Did the establishment of textile mills in Lowell and Waltham, Massachusetts benefit or hurt women?

Question

Anyone have an opinion or know some good sources for this topic?

Answer 1

That's a great question to ask, and historians have been debating that one for some time. A good historian to look into on this is Thomas Dublin (who, incidentally, is a really cool professor and for a well-regarded scholar has very little ego), who did a lot of early work on this topic.

I personally would say benefit. Certainly the mill girls gained experiences that they never would have had otherwise and made money. They also in many cases found husbands in the area. They were taken care of, did not fall prey to rogues and scammers, and did get intellectual benefits as well. They even put out their own newsletter and worked together for economic justice and gains.

Answer 2

I believe we just went over that in our Social Studies class, I believe that it actually helped women, for they hadn't had many job opportunities away from the home and so they were able to get out and work in one of these new and interesting factories of the industrial revolution.

Answer 3

help- they could become more independant have have more jobs