Essay On Women After The Industrial Revolution

One of the biggest issues in the twenty-first century is the debate over inequality between sexes. Women are fighting the same issues that were fought almost two hundred years ago. After the Industrial Revolution, women were often unemployed, and searching for means to provide for their family.The Industrial Revolution throughout Europe further decreased equality between sexes, specifically work opportunities and the changing view of women. After the industrialization of cloth and textile manufacturing, the family economy greatly changed from what it previously was. The creation of factories and labor saving devices put an end to the “putting out system”, a community of skilled women and girls. Without a reliable source of income, women turned

The previous wool movement was rapidly replaced with a shift to cotton manufacturing. Prior to the Industrial Revolution, cotton often times took days or even weeks for a skilled woman to turn it into a sellable product. Therefore, the cost of cotton products was astronomically high compared to the price of wool products. Before the Industrial Revolution, workers enjoyed “common land”, land that nobody owned, and could be used by anyone. Wealthy nobles and landowners believed that the unowned land could be better utilized. Parliament passed “The Enclosure Acts”, in which wealthy landowners and nobles were allowed to take the land for “efficiency”. The passing of the Enclosure Acts meant that people previously using the Common Land now had nowhere to go, or no way to make a living. The enclosure movement allowed wealthy individuals to take title to many small plots of land and to turn them into large estates suitable for grazing large herds of sheep. This movement resulted in an increased supply of wool. These people had two choices; to sell their owings and work for a wealthy landowner, or to move elsewhere. Many of the unemployed workers moved into the cities where labor was always needed. With urbanization came industrialization. Wealthy business owners and nobles capitalized on their surroundings. The Textile Industry needed machinery that was capable of manufacturing cotton efficiently, and more cost effectively than skilled women. Richard Arkwright soon created the Water Frame. The Water Frame was a spinning device, powered by water, that created cotton thread more efficiently. The new machinery resulted in a cheaper and quicker way to produce cotton products. Less women were needed to provide their abilities. Large factories were soon constructed, and Water Frames were