Introduction
Industrialization is an inevitable and irreversible process. Whether disastrous or beneficial, the changes brought about by the industrialization period represent fundamental variations in people’s daily lives. Women have had little written about them in the histories of the period. The females differ from their male counterparts based on the roles they perform and biologically. The changes that were introduced by the phases of industrialization affected them uniquely and allowed them to take part in the factory process. Hence, this essay develops an explanation of the special duties women played and their experiences throughout the industrialization period. Since the factory culture is mostly associated with the structure of roles, the paper will relate the females as workers, their participation in strikes, attitudes to the jobs, and the types of responsibilities they performed. The essay also looks at the role of the women in a general context based on their status and experiences as mothers and wives.
Body
The females have always worked; hence, the industrial revolution did not provide them employment in the real sense. It only placed them in the public view since they were used to household and seasonal tasks. The revolution thus interfered with their roles as caregivers. The factory culture required people to perform duties outside their homes. It did not provide room for any group of persons to be left behind because even the children were useful. The phase turned everyone into a slave of the country with the sole aim of ensuring economic development. The entire system subjected citizens to more than twelve hours of labor each day while still expecting them to maintain energy and vigor (Factory Tracts, 1845).
Women had it worse off because, after the long working hours, they were still expected to perform their household duties after their shifts. The aspect led to a decline in their domestic services ushering in attitudinal variations. The industrialization had different impacts on the women based on their relationship status. The married females had more household responsibilities than the single ladies. The single women found the factory culture exciting since it gave them a sense of freedom to explore various feminized jobs such as teaching, clerical work, and nursing. The diversification of female duties was restricted by employment policies and the opposition of the men (A Factory Girl, 1840)
The women’s productive duties in industrialization begun to shape new cultural attitudes that did not restrict their roles to housework. The effects of the factory culture on women can be classified into three stages. The first one that took place in the 1800’s and represented a transition that took place for over a century. It was characterized by a temporary increase in the females’ employment levels and the assignment of women into the labor force. The second phase saw the maturation of the industries and the channeling of more single ladies into the modernization sectors resulting in a decrease in their traditional functions (S.G.B., 1840).
However, even though phase two increased the participation of women in the job environment, they were limited to the inferior positions. The third phase continued to promote the female’s importance in industrialization and intertwined the values of the women and men to carry out a common goal. The factory culture is attributed to the rise of feminism in 1914. The women’s eyes were opened. They began to protest against their inferior positions and roles in the society. The development of garment and textile mills across many Northern towns in the United States in the 1820s created a new way for the females to sell their home-made products to outside regions. The products were used by factory workers who comprised of women, children, and the men to keep warm during the winter seasons (S.G.B., 1840).
Women faced various labor demands during the industrial revolution. Those who belonged to the working class were required to go work for long hours in the mines and mills. The fortunate served as maids for the rich families or governesses of the wealthy children while the unlucky worked in devastating conditions. The societies continued to demand that the women should focus on their domestic duties after long days of hard work (Factory Tracts, 1845). They were also required to bear more children to supplement the workforce. After the females had given birth, their employers expected them to go back to work leaving their children with older family members. The harsh aspects radicalized most of the women’s minds to see that they were placed under servitude where they did not have any opinion over their well-being.
For the young women without families, life was easier for them. The ladies had the enthusiasm of leaving the countryside to work in the growing urban cities. The jobs permitted the single females to earn an honest wage without seeking support from the households (A Factory Girl, 1840). They also allowed them to save money for their future marriages while others sort to help their families to alleviate financial burdens at home. The mix of familial and personal motivations led the young women to leave their homes to seek employment. The females obtained the freedom where they could participate in the factory protests. The Lowell Female Labor Reform Association is an example of an organization of women driven by the aim of reducing working hours for the mill workers (S.G.B., 1840).
The Republicanism and Protestantism cultures that sought to revolutionize traditions and criticize the impositions of capitalism allowed women to take part in reform agendas such as anti-slavery and female rights conventions. The women started to tackle their problems led by a strong force of female activists from prosperous backgrounds. The reformers outlined the irony where the females were required to be subordinate to the males, but their minds and economic values were respected (Factory Tracts, 1845). The overwhelming power that the industrial revolution gave to the women raised opposition from the male factory workers who requested the leadership to ban female and child labor. The critics wanted the women to go back to the confinement of their homes, but it was too late since a brave spirit had already sprouted in their hearts.
Conclusion
The experiences derived by the women from the Northeast factory culture demonstrates that the employment not only took the females out of their homes but also provided a collective mindset that gave them the allowance to participate in social reforms. The Lowell women began to involve themselves in moral reforms, anti-slavery, labor protests, and women rights marches. The industrial revolution subjected the married women to the harsh conditions that made them appreciate the domestic roles they possessed before the period. They endured long job hours and were still expected to perform household duties after their factory work. The married females also had to bear more kids to supplement the labor force. The agitations of the women were thus founded in their requests for social reforms. On the other hand, the single ladies found liberation from the factory culture that allowed them to earn salaries to support themselves and their families (A Factory Girl, 1840). However, as time progressed they become aware that they were limited to feminized roles of caregiving; hence, they also protested for changes. Conclusively, the industrial age changed the perspectives of the women, and they began to realize their self-worth.
References
A Factory Girl (1840). Factory Girls: The Lowell Offering, pg. 17-19.
Factory Tracts (1845). The Market Revolution 1800-1840: Factory Life as It Is, Lowell.
S.G.B. (1840). Pleasures of Factory Life: The Lowell Offering, p. 25-26.
