Question

How did the second industrial revolution influence women's roles in society?

Answer 1

Hint: While women became more independent and engaged with the culture they lived in, they started to take part in marches and movements in which women, both within and outside the home, campaigned for their rights.

Complete answer: Women were no longer viewed as inferior to men by industrialization but as their competition. Women, however, were not paid even as much as men, only increasing the effects on males. Now that women had several tasks that were traditionally filled by men, men started to fight to maintain their jobs from the female workers. To defend themselves from women taking their places for cheaper pay, they started banding together in the form of unions. A major movement towards urbanisation came with the Second Industrial Revolution, and less demand for jobs on the farms as agricultural technology improved. But this was also an era long before labour reforms were enforced, so many women would migrate to the cities, out of desperation, to help support their families because of a lack of support for the poor. They mostly took jobs as maids, cooks, and other servants, but in factories, usually textile mills, they also found employment. However those new opportunities came at a cost, and it was normal for women and children to lose limbs to the machinery. Almost invariably, superiors were often male, so sexism, bullying and sexual harassment were widespread. Workplaces were frequently riddled with unsafe conditions and salaries for women were lower than for men.
However, amid the inequalities and dangers, there were some marked benefits. Women in the city have also seen their livelihoods dramatically improved, being able to live at a higher standard of living, compared with their previous lives in the region.

Note: The conditions of women improved during the Industrial Revolution, large numbers of women began working beyond the household and stepped into the industries.