Goldfields: Women & Children
By: Trisha
Introduction
Statistics for women on goldfields are:4023 among 12600 roughly in.There were 95% of women got married at the goldfields so they came along with their husband.The lost of children back then would lead you to see a child very unlikely. This is life on the goldfields:
Education
Some children don't have education because schools back then aren't built yet.Their parents can't teach them either because they belong to a different nationality and don't speak English much or as a child they didnt get educated,too.Parents can not pay fees so people lower it making school compulsory.Schools weren't probably built so it was replaced with a tent which would usually blow down.Sometimes tents gets destroyed the replace with a church.Ground flooded and has to somehow get from one place to another.
Health
Medical issues are plenty on the goldfields and travelling to the goldfields was a hard part of life so being healthy is no choice.Once on the goldfields, you wouldn't have enough strenth to strike it rich!Diseases going around and passing it to people. People with weak immunes can easily have a cold that causes pneumonia.Doctors back then doesn't have good quality so sick people will be sent home.People can die cause of these diseases and illness;especially children.Also women could suddenly die while giving birth to a baby.Doctors cost a lot of money to be there so most people on the goldfields eventually die.If drinking or consuming something not clean,sickness would overcome your body.Measles,puemonia,diptheria,typhoid,scarlett fever etc. could lead you to death-it's that seriously!Sickness could cause heaps of problems on the goldfields.Harsh weather condition could cause fever or cold.
Responsibilities of women on goldfields
Back then there would be little amount of women digging for gold and others would stay with there children/child at home or be a shopkeeper at the diggings.Later when conditions improve, women would bring there children/child with them to join men.In the living condition, women would cook, iron clothes and wash clothes.Women wakes up early and cooks all the meals and would prepare everything.It's hard-work living a life on goldfields.Also to try get clean pure water for their families to enjoy rather then unpurified,muddy beverage.