What problems did women and children face during the industrial era

Women-Although most women worked in textile factories, which were less dangerous than jobs such as coal mining and other new industrial positions, even textile factories were overcrowded and unsafe. Tragedies such as the Triangle shirtwaist factory fire, in which 129 women and 17 men died, happened because of unsafe conditions and policies such as keeping outer doors locked to prevent theft. Woman were paid less than men.

Children - Working caused many children to be estranged from their families and sent to workplaces in which they were considered merely a cheap source of labor. Children had to work in very dangerous conditions, performing jobs that took advantage of their small size. As a result, some developed lung diseases such as pneumonia and bronchitis in mills with poor ventilation, while others developed back problems, and some even became paralyzed, when working in coal mines.

-Jen