Dbq- Female Workers in England and Japan: How Similar Were Their Experiences?

Industrialization took place earlier in the western countries than the other parts of the world. Through the introduction of machines that made work easier in the industries, employment was no longer a man’s thing and women found an opportunity to work (Carlin 318). The revolution created a shortage in labor and textile factories absorbed young single ladies from the rural areas. The

The industrial revolution is the biggest milestone of human history. Factories and machines greatly improved productivity of manufacturing. Japan and England are countries with similar geography, both being islands around the same size of the coast of large countries (doc 1). England was technologically ahead of Japan, due to Japan’s foreign policy which limited contact with other countries in order to preserve culture. The Industrial Revolution started around 1760 in England, and 1868 in Japan (background). There were now a plethora of job opportunities, with many people going to work at factories. These jobs gave little money and lasted long hours. One of the biggest industries was the textile industry; people in England and Japan both worked in this industry with many parallels. Female English and Japanese mill workers had similar experiences with their work hours, similar work conditions, and gender equality within the job.

The Second Industrial Revolution had a major impact on women's lives. After being controlled fro so long women were experiencing what it was like to live an independent life. In the late nineteenth century women were participating in a variety of experiences, such as social disabilities confronted by all women, new employment patterns, and working class poverty and prostitution. These experiences will show how women were perceived in the Second Industrial Revolution.

The mills of Lowell, Massachusetts changed the lives of young girls throughout. During the Industrial Revolution, young girls and women worked in mills to earn pay while men worked in factories. The conditions, schedules, wages, and lifestyle of a mill girl had its pros and cons. From different accounts and documents; some girls liked the style of a mill girl and others suffered. But through the pain a mill girl might have suffered, being a mill girl was beneficial. It had an economical, social, and technological affect during the Industrial Revolution.

Woman along with the children were affected while working during the industrial revolution. During 1834 and 1836 Harriet Martineau, a British feminist and abolitionist, visited America and enthusiastically embraced the social implications of the Industrial Revolution, (DTA, 223). Martineau compared the lifestyle of women to slaves and said the United States contradicted the principles of the Declaration of Independence. She did believe though with some progress that it could become New England’s new industrial order. One of the Mill factories Martineau visited, Waltham Mill, was a prime example of the scheduled lifestyle of women mill workers. Women Mill workers of all ages worked at Waltham Mill, which I compared to a boarding school because of their strict schedules. The ladies had a time to wake up, to be at work, to eat, and to go to school. A lot of women did not mind the harsh conditions they lived and worked in because they fought for their equality of rights for a long time now.

Women working men’s jobs were not as welcomed in society as they were in factories. People held on to the belief that women should be house wives and not have to do much in the way of work. The man should provide for the family, and the women should take care of the family. Many of the women who worked were lower class and had to help provide for their families, or were the only providers for their families. Women who worked men’s jobs were looked down upon and thought to be no better than dirt. Although women working in factories were still women, men did not show them the same respect as they did a woman working as a secretary or teacher.

The Industrial Revolution occurred in Britain and America around the late 1700’s to 1900. This revolution improved the production of goods using new mechanisms and machines. Human labor was in high demand in order for the highest production rates. Factories employed low to middle-class people that were as young as three years old (Document 9). These workers were benefited with money, shelter, and clothes, but the working and living conditions were not satisfying. The average industrial worker experienced a variety of factors that can be classified as good or bad, including the positive effects of labor, like the shelter, money, and food they were given; and the negative effects of the factory,

After the Industrial Revolution spread throughout Europe and America, it only started in Japan during the 1880s. The Industrial Revolution was a time where farms changed to factories . Due to the rule at that time that didn't allow them to follow after Europe and America because they didn't want to be in contact with them. After 100 years, Japan finally followed after and making new inventions such as the Spinning Jenny or the Power loom helped create jobs for men and women. Women workers had contributed to textile mills during the Industrial Revolution but factories took advantage of the young girls or women who couldn't read looking for jobs. Throughout the Industrial Revolution, female workers

In document 3, two women in Japan talk about their lives working in the factories. Both women worked from morning when it was still dark, to ten at night where they hardly had the strength to stand (document 3). In their first year of working neither woman was paid but, when they were paid it was very little. There were many sick people at the factory who had tuberculosis, which the woman’s sister contracted, died from (document 3). The factory girls in the rural areas of Japan were very useful to farmers because they were paid more than the entire income of a farmer’s (document 4). This is where all of the cheap workers came from in Japan. Farming communities had just enough to buy the necessities for the parents and siblings so that is why factory workers pay is so little; they only need to care for themselves (document 5). In India most factory workers come from peasants, agricultural laborers of the villages, and unemployed hand weavers. They work less than two years in the factory and their wages are low (document 9). The textile industry in India is increasing because of native bankers and investors who invest large capitol (document 6). The majority of Japan’s workers come from farming communities while India's workers come from agricultural laborers and unemployed hand weavers but, all of the workers are poorly paid. India has less human workers because of the bankers and investors investing their money to get more machines to do the

The industrial revolution swept through Europe and North America during the 19th century, affecting the class structure, economy, government, and even the religious practices of everyone who lived in or did commerce with these new "industrialized nations." It made the modern age possible, but it was not without its "growing pains." The position of women before the industrial revolution was often equivalent to chattel, and then as now, they were expected to take naturally to housework and child rearing. The history of working women in the Industrial Revolution is rife with accounts of abuse and tragedy, but overall it improved their position in capitalist societies. Below, I will explain the

Firstly, the Industrial Revolution affected women in the working and poor classes by allowing them to work in factories and mills. Before this time, women in the working class were primarily working unpaid jobs such as cooking and cleaning around the house for the family, but the industrial revolution gave women the chance to be paid and work outside of their homes (Frader, “Effects of the Industrial Revolution”, BCP). Most women obtained jobs in the textile industry. According to Dr. Christopher Wells, a professor of U.S cultural history at Macalester University, explained that ,“The town of Lowell, MA, for example, was incorporated in 1826 and soon hosted over 30 different mills.” (Wells, “Industrializing Women”, Teaching History). In the Lowell Mills, women expected to work at least thirteen hour days of constant and tiring labor in which women accounted for three-fourths of the workers in the mill. (Wells, “Industrializing Women”, Teaching History). Women factory workers typically made around $3.00 to $3.50 per week which was much greater than most women could earn in their hometowns (Dublin, “Women and

In her book, Factory Girls: Women in the Thread Mills of Meiji Japan, E. Patricia Tsurumi details the working conditions of women employed in the textile factories of Japan during the Meiji Era of Japanese history. Tsurumi attempts to give a comprehensive description of the women’s stories and struggles, detailing the reasons for which women worked in the industry, as well as the working conditions they faced. Tsurumi begins her text by describing the importance of the women’s work to the nation of Japan, and ends it by discussing the sacrifices many women made for the good of their country, effectively painting them as heroes. However, she spends the vast majority of her text detailing the poor working and living conditions faced by the women

As industrialization spread in Western Europe, the production of products and goods moved from the household to factories which drastically changed family life. Married women were unable to work unless they left their children and home in someone else’s care. Moreover, middle-class women generally did not leave their homes in order to work. In contrast, the women of Eastern Asia rapidly joined the work force after the introduction of industrialization and made up a gigantic portion of the labor force. This difference is probably due to the fact that the rural women of Eastern Asia were always laborers, and they make up the majority of the female population. Additionally, European women generally preferred domestic labor to laborious tasks. Rural women were offered independence by leaving their homes in order to perform domestic work; they generally sent their earnings to their families or saved it for themselves. Moreover, the European women that participated in the work force were forced to travel long distances and were separated from their families from long hours. Additionally, their wages were significantly lower than that of their male counterparts. Furthermore, women worked under poor conditions and were constantly susceptible to disease. Similarly, the poor women of Eastern Asia sought employment in the cotton and silk industry.

“I shall not stay here… Up before day, at the clang of a bell and out the mill by the bell - just as though we were so many living machines” (Hopkinson 37). Many girls, between the ages of fifteen and thirty-five, worked at textile mills during the Industrial Revolution for eleven to twelve hours a day, with little time to catch their breath and fresh air. The Industrial Revolution started in Europe in the eighteenth century and spread to America during the nineteenth century. Eli Whitney’s invention of interchangeable parts and mass production helped lead the American Industrial Revolution, which started after the War of 1812 and peaked during the 1870’s. During this time period, many factories, mills, and factory cities were constructed, one of which was Lowell, Massachusetts, and employed women because their salaries were lower and therefore cost less. The conditions of the mills and boarding houses that the girls lived in were unpleasant and crowded, and they could easily become ill. Eventually, after the height of the Industrial Revolution, women fought for their rights and better conditions in their workplaces. The Industrial Revolution changed women’s roles in society, as it made jobs that were filled by girls, put them in challenging settings, and united them to work for change in the workforce.

During Britain’s Industrial Revolution, a multitude of different jobs were opened to the working class of men, women, and children. While this era offered a wide variety of new opportunities for everyone, women were somewhat excluded in areas such as occupation availability and wage due to the cultural norms of the time period.