Labor Conditions

Labor Conditions

HIS 101

In the times leading up to and during what we call the industrial revolution factories and mines exploited women and young kids often as young as four by having them work in less than desirable conditions for very little or no pay. Women and child labor was used for many years and many different industrial positions. Most of these positions were formerly held by men. Their reasoning was pretty simple; they could get the women and children to work the positions that no one else wanted and pay them little to no money at all. They also had another benefactor; women and children were in large supply. It was also common practice to sell women and children to factories or mills and force them to stay the duration until their time was paid in full. These children were sold at such a young age by their parents, sometimes as young as four years old, by time they paid their penance they knew nothing else of life so they stayed and continued working.

The reasoning behind why many parents sent their children to work in these harsh environments is pretty simple; they themselves had to do it. Some parents during these times did not even work for themselves. They lived off the little money that their children were making, leaving basically nothing for the children. The term "child labor" refers to the employment of children at a regular and sustained labor. Children were often severely beaten for merely slowing work or not reaching the set goal for quality or quantity. Although movements to abolish these conditions started in the early 1800’s it was not until the 1830’s, “The Short Time Committees” that they started to regulate the hours worked and working conditions.

Not only did it benefit the companies to use women and children from a cost stand point, those demographics were more readily available. Children, for the most part, will do what they’re told. Children were more likely to work in the substandard conditions that that of a...