The Effects of the Industrial Revolution Today
The Effects of the Industrial Revolution Today
The effects of the Industrial Revolution are still very important today. Most of the effects occurred to help men and women employers and were very advantageous, although some effects made life harder for workers who struggled to find jobs. With everyday life advancing so rapidly, many of the jobs that had previously been done by man were now done by machine. Those of the times were faced with the situation of man vs. machine.
Women’s struggle for equality has been a long standing battle, but beginning during the Industrial Revolution, things slowly began to alter. Women were always thought to be inferior to men during and before the 1800’s. They had little rights and were considered weak workers by men of the upper classes. When the Industrial Revolution began, however, the women decided it was time for a change. To gain more rights, women organized and protested in the streets, refused to eat, and as their demands grew, so did their voices and resistance. To make themselves clear, British women drew up pensions, made mockery of political figures, and burned buildings and railway stations. Eventually, Parliament was forced to listen to them and reforms were made. These reforms helped women of the past, and of today to have regulated work hours, better working conditions, and the right to vote. Today, women are recognized as equivalents of men, more than possession of them.
Not only did women have to struggle for their rights, but workers did as well. Workers had very poor working conditions and worked extremely hard to get what they needed to live minimally. To gain more rights, workers had to form labor unions which were organizations designed to represent workers rights. The labor unions fought to gain reforms approved by Parliament that would improve the lives of workers. Soon, the Factory Act was passed which forbade children under the age of nine to work, this improved the harsh lives of child laborers. Reformers eventually gained new reform laws which improved factory conditions, public health, and education. With higher wages and fewer work hours, many workers could buy meat and eggs more regularly in addition to many other mass-produced goods. Soon after labor unions began pleading their cases, their demands in politics and society were met....