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Foundations of Western Culture: The Industrial Revolution

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TABLE OF CONTENTS ABOUT THIS PROJECT CONTRIBUTORS

How did Industrialization Alter the

Family
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Over the course of the Industrial Revolution in Britain, we different aspects
of how people were affected during this time.  Some examples of how
families were affected include occupation changes, living conditions, and
the advancements of technology. It is easy to look at the outside
perspective and think that everyone must have benefited from the
Industrial Revolution because of the new technology and jobs available.
 After reading this page of how industrialization changed families, we hope
to give you a different view on the Industrial Revolution.  Families were
impacted in a new manner during the Industrial Revolution in England.
 Different classes of people, the occupations they held, and what
nationality they were played a role in how their families were impacted
during this time.

What are the three main points that this Open Educational Resource is
going to cover?

Check Answer

How Different Classes of Families Were Impacted

Lower Class
During the first half of the Industrial
Revolution lower class individuals were living
in conditions that were less than ideal.  The
government set up “poorhouses,” which were
designed to hopefully although families to
move away from relying on government aid
because the conditions of living of these were
horrendous. Often times, because of the
magnitude of their situations, many only had
the option to find a place of shelter.1
This is an example of a poorhouse during the  Because of the design of these houses, it was
Industrial Revolution. Large families were often hard for larger families find enough
forced to live in small quarters because they
room to sleep, as well as go about their daily
could not afford anything else. This
illustration is from 1863 in Bethnal Green, activities. 
London.
Families, in the past, used to together as a
unit to produce goods during the Agricultural
Revolution but with the start of the Industrial Revolution, this changed
drastically.  Work and home life used to overlap as the play and work could
intertwine.  As families were working on the farms, the children were able
to play and the parents were able to spend plenty of time with their family.
 During the industrialization, home life and work life became separated.2
 Women’s role in the industrial economy took a major hit as they took on
more of the “housewife” roles while men worked long hours to make
money for their families. 

Living conditions for skilled weavers and their families also changed during
and after the  Industrialization Revolution.  Before the Industrial Revolution
they could work at their own pace from home, work on gardening, weaving,
and raise small farm animals.  Families seemed to have lived very
comfortable and content lifestyle and were able to choose their work days
and hours.  After industrialization, many could no longer work at their own
pace or rely on opportunities such as weaving for their income.  Children
were expected to go to work in factories along with their parents and lost
the time they formerly had to spend with their families.  The overall quality
of life for most families and how they lived their lives negatively changed
because of the Industrial Revolution.3
Factory workers now performed repeated tasks for fourteen or more hours
per day.4 The following quote is from a man who worked in the factories in
1833.

“ “It is very much the case with some sort of men to go idle part of the week
and to work extra hours the rest. In such cases I have known men to work
from three o’clock in the morning till ten o’clock at night.” 5 

As you can see from this quote, the varied hours

and inconsistent work days took a toll on families
during the Industrial Revolution. It was difficult to
spend quality time together because of the long
work days so relationships often became
strained.6  The mothers struggled to keep their
families in good health while also struggling to
money.  A lot of times the children would have to
go to work for the factories as well because they
An example of children working in the are a lot smaller and can fit in smaller spaces.
factories.  Children only earned 1/10 of what men earned in
the factories.  Many young women would work for
the factories when they were younger but once
they became married they would quit their jobs to take care of the home.
 To make ends meet, some women would even have to continue working in
the factories or mines while they were pregnant.7

Middle Class
At the end of the 19th century, we see a “Middle Class” emerge due to
industrialization.  Before this, there were only the extremely wealthy who
inherited their money and possessions or the extremely poor working
class, who had to work very hard for every penny they had.  People who
were in the middle class tended to work jobs like shop keepers, bank
tellers, merchants, insurance agents, accountants, managers, doctors,
lawyers, and teachers.8  Most of these jobs were occupied by men while the
women tended to continue the housewife role.

 The middle class men did not have to work

as physically or as long of hours as the
working class did, which allowed them to
spend more time with their wives and
children.  Middle class children often did
not have to work and were able to attend
school during the day.  Some middle class
families were well-off enough that they
could hire a servant or maid who would
cook or clean their houses occasionally.9
Still, home was separate from work but
This image is an example of a middle class
family in their home. You can see that they are
would be a place where the families could
dressed nicely and do not have dirty faces or gain emotional support and feel safe.  As
hands, which was common to see in images of time passed, women started having less
poor or working class families. children because families could not afford
to send them all to school.  The infant
mortality rate also decreased because of
better health care options and less pollution in the streets.10  Families were
also smaller because they did not need as many kids to work on farms like
they had prior to the Industrial Revolution.     

In what ways were Lower Class families affected by the Industrial

Revolution?
 Check Answer

For more information click here.

How Different Occupations Were Impacted

In the English Industrial Revolution there were many changes to
occupations throughout the country as more and more people moved into
the big cities. The traditional family dynamic was in constant change in-
between the late 18th century throughout the 19th century. Women and
children had to work numerous long and dangerous jobs.11 It was quite a
different time than before when small seamstress shops, farm fields and
cobblers workshops were much more promising workplaces than the now
common factory and mine shaft.  

If a woman were to work the same job as a man it was very rare for the
woman to make more money let alone the same as her male counterpart.12
A great example of this was in a silk mill in 1825 where 90% of an over a
thousand person workforce were women and none of which held a role
with any power and they all made less money than over 50% of the men
working there.13 One other problem with the Industrial Revolution was the
toll it took on an individual’s health. It didn’t help that many of those
working at this time were working twelve plus hours a day often with little
sleep and it was also not uncommon for people to eat small amounts of
food with very low nutritional value.14

Whether it be those working in factories, coal mines,

or mills people were getting ill at seemingly faster
rates.15 This was because of many of the new
businesses opening having very little regulations of
the fumes their machines were using or of even the
fumes of the items they were producing.16

Two examples of individuals in the English Industrial

Revolution are shown below. One of which is an
example of two girls who, considering their age,
 Magnolia Cotton Mill Via Wikimedia would not even be working in the societies most
industrialized nations there are today. This allows
for a greater look at how different expectations for
children were at this time period. The other example is a look at a middle
aged woman who explains perfectly the way labor and societal norms at
this time affected women in particular and how they reacted. Overall
during this time period there were many different jobs, but many of them
had similar effects on those working both mentally, culturally, and health
wise.

Mary and Rachell Enock, ages 11 and 12 years.

“
“We are door-keepers in the four foot level. We leave the house before six
each morning and are in the level until seven o’clock and sometimes later.
We get 2p a day and our light costs us 2 1/2 p. a week. Rachel was in a day
school and she can read a little. She was run over by a tram a while ago
and was home ill a long time, but she has got over it.”17  

Jane Peacock Watson.

“
“I have wrought in the bowels of the earth 33 years. I have been married 23
years and had nine children, six are alive and three died of typhus a few
years since. Have had two dead born. Horse-work ruins the women; it
crushes their haunches, bends their ankles and makes them old women at
40. “18 

How did family life change from pre to post Industrial Revolution in regard
to occupation changes?

Check Answer

How Different Nationalities Were Impacted

Many nationalities immigrated to England during the first half of the
Industrial Revolution once it began to spread to almost every region. It
became popularized that working in a factory or mine was the best way to
make money and help provide for families. Some of the more well known
nationalities impacted by the Industrial Revolution, other than the native
Englanders, were the Scottish, Irish, and Welsh: the countries in the
surrounding areas of England. These people were technically a part of the
United Kingdom as their own separate countries that held their own
religions, customs and traditions.

These different nationalities immigrated to where

work was most prominent, where there were more
benefits, and where they thought they would be
more financially and economically successful, which
was a rare thing to find during this time. Many of
these migrants were destitute farmers who would
get evicted from their land by their landlords so
they had no choice but to move inland to find work
at a factory, mine, or mill because they needed
money to provide for their families. Additionally,
factories were often hiring so it was fairly easy to
find work for those who didn’t have many
skills. This is why many of them immigrated to
England and the bigger cities where there were the
most factories. For example, in Liverpool and
This is an illustration of a family from Manchester, roughly 25 to 33 percent of the
Ireland waving goodbye to their loved workers there were Irish.19
ones who are leaving the country in
search for a new life elsewhere. It isAs you can probably tell from this painting on the
entitled ‘Emigrants Leave Ireland’,
left, many families were divided and sometimes
engraving by Henry Doyle (1827–
forced to move apart due to famines, diseases,
1892), from Mary Frances Cusack’s
Illustrated History of Ireland, 1868 Viapoverty and poor living conditions. Other times
Wikimedia they just could not provide for their families
anymore so the promise of labor in bigger cities
was very appealing. Some families did not wish to
leave simply because they did not want to abandon their homes/ farms
and the cost of moving was too expensive. In other instances, they had to
take care of someone who was sick or who physically was not able to leave,
perhaps a grandparent. Another factor was that many did not want to risk
losing their young children and other elderly relatives on the journey over
because that was a long and dangerous plight in itself. This sometimes
made it difficult for people to leave and make the transition of living in a
new country since they were leaving loved ones behind and because they
would probably never see them again.

Certain factories or mills in the different regions mentioned before

provided medical assistance, food, and education for their workers and
their families which is why many of them chose to go there. Cornwall and
South Wales are a couple examples where this occurred. Some other
companies provided libraries and playgrounds for their workers and their
families, along with other amenities such as cooking and washing facilities
and heating. Many of these families chose to stay and build a life there. Not
before long they started to form little communities surrounding the
factories where they worked known as “factory villages”.20

People and families who worked in some of these factory/mining

communities had to follow certain rules and moral orders to reflect the
business that they worked for. Their behavior was constantly being
regulated and sometimes when people were caught fighting or causing
mischief they would be dismissed and never taken on again, forcing them
to starve or emigrate somewhere else. This tended to happen to the Welsh
more than other groups because some of the men would drink on
occasion, more-so during strikes and riots, and this hindered their abilities
to work and do a good job, but drinking was a part of their social life and
culture.21

 How do you think families of

different nationalities were
affected by the Industrial
Revolution?

This is a painting of a factory village entitled Oldham from

Glodwick (1831) by James Howe Carse Via Wikimedia
 Check Answer

There were many different struggles that families had to go through in the
Industrial Revolution. The citizens of the new industrialized cities had to
cope with their class at the time, their occupation of “choice”, and their
heritage. Each variable impacting their life in sometimes unforeseen ways.
 All of which made major differences in their quality of life. This time
period, although rough at times, allowed for a major change in how human
society maintained itself in such a relatively short amount of time.

After reflecting on what you have learned, what do you think families
struggled with the most during the Industrial Revolution?

Class and rank in society

Dangers and health concerns associated with your occupation
Nationality and culture
Age or gender
Vote

View Results

1. “Effects of the Industrial Revolution,” Modern World History Interactive

Textbook, date accessed February 28, 2016,
 http://webs.bcp.org/sites/vcleary/ModernWorldHistoryTextbook/IndustrialRevolution/IREffects.html

2. Ibid.

3. Ibid.
4. Ibid.

5. Ibid.

6. Carol Adams, Paula Bartley, Judy Lown, Cathy Loxton,  Under Control: Life
in a nineteenth-century Silk Factory (Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press), 1-48.

7. Ibid.

8. “Effects of the Industrial Revolution,” Modern World History Interactive

Textbook, date accessed February 28, 2016,
 http://webs.bcp.org/sites/vcleary/ModernWorldHistoryTextbook/IndustrialRevolution/IREffects.html

9. Ibid.

10. Ibid.

11. Ibid.

12. Ibid.

13. Carol Adams, Paula Bartley, Judy Lown, Cathy Loxton,  Under Control:
Life in a nineteenth-century Silk Factory (Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press), 1-48

14. “The Coal Mines Industrial Revolution,” Women in World History

Curriculum, date accessed May 11,
2016, http://www.womeninworldhistory.com/coalMine.html

15. Marjorie Bloy, “A Web of English History,” Report of the Commissioners

on the employment of children in Factories (1833), Last modified 4 March,
2016, http://www.historyhome.co.uk/peel/factmine/parents.htm

16. “The Coal Mines Industrial Revolution,” Women in World History

Curriculum, date accessed May 11,
2016, http://www.womeninworldhistory.com/coalMine.html

17. Ibid.
 18. Ibid.

19. Jack Goldstone,  “Gender, Work, and Culture: Why the Industrial

Revolution Came Early to England but Late to China,” Sociological
Perspectives 39:1 (1996), 1-12.

20. Sidney Pollard, “The Factory Village in the Industrial Revolution,” The

English Historical Review, 79: 312 (1964) , 513-531.

21. Ibid.

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