The industrial revolution began around the 18th century in Great Britain. During this period there were many developments to technology which transformed the economy, social and cultural ways of life. The industrial revolution made major changes to society including child labour. There were short term impacts such as low wages, working conditions and economic benefits. There were also long term impacts such as introducing new laws, economic growth and education.
Short term impacts
It is very common to work as a child during the industrial revolution and the working conditions were poor and brutal. Children were employed at very young ages to provide income for their families. They were very cheap to employ, worked hard, more obedient and were smaller to fit into places adults could not. Children worked long hours and were estimated to make 10-20% of an adult's wage. The most common jobs were in factories and mines. They were sick and often came home with lost limbs and bones due to hazardous machinery and tight spaces. The children did not receive any compensation for injury caused by the machines.
(Source 1) 9 P.M. in an Indiana Glass Works, Aug. 1908. Location: Indiana. USA
Taken by Hine. Lewis Wickes. Aug 1908.
As seen in source 1 the environment in a factory was cramped with machines, children, filled with smog, barely any light to see and not to mention the dangerous machines with no safety measures taken which can all result in physical injury and overtime develop into serious health issues. The source claims to be taken at 9pm, it is very common for children to work overtime and for long periods of time. A well known report called “The Sadler report” was published in the UK in 1932. This report was an investigation on conditions of working children. Michael Sadler interviewed eight children who were working in textile mills. One of the responses were:
(Source 2) Screenshot of working children response
The response demonstrated the working conditions were not easy and what children had to go through on a daily basis. Factory owners had complete control over the children as they were there for most of the time, they were constantly abused by the factory owners as said by Jonathan Downe for small mistakes which can result in mental issues and physical injuries.
A year after the Sandler Report, the ‘1833 Factory Act’ in Britain was passed. It was made to improve working conditions, specifically in the textiles industry. The act included:
Screen shot from the National Archives UK
Many companies opposed these laws and it was very difficult to enforce laws on child labour, as age certificates were not reliable until 1846 and children also lied about their age in order to get the job. (Source 3) Document of companies who broke the law in 1863
The 1833 factory act came with 4 factory inspectors to ensure that companies were following the law. Unfortunately many companies broke the law and therefore were penalised shown in source 2. This proves how companies had no regard to children 's health and continued to employ them illegally. This was the beginning of the system where the government also had more control over factories.
Juvenile crime was also very common, children were barely making anything and the stress from their family would push them to commit crimes such as petty theft in order to make more money. As a result they were punished severely or even sent to prison.
With many children working, more products were made and no one could deny it made improvement to the economy. Despite all the negative impacts it was the only and effective way to provide money, most families used this money on education, food and maintaining survival during difficult times.
Long term impacts
Child labour was essential to advancing industrialization. It increased the economy, provided more production and opened up more factories and made goods more affordable for consumers. It opened up more global trading opportunities for the economy. More factories were opening up for different industries and it created more job opportunities.
Children were finally getting proper education because of child labour. According to UNESCO there are 187 countries including Britain with at least some form of mandatory education. The Sandler report and photography works of Lewis W. Hine caused a public outcry in both the USA and Britain. The public were shocked about how cruel children were being treated and from there on there were stricter laws such as the ‘1833 Factory Act’ in the UK. At first it was not effective but as the century progressed these rules were strictly enforced and from there on there would be laws that stopped or limited child labour to an extent. Although the working conditions were still harsh but because of the law people realised the importance of child labour.
In contrast child labour has made the rich even richer. People who owned factories and produced huge amounts of goods were seemingly getting more wealthy as they were hiring children at an extremely cheap rate while producing means of goods. This created income inequality in which many families were still suffering poverty and depending on their children for money. Many children would be asked to help family businesses while attending school.
In summary, the Industrial revolution has had short term and long term impacts on child labour. During the industrial revolution it was very difficult and traumatic for children to make money but it was central for advancing and created opportunities for future centuries. The short term impacts left harsh working conditions and were the beginning of new laws. The long term impact made child labour laws and enhanced education and working conditions while also increasing income inequality. Consequently the industrial revolution has made changes to child labour and has had a huge impact on society. Overall both were balanced while short term impacts had more negative effects and the long term impact was more positive. Bibliography Andriy Blokhin 2021, What Are Some of the Drawbacks of Industrialization?, Investopedia, viewed 4 May 2023, <https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/072815/what-are-some-drawbacks-industrialization .asp#:~:text=Some%20of%20the%20drawbacks%20included>.
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