The Industrial Revolution

Throughout the years 1750 to 1850 the rate of illegitimate births rose across most of Europe. That time period in history happens to overlap with the Industrial Revolution Era. Some historians like Edward Shorter argue that the expansion of industrial capitalism gave working class women the opportunity to live independently, earn their own wages, and ultimately allowed them to have personal andsexual freedom. Other historians like Louise Tilly, Joan W Scott and Miriam Cohen argue the contrary. From their perspective woman actually worked to increase the families’ finances. Woman also didn’t pursue sexual freedom; they had premarital sex with the expectation of marriage. Both arguments have much evidence at their disposal to help understand what happened during the Industrial Revolution.In Edward Shorter’s analysis, the increase of illegitimacy in Europe resulted from several drastic changes in social and psychological aspects of women living during the industrial revolution. According to Shorter, several of the components that ultimately were responsible for illegitimacy were changes in areas such as, family patterns, behavior of younger women, moral values and subculture.Shorter demonstrates that these social changes were caused by the capitalist marketplace that was developing in Europe; earning more money led to more independent lifestyles for women.1
During the industrial revolution a change in family structure took place. Women were playing a much more important role in the family and gained more authority. This was directly caused by the industrialcapitalism as women were earning their own wages to help support family finances and gain more equality to their husbands. In Shorter’s analysis of this controversy he demonstrated the following evidence from a review by Peter Stearns: “There is suggested here a new sentiment within the family, the possibility of greater affection for the children, who were not underfoot all the time, and greatersensuality and equality in the relationship between husband and wife.” 2 This scripture from the German text demonstrates the family lifestyles of cottage and factory workers. Women gained more independence and rights within the family which often led to more births. Not only were mothers the only ones working in families but also the young and unmarried children. 3
The expansion of the job market helpedyounger women to rebel from parental authority and ultimately helped them live more independent lifestyles. Plenty of evidence demonstrated that younger women used the liberty to rent rooms in cities and move in with their boyfriends. Much criticism has surrounded these actions from young women.
Munich police chief observed the following social behavior: “Girls leave service when they grow tiredof waiting on people and under one pretext or another take a room somewhere, living from their own industry. But they do little real work and let themselves be supported by boyfriends; they become pregnant and then are abandoned.” 4
These forms of social behavior led to many illegitimate births, as young women were constantly moving in with men and having premarital sex.
Shorter’sinterpretation of this controversy demonstrates that Europe’s Industrial revolution did produce some illegitimate births but the origins of capitalist influence aren’t objective enough in these examples. Did women really have enough to live on their own? Did they really try to escape parental authority or where young women trying to help their families back home, by finding better jobs in more urban areas?Evidence demonstrates that women made very little money compare to men. According to Historian Miriam Cohen “In precious metals, clocks, and watch manufacturing 83.5 percent of males earned 30/-or more weekly; while females earned 9-12 weekly.” 5 Women in this time earned about a third of what men made, which meant they weren’t able to afford a comfortable, independent lifestyle.
Edward...