Working+Conditions+in+the+Industrial+Revolution


 * Child Labour during the Industrial Revolution**

//Prior to the Industrial Revolution//
 * Children worked within the family by doing household chores
 * Children were not expected to produce money for the family; that was the father's job
 * Limited opportunities for education
 * Most people were poor

//During the Industrial Revolution//
 * The introduction of factories and new mills led to more employment opportunities
 * Children (starting as young as four) were expected to contribute to the family now
 * Women and children began to work in factories, mills, and mines instead of at home
 * The new jobs that the Industrial Revolution brought had high risks and were dangerous

//Why was there a drastic increase in child labour during the Industrial Revolution?//
 * It was cheaper to have children workers than adults
 * Physical strength was not always necessary (unlike working on a farm)
 * Small hands were needed to work in the mills
 * Infant mortality rates were reduced significantly

//Working Conditions in the Industrial Revolution//
 * An average work day was ten hours long with few breaks and strict rules to follow
 * Beating was a common punishment for trying to run away or for not following the rules diligently
 * Children were expected to lift large, heavy, and dangerous equipment in the factories and in the mines
 * Factory owners had the responsibility of feeding the workers. Oatcake was a common food served and it was thick and coarse. Dinner was usually potato pie with extremely fatty boiled bacon. Only three meals were served a day even though the children worked between 10-12 hours a day.

//Physical Deformities and Factory Pollution//
 * Many died from gas explosions, lung cancer (from pollution such as fumes and toxins) among other diseases
 * Long periods of standing caused the knees to become weak and turn inwards, which became known as knock-knees
 * Dust floating in the air from cotton fibers were inhaled by children over long periods of time causing tuberculosis, bronchitis, and asthma

//Statistics//
 * Before the Industrial Revolution, 14% of the workers were under the age of 14 years old 1
 * During the Industrial Revolution, over 1.7 million people under the age of fifteen were employed to work in factories and mines by the 1900s 2



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//Sources// "Child Labour in Britain." //Spartacus Educational//. Web. 15 Feb. 2012. . "Child Labor in Factories During the Industrial Revolution." //Needham Public Schools//. Web. 14 Feb. 2012. . 1 "Child Labor." //The Victorian Web: An Overview//. Web. 14 Feb. 2012. . "Child Labour." //Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia//. Web. 14 Feb. 2012. . 2