joyce. "Women Workers in the British Industrial Revolution." EH.Net
Encyclopedia. N.p., 26 Mar. 2008. Web. 24 Sept. 2015.
<http://eh.net/encyclopedia/women-workers-in-the-british-industrial-revolution/>.
Eisenberg, Bonnie, and Mary Ruthsdotter. "History of the Womens Rights Movement."
National Womens History Project. N.p., 1988. Web. 28 Sept. 2015.
<http://www.nwhp.org/resources/womens-rights-movement/history-of-the-womensrights-movement/>.
"The Plight of Women's Work in the Early Industrial Revolution in England and Wales."
Industrial Revolution. Women in World History Curriculum, n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2015.
<http://www.womeninworldhistory.com/lesson7.html>.

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