The Industrial Revolution: Creating Opportunities for Women and for Labor - Case Study Example

The Industrial Revolution: Creating Opportunities for Women and for Labor The Industrial Revolution was a period of tremendous and tumultuous change. These changes were pervasive, changing the political and socioeconomic landscapes of the countries involved, and affecting multitudes of people in many spheres of everyday life. Many of these changes, and their implications, continue to benefit people all over the world. The most significant and lasting changes were the large-scale introduction of women into the labor force and the centralization of labor which made labor unions and worker rights a reality.

The entire world, in terms of access to employment and worker rights, continues to benefit from these changes even today. The introduction of women into the labor force was a revolutionary feature of the Industrial Revolution. Women were able to gain access to capital, though at unequal rates of pay, and were able to begin climbing out of dependence. Prior to the Industrial Revolution, women were confined to traditional roles (Nead). They tended to be married to farmers, they cared for their children, and they were entirely dependent on their husbands for income and security (Overton).

It was a precarious position. The Industrial Revolution, while spurred on by technological advances, relied upon an ever-increasing source of labor. Women were suddenly needed. Working conditions were poor (Robinson), but the traditional role of homemaker would never be the same; indeed, the homemaker role is now a largely voluntary one. Women were allowed to escape the home. They were allowed to earn their own money. More importantly, they were allowed to begin participating in the outside world.

Today, though problems of inequality persist in terms of wages and promotion, women have made tremendous strides. In the field of education, for example, women at the University of Minnesota outnumber men by 2,500 (Steiger). This is not an uncharacteristic fact. The Industrial Revolution made women a necessary component of the labor force and they have not relinquished that role. On the contrary, women have embraced that role and contributed to the economic success of nations around the world.

In addition, and related to the issue of women in the workplace, the Industrial Revolution also laid the foundations for the protection of worker rights more generally. The factory system, with its attendant centralization of labor, allowed for the sharing of grievances among workers and set the stage for the creation of labor unions. Workers that were previously dispersed, and unable to communicate common grievances and concerns (Overton), were suddenly centralized in factory settings. Their common hardships, whether working hours or lack of worker safety or the lack of a livable wage, were shared in close confines (Wikipedia).

This led to the development of associations of workers and the gradual evolution of the collective assertion of labor rights. Strikes ensued, employers began to recognize all too painfully their dependence on labor, and worker rights became a more universal aspiration. Today, there are labor unions in all countries; true enough, there remains constant friction between owners and workers. This, though, is a trivial point. That worker rights are recognized as something of a human right is the significant point.

The Industrial Revolution centralized labor, eliminating the fragmented voices of agricultural workers separated by distance, and led directly to an improvement in the standard of living around the world. Some might argue that gender inequality persists, or that worker rights are under attack or gravely lacking in some parts of the world. This does not, however, undermine the fact that gender equality in the work place is a major issue throughout the world or that worker rights are the subject of constant, tireless debate as globalization continues its search for cheap labor.

The facts and the statistics demonstrate quite clearly that, though in an imperfect way, women and workers continue to be the beneficiaries of these changes wrought by the Industrial Revolution. Works CitedNead, Lynda. "Women and Urban Life." BBC History. Retrieved 15 July, 2006. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/lj/victorian_britainlj/women_urban1.shtmlsite=history_victorianlj_urbanOverton, Mark. "Agricultural Revolution in England in 1500-1850." BBC History. Retrieved 14 July 2006. http://www.bbc.co.

uk/history/society_culture/industrialisation/agricultural_revolution_01.shtRobinson, Harriet. "Lowell Mill Girls." Internet Modern History Sourcebook. Retrieved 15 July 2006. http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/modsbook14.htmlStegmeir, Mary. "Female Students Outnumber Males." The Minnesota Daily. 5 September 2003. http://www.mndaily.com/articles/2003/09/05/46393 Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. "Industrial Revolution." Wikipedia, the Free Enycyclopedia. Retrieved 15 July 2006. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Revolution#_note-9