LIVING AND WORKING CONDITIONS DURING

THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTIONBY: BEA ESCALANTE

THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

• The Industrial Revolution began in the 18 th century and

lasted until the mid 19th century.

• Before this time, every product was made by hand.

BEFORE THE INDUSTRIAL

REVOLUTION

• At this time, people produced their own food,

clothes, tools, etc… Production was very

inefficient

• The working man was lucky to own two shirts.

1760• The Industrial Revolution began in the year 1760 when the

textile industry was transformed by the invention of machines.

• Production became efficient and cost-effective.

DURING THE INDUSTRIAL

REVOLUTION

• A lot more than just the textile industry changed. For

example, agriculture, transportation, and manufacturing

in general were transformed.

INCREASING URBANIZATION• As factories grew, more workers were needed for

production.

• As jobs were created, more and more people left their

rural farms and moved to the city to work in the

factories.

WORKERS

• Since the work was abundant, these factories

employed men, women and children of all ages.

WORKING CONDITIONS• Workers were expected to work 16 to 18 hours a day, seven days a week.

• Wages were very low: less than a pound for men, 10 shillings for women,

and 3 shillings for children.

• This is equivalent to: 320 Euros per year, or 0,08 cents per day.

WORKING CONDITIONS• On any given day, there could be more than 500 workers in a

factory so the environment was hot, noisy, full of steam, fumes

and dust.

• Sanitary conditions were also terrible. There was no clean water

and toilets were often a hole in the ground.

• Work-related accidents were common and the workers received

no compensation.

• Triangle Shirt Factory fire killed

114 workers.

CHILD LABOR• During the Industrial Revolution children constituted 2/3 of the

working force in England and Scotland.

• They were expected to work as long as adults

• They were paid significantly less than adults

• They performed dangerous jobs such as climbing the

machines to unblock them or going into narrow spaces to

collect coal.

CHEAP LABOR

CHILD LABOR• Children worked in extremely unsanitary

conditions

• They were often beaten by other workers.

FACTORY ACT • Although the factories claimed that they were providing jobs for

the poor, eventually the government intervened and passed the

Factory Act in 1844.

• This law established that children had to be 9 years or older to

work and they could only work 12 hours a day.

LIVING CONDITIONS FOR

WORKERS

• As a result from the fumes and dust that workers often

inhaled for many hours a day, chest illnesses were

common.

• Houses and apartments were not properly conditioned

to be lived in and they were also very expensive.

LIVING CONDITIONS FOR

WORKERS• There was no proper sewage systems in either the working places or the

living spaces so diseases like cholera, typhoid, and tuberculosis rapidly

spread.

• During the 19th century, 10.000 people died from cholera and 60.000

died from tuberculosis.

• The life expectancy dropped drastically

• In London people were expected to live only 37 years.

• Twenty five percent of children died before they were five years old.

TODAY• The International Labor Organization estimates that 215 million

children between the ages of 5 and 17 are working under

conditions that are considered illegal, hazardous, or extremely

exploitative.

DEVELOPING COUNTRIES• Of the estimated 215 child laborers around the globe:

approximately 114 million (53%) are in Asia and the Pacific; 14

million (7%) live in Latin America; and 65 million (30%) live in

sub-Saharan Africa.

• Agriculture, manufacturing, mining, domestic

service, etc.

WHAT CAUSES CHILD LABOR?

• Poverty

• Free education is limited

• Existing laws are violated

HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENTAL

RISK FACTORS

• Greater risk of hearing loss

• Smaller size

• Development of organs and tissues

• Lower heat tolerance

• Higher chemical absorption rates

Think about the Industrial Revolution

and the world today….

Why do we still have

child labor?