1. Mikila Williams
Period 4

2. Prompt:
Between 1750 and 1850 more and more Western Europeans were employed in cottage industry and in factory production. Analyze how these 2 types of employment affected employer-employee relations, working conditions, family relations, and the standard of living during this period.

3. Cottage Industry
An industry in which employees work in their own homes, often using their own equipment

4. Factory Production
The growing demand for textiles led to the creation of the world's first factories

5. Employer-Employee Relations
Cottage Industry
The employer brought materials to the employee’s home
Employers sometimes accused employees of stealing materials from them because the employees didn’t make as much cloth as was expected
- Employees claimed the employer didn’t give them enough materials
Factory Production
Employees worked in the factory instead of at their homes
Cottage industry workers didn’t want to work in factories because they had to work at the pace of the machine
Children were forced to work long hours in factories because of the reluctance of the cottage workers

6. Working Conditions Cottage Industry Factory Production
Workers set their own pace
Worked long and hard, but took breaks whenever they felt like it
The week’s work was due to the employer by Saturday
Didn’t do work from Saturday night until Tuesday
Factory Production
Workers had to keep pace with the machine
Had to go to work everyday, and work long hours
Children were forced to work, and were badly treated & overworked
Later, family units worked in mills
- Children worked under their mother or father
- This meant the entire family worked 12-hour shifts

7. Family Relations Cottage Industry Worked in family units
Every family member had something to do to help
Women spun the cotton
Men wove cotton after their wife spun it
Factory Production
At first, children were the main workers
Eventually, adults came to work in the factories
When the working people took the factory jobs, they brought with them old working traditions from the cottage industry
- Came in “family units”
- Children worked under their
parents while in the cotton mills
- Children sorted coal and worked
ventilation equipment when out
in the mines
- Mothers hauled coal in tunnels
under the surface, while fathers
hewed with a shovel at the face of
the ridge

8. Standard of Living Cottage Industry Factory Production
Worked when they wanted, as long as their work was done by Saturday
Brought in money, and were able to spend it on food items and clothing
Factory Production
Worked 12-hour days, 6 days a week
Except during wartime, workers ate more food with a higher nutritional value
Their diet became more varied
-Ate more potatoes, dairy products,
fruits, and vegetables
Clothing improved
Housing for working people did NOT improve