Women after Industrial Revolution - Research Paper Example

? Women after Industrial Revolution Introduction: Industrial revolution was one significant event that changed the entire outlook of the world. Not just did it bring along the development and new outer look to the world in coming times, it allowed for the gender equality and participation by enabling women to come out of the long caged four walls within. Thesis Statement: Women emancipation was one of the gifts of industrial revolution, though being a new concept the idea wasn’t free from challenges and oddity at first. During the eighteenth century, women were restricted by society. Women’s roles were considered only in taking care of their homes, husbands, and children. They were strongly dependent on their fathers, brothers, or husbands. Moreover, women pretended to be men in order to contribute in society. For example, Charlotte Brontee (Wilkes, 155) published her books under a male writer’s name because women’s works were not taken as seriously as men. They were not allowed to discuss or contribute to social, political, and economic issues. Even though, famous writers and poets advocated women by their work, women were not able to successfully contribute. However the industrial revolution during the eighteenth century had a strongly positive and negative impact on women’s roles. The industrial revolution changed the family life during the nineteenth century. Men were working outside the homes to supply their family's needs. They had the power upon women since they had their own money. Also, women took care of their homes, husbands, and children. However, the roles of women have been changing as an impact of the industrial revolution. Women were not able to work outside the homes. They were expected to take care of their households. However, the beginning of the factories led them to work outside the homes. Women worked at their homes with nonwage earing before the industrial revolution."The transfer of women from nonwage-earing home work to gainful occupations is evident to the most superficial observer, and it is well known that most of this transfer has been effected since the beginning of the nineteenth century"(Langley & Fox 195). Women had the opportunities to work and gain their own money. They started to have the sense of being independent. Allowing them for more reliance upon their abilities and enabling them to protect themselves even in the adverse scenarios was made possible. Also,"the Industrial Revolution increased women's participation in labor outside the home, and claimed that this change was emancipating .More recent historians dispute the claim that women's labor force participation rose, and focus more on the disadvantages women experienced during this time period. One thing is certain: the Industrial Revolution was a time of important changes in the way that women worked" (Joyce Burnette). Moreover, women felt more powerful since the industrial revolution shifted from men's power to machines' power. During the nineteenth century, the industrial revolution had a sing for women to start new life. They had many opportunities of jobs. Even though, their wages were not high they had the sense of being independent in their social life. It was very clear that women during that period were very intelligent and patient (Dublin XV). Moreover, the industrial revolution had a very significant role in women's life. It shifted the working from farming to different kinds of occupations as teaching and mill employment (Dublin 7). They started to contribute to supply their families by their own wages. Before the industrial revolution women's concern was only on their families. However they started to think about their future. They showed the society that they were very successful. They faced many difficulties in order to achieve their goals. Giving them a sense of future consideration, and the ability to envisage beyond the present and prepare themselves as well as their families for a better future was a fruit of the industrial transformation that took place in form of revolution. The role of women was not just expanded to the social non technical fields, this expansion allowed them participating in the academic disciplines and other literary ambits associated fields. Many female writers started to advocate women of working class. For an example, Wollstonecraft motivated women of working class to work hard in order to reach their goals. She believed that there will be a huge movement will change the lifestyle of women. As a result she used her work to send messages for women. “ This observation is the result of experience; for I have known several notable women and one in particular, who was a very good woman—as good as such a narrow mind would allow her to be, who took care that her daughters “ (Wollstonecraft 1792). She tended to show an example about a woman who worked hard in order to achieve her goal. This particular had the desire to make her daughter very successful in her life. She also wanted her to be very admirable by society. Wollstonecraft believed that women will be successful if they have the chance. In my opinion, she had a hidden message that women must have their chances in life as men . I believe that she had the desire to send the message that women should complete their education and have their own works. Industrial revolution motivated people to display their inventions. It gave them the opportunity to produce their inventions. Also, their inventions led them to become very famous inventors. Helen Augusta Blanchard was an American inventor. She was known for her sewing machines. Her invention had strongly positive impacts. The first one was that she gained a high profit of her invention. The other impacts were on unemployment women. Her invention helped many women during that period. She contributed to help women in order to facilitate their works. Women used her machine instead of using manual ways. Manual ways cost efforts so they tended to use her machine. Moreover, Mary Walton (Davis, 1) contributed in her society. She invented a device in order to minimize the amount of smoking that resulted from the factories. Her invention was very important to protect the environment and keep it clear. I believed that Walton wanted to protect the children from the dirty environment. In addition, she invented a device for noise pollution. Her inventions were concerned on people's health. Margaret E. Knight was" The most famous nineteenth century women inventor"( Henry 101). She was famous by her paper machine invention. She stressed on the extraction of positives out of the industrial revolution. Industrial revolution encouraged inventor women to invent machines for women who were not working outside homes. They invented machines for women who took care of their homes, husband, and children. They tended to help them by their machines because they were female inventors. For example, Lillian Moller Gilbreth. She invented machines for women who like to decorate their kitchen. Hence an advantage of industrial invention within the house. Also, Ellen Eglui invented clothes wringer for washing machine. The mixed response: A school of thought exists who believe that Industrial revolution was not all glitters for the women. While Fredrick Engels was found in advocacy of the women’s outer exposure, others expressed the little experience women possessed since they had been inside the four walls for centuries in past. Census were conducted in this regard, however these census have their own limitations (Eh.net). The survey reporting the standings as of 1851 gives percentage findings of women’s participation during those times. The figures show a meager representative percentage in different disciplines by the women. These disciplines included the cottage industry, services and many more. Women’s emancipation in the post industrialization era has changed the overall family patterns. Considerable responsibility is shifted towards the male partners as well who would otherwise go unchecked in past. Adding up to the financial domain of family, women have a more important and respectful role in the family. This had its partial negative impacts as well, creating undue competition amongst the wedded partners and leading to frustration and disturbance in the internal ranks with in the family. The other side of Women Emancipation: Technology and development always comes along with its pros and cons, the women’s participation in the social field gave momentum to the social development, yet instances of disturbance back home were visible and largely on display. The paradigm shift in form of women’s outward exposure created a vacuum within and as a consequence unsettled married life. To others, the whole course of women’s emancipation is against the nature since woman has been created for the purpose of upbringing the children, looking after the matters of house, and making sure that the house and its activities stay intact. To bring her out to industries, commercial field would be a work against the course of nature and may no auger very positive outcomes. Ethical consideration of women: Women being naturally sensitive and physically delicate may not be able to pull up the same kind of work as done by men, for this purpose the specialization and segregation based on the gender feasibility is vital. There are still places and industries where women are paid less for the same amount and same nature of work that is being performed by men (Fonow, 27). Another consideration that has evolved over period of time with the women’s emancipation is the harassment of the fair gender in the work places (Brimm). Regardless of how liberal and progressive a given society is, work place harassment cases come to forth every given day. The final verdict: Overall, the industrial revolution has added to the prestige, responsibilities and realization of the power and ability of the women. Every change requires certain modifications being made, industrial revolution being one similar change has brought about the societal transformation (Childs and Krook, 26) and this change has been seen more prominently in the West. Conclusion: No transformation is cent percent blessing or curse, it is subject to adaptation. Industrial revolution was one similar affair. If industrial techniques and the knowledge is not handled in a balanced way, its negatives may overcome the positives, therefore careful consideration should be given to the usage of industrial inventions. Overall it can be assessed that industrial revolution had a greater role towards the representation of the rights and concerns of women and thereby providing them with the privileges and sense of security which had long been kept away from them in form of men dominated societies all over the world. The present day progressive and unhindered outlook of women can be safely vouchsafed to the industrial revolution. Works Cited: Brimm, Katie. Immigrant Women in the U.S. Food Industry. 18 April 2012. 21 October 2013 . Childs, Sarah and Mona Lena Krook. Women, Gender, and Politics: A Reader. Oxford University Press, 2010. Davis, Teresa A. An Examination of the Career Paths and Professional Challenges of Women in Management Positions. ProQuest, 2008. Dublin, Thomas. Transforming Women's Work: New England Lives in the Industrial Revolution. Ithaca, N.Y: Cornell University Press, 1994.Print. Eh.net. Women Workers in the British Industrial Revolution. 2 5 2010. 21 October 2013 . Fonow, Mary Margaret. Union Women: Forging Feminism in the United Steelworkers of America. U of Minnesota, 2003.Press. Langley, Winston, and Vivian C. Fox. Women's Rights in the United States: A Documentary History. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 1994. Print. Petroski, Henry. Small Things Considered: Why There Is No Perfect Design. New York: Vintage, 2003. Print. Wilkes, Joanne. Women Reviewing Women in Nineteenth-Century Britain: The Critical Reception of Jane Austen Charlotte Bronte and George Eli. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd, 2013. Wollstonecraft, Mary. Vindication Of The Rights Of Woman : With Strictures On Political And Moral Subjects. [Auckland, N.Z.]: The Floating Press , 2010. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 17 Oct. 2013. Read More