How did the Second Industrial Revolution influence women's roles in society?
1 Answer
Huge advancements in opportunities, but an exposure to danger as well.
Explanation:
With the Second Industrial Revolution came a huge movement towards urbanization, and less demand for workers on the farms as agricultural technology improved. But this was also an age long before the introduction of labor laws, so often women would - out of necessity - move to the cities to help support their families due to a lack of support for the poor.
They often took jobs as maids, cooks, and other servants, but also found work in the factories, typically the textile mills. These new opportunities came at a cost however, and losing limbs to the machinery was common for women and children. Supervisors were also almost universally male, so discrimination, abuse, and sexual harassment was common. Workplaces were often rife with unsanitary conditions and wages lower for women than for men.
However, there were some marked benefits despite the inequality and risks. Women in the city often found their livelihoods markedly improved from their previous lives in the country, being able to live at a higher standard of living. It also prompted senses of independence and pride in their ability to provide for themselves, commonly by themselves when in their younger years. While not universal, there existed examples like the Lowell Factory System, where women were encouraged to work and live at the factory compounds, and when not working were taught to read and write, and had access to library facilities and recreation times.
Combined, this profoundly effected the role of women in society, and upset the usual stereotypes of women being "inferior" to men. While the Victorian Era continued to evoke the "proper role" of women, many feminist writers used the work women were able to do alone as part of the basis for the First Wave feminist movement.
