industrial revolution was not a time of social progress.
Women at work
Until almost the end of the Industrial Revolution, women and children were forced to work long hours in dangerous conditions. During the revolution, women made up a large segment of the new factory labour force, especially for textile industry. However, constant, repetitive work was dictated by owners and work weeks were long. Women were paid less than men as men were in supervisory roles over women; women had poor pay with 90 hour weeks in many cases, creating tensions among them. Moreover, pregnant mothers had to work brutal hours until birth of their children. They had no option than to take whatever pay or conditions were offered in order to feed and support their families. Married women could no longer do "mother's job" as most of the days were spent at work and were not able to take care of housework and children.
child labour
Children were the prime victims of the Industrial Revolution. Due to families' financial difficulty, they were forced to work at a young age, mostly around 6-7 years old. Factory owners hired great numbers of children for the purpose of having better control, generally through physical abuse. Also because children were more adaptable to new methods and their small figures were more suitable for the machines. For this reason, many children were sent to work in mines. Children were forced to work long hours each day, usually from 4 a.m. - 7 p.m. Most of them could neither read nor write as they would not have time to go to school. Children, who were supposed to receive care and love from families, instead, had to take a heavy responsibility to work for living.
family violence
Family violence was one of the contentious issues this era faced. Especially among the working class, wife beating was a male prerogative as the male figure held absolute authority in the house. As a result, home, for many people, was not considered a comfortable place to rest and spend time with loved ones. Industrialization caused the breakdown of the family as women and children were considered weak and inferior to men, unable to uphold their beliefs and rights against them.