Industrial+Economy+Effects+on+Western+European+Women

Danny Sheikholeslami

Discuss effects of the industrial economy in western European peasant women and working women from 1830-1914

Thesis: Women in Western Europe, whether they were middle class or peasants struggled to break the stereotype of a domestic life, trying to find work, however, with many male workers opposed to such an idea allowed only for only low paying undesirable jobs, such as lower class women becoming prostitutes and white collar working jobs such as telephone operators for middle class women, become available.

Topic one: Effect on Peasant Women Topic Two: Effect On Working Women
 * Had to take jobs such as being a prostitute.
 * Employment was unstable and wages were low
 * Vulnerable in cities because they were no longer protected by family
 * "Dirty Work"
 * "Women and chil dren worked as unskilled laborers and made only a small fraction of men's low wages" (Jacob).
 * "In an era of growing poverty, many prostitutes felt forced to enter the trade due to financial considerations" (Bates).
 * "A successful prostitute...could earn $50 to $100 a week" (Bates).
 * Controversy over women's "Right to work"
 * Ideology of Domesticity: Women should remain at home to bear and nurture children and should not be allowed in the industrial workforce.
 * Men felt that women out of industrial work would ensure the moral and physical well-being of families.
 * Desperate need to work at times forced women to do marginal work at home or labor as pieceworkers in sweatshops.
 * Slop- work- women got poor paying jobs
 * White collar workers- Women were given more low paying job opportunities with a decline in Male workers
 * Government services created opportunities for women to be secretaries and telephone operators and take health and social services job.
 * Jobs were limited because women were not given same education as males.
 * "Women working in industry also faced problems. Foreign-owned factories employed women in such industries as food processing, electronics, and textiles. But the women received low pay and little job security. In addition, they endured poor working conditions and heavy demands for high productivity and obedience"(Giele).
 * "At a time when living expenses were about $1.50 per week for a single woman, factory and domestic jobs paid between 75¢ and $2.00 a week" (Bates).

Jacob, Margaret C. "Industrial Revolution." //World Book Advanced //. World Book, 2011. Web. 23 Apr. 2011. http://www.worldbookonline.com/advanced/article?id=ar275880&st=second+industrial+revolution Giele, Janet Zollinger. "Women's movement." //World Book Advanced //. World Book, 2011. Web. 23 Apr. 2011. http://www.worldbookonline.com/advanced/article?id=ar608570&st=women+working Bates, Christopher. "prostitution, 1850–1877." In Waugh, John, and Gary B. Nash, eds. //Encyclopedia of American History: Civil War and Reconstruction, 1856 to 1869//, Revised Edition (Volume V). New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2010. //American History Online//. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?  ItemID=WE52&iPin=EAHV237&SingleRecord=True (accessed April 23, 2011)