How did women's roles in the workforce change during the Industrial Revolution?

During the Industrial Revolution, women's roles in the workforce significantly transformed as many began to seek employment outside the home. One of the most notable changes was the entry of women into factories, where they often worked long hours under harsh conditions for low wages. This marked a departure from previous expectations of their roles being confined primarily to the household or in informal domestic settings.

In addition to factory work, many women took jobs as domestic servants, which had been a common occupation for women before industrialization but expanded in tandem with urbanization and the growing middle class. The demand for workers in factories and homes provided new opportunities for women, even as it also highlighted the challenging and often exploitative nature of such employment.

The options that suggest women either became solely educators or withdrew entirely from public work misrepresent the reality of the time. While education roles for women did expand, especially in rural areas, this was not the primary or most pervasive change associated with the Industrial Revolution. Similarly, the notion that women focused solely on household duties overlooks the significant contributions and workforce participation of women during this era.