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Why Did Women Go To Work In New England Textile Mills?

409 Words2 Pages

Women worked in textile mills because of an increase of demand. In the 1830s and 1840s, many young women in New England left their family farm to work in textile mills that were being built in Massachusetts and other New England states. "Six days each week, during the summer months, they woke to the factory bell at 4:40 a.m. and reported to work at 5 a.m. After 12-14 hours of work, they returned to the company boarding houses where they ate and slept. Conditions were crowded with four to eight women sleeping in a room, often two to a bed. "Why Did Women Go to Work in New England Textile Mills?Women went to work in textile Mills because of the need to make money, help their families, and build independence. One main reason New England young women sought work in the mills was that wages were higher than other jobs.Wages were higher in the mills than wages paid to many domestics, seamstresses, and school-teachers. The daily pay at the mills enabled workers to actually save money. A Dresser earns 0.78 cents and a Warper earns 0.73 cents; the lowest pay it goes down to is a Sparehand going down to 0.44 cents. Room and board only cost the women about $1.25 per week. This enabled them to save as much as $2.35 per week.Compared to staying at home on the farm, or working as a domestic or school teacher, these young mill workers were able …show more content…

Neither have I ever discovered that any restraints were imposed upon us but those which were necessary for the peace and comfort of the whole”Rather than staying at home on the farm, or working as a domestic or school teacher, these young mill workers were able to withdraw from the reastraints "whenever they become galling or

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