FACTORIES DURING THE 19TH CENTURY
LAUREN-MARIE LAWRENCE, TANJANEE ROBERSON, TYRONE PRYOR
WORK CONDITIONS
Children worked in the factories.
Children worked in meant factories.
The children ages raged between 5 years to 19 years old. In rural areas, children as young as five or six joined women in 'agricultural gangs' that worked in fields often a long way from their homes.
Children
In 1821, approximately 49% of the workforce was under 20. During the 19th century working-class children were often employed in factories and on farms.
Children
Although a law against the employment of children as chimney sweeps was passed as early as 1788, young people - because of their size and agility - were still used in this role for much of the 19th century.
The factories were not safe for the employees. Sometimes children were crushed by the machinery, lost fingers or limbs or lost their hair after getting it tangled in machinery. In order to save money many employers hired women and children to work in factories because these workers would work for lower wages than men.
PAY & HOURS
When factories were in full operation, a 50- to 55-hour work week was normal. Mondays through Fridays were 9- to 10-hour working days with a half-day on Saturdays. The 40-hour work week with overtime pay was not introduced until the 1940's. A 1917 statistic for the same factory shows that the average yearly wage for the lowest pay-rated male was $526, well above the U.S. poverty level at the time.