Women & Children on the Goldfields
By Medina
Introduction
There weren't many women on the goldfields in the 1850s at first. However over time more and more women came to the goldfields so they could be with their husband.
women doing housework
shops set up as tents
A woman as a shopkeeper
Roles and Responsibilities
Women on the goldfields had responsibilites like washing dishes and doing laundry. They also sang and danced for men. Women on the goldfields helped the men by gold panning or staying home looking after there children. Women on the goldfields made food such as bread butter and jam. Some women on the goldfields were shopkeepers. They sold illegal grog.
Health
On the goldfields health was hard to handle.There weren't many doctors around on the goldfields.When a woman was giving birth other women would assist her. The area around a woman while giving birth must be clean so the woman and the child will survive but this was not the case on the goldfields.Usually medicines on the goldfields were never tested so if the medicines didn't work it was too late.Children on the goldfields also had measles and rarely received help.People on the golfields didn't drink clean water, they would have diarrhoea and possibly die.They mostly eat mutton, damper, bread with butter or jam and drink tea and water.
school for children
children cradleing for goldfeilds
school children
Education
Children on the goldfields often moved schools. Mums and dads moved goldfields so they could pan or dig in a richer area. Some chidren were lucky to be educated because most parents weren't educated in their own childhood.