During the Industrial Revolution, working conditions in factories were extremely harsh, especially for children and women who faced severe exploitation and dangerous working environments.
The Factory Act 1833 was a groundbreaking piece of legislation that aimed to protect child labour in British factories. This act made it illegal to employ children under 9 years old in textile factories and limited the working hours of children between 9-13 years to 8 hours per day. Children aged 13-18 could work no more than 12 hours daily. The act also required factory owners to provide basic education for child workers and appointed factory inspectors to enforce these regulations.
The Factory Act 1878 further expanded these protections by raising the minimum working age to 10 years and restricting women's working hours. This period also saw the introduction of the Ten Hours Act, which limited the workday for women and young persons to 10 hours. The Mines Act of 1842 prohibited women and children under 10 from working underground in mines. These reforms were crucial steps in addressing the horrific conditions of the Victorian era, where children as young as 5 worked in cotton mills and factories, often suffering injuries, respiratory diseases, and stunted growth. Factory workers endured long hours, dangerous machinery, and poor ventilation, with many children working up to 16 hours daily before these reforms. The introduction of factory inspectors and mandatory schooling requirements marked a significant shift in protecting vulnerable workers, though enforcement remained challenging for many years. These acts laid the foundation for modern labor laws and workplace safety regulations, highlighting the gradual recognition of workers' rights and the need to protect society's most vulnerable members from industrial exploitation.
