How Did The Industrial Revolution Affect Family

Before the Industrial Revolution, the family economy ruled the family. The family was the unit of production and consumption. The family economy meant that men and women did production in fields, or they worked in small local shops. Goods were produced in the city. Families did not have to travel far for items and they produced most of what they needed right from the home. The men and women worked during the day while the children would play in the fields and help every once in a while. However, the Industrial Revolution changed society in a major way. The Industrial Revolution during the 18th century drastically changed the way a family functioned because work was no longer being done in the home, but moved to factories, which encouraged the transition to a wage economy. The shift to factories changed the family members roles in the household, and also broke apart the traditional family structure. The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent that the Industrial Revolution specifically affected women, children, and the family unit as a whole during the 18th century.
During the Industrial Revolution, women’s role significantly changed. According to Joyce Burnette, “ the Industrial Revolution was a time of important changes in the way that women worked” . The Industrial Revolution was not the …show more content…
Prior to the Industrial Revolution, families would spend their time together. Work and home life very much overlapped. As the men and women worked, children were able to play. Pre-industrial revolution, parents spent a lot of time with their children. Families valued this time together. During the Industrial Revolution, families did not spend all of their time together. Home and work life were not separated. Men, women, and even the children spent long hours working in factories and because of their exhausting work schedules, it took a toll on their time with each other. Relationships became